You have steamed 217 miles and consumed 23.0 tons of fuel. If you maintain the same speed, how many tons of fuel will you consume while steaming 362 miles?

Correct Answer: Option C — 38.4 tons

Fuel consumption varies directly with distance when speed remains constant. Using simple proportional scaling: (23.0 tons / 217 miles) = (x tons / 362 miles), solving for x accurately yields the expected fuel burn of 38.4 tons.