Answer:
The original cost of the skis is: $150
Explanation:
- The question tells us that Mr. MacGill buys a pair of skis at 1/3 of the price. We are also told that he uses a gift card of $40 after which the cost of before taxes was $10.
- We are asked to find the original price of the skis.
- If the original cost of the skis is X. Then a third of the price of the skis is given by:

- This value is now the total amount he paid and he used the 40 gift card, which reduced the cost before taxes to $10, that was in turn paid for him to purchase the item.
Thus, we can say:


Cross multiply

Final Answer
The original cost of the skis is: $150