Answer:
Area = (22 ft)(12 ft) + (22 ft)(w)
Explanation:
The area is the product of length and width. The length is given as 22 ft (the same for both rooms). The width is the total of the widths of the two rooms.
Straightforward application of the area formula gives ...
... Area = length×width
... = (22 ft)×(12 ft + w)
This is one side of the equation that expresses the distributive property:
... a(b +c) = ab + ac
The other side is
... area = (22 ft)(12 ft) + (22 ft)(w)
The equation in bold above is a direct application of the area formula. The bold equation immediately above here is the result of applying the distributive property, which is apparently what the problem statement wants.
(You may be expected to write it as ... 22×12 + 22×w . . . . without any units.)