Final answer:
The only plausible statement for Maria's energy savings is that her new monthly energy bill would be 74% of the previous monthly energy bill. A negative bill or savings over 100% is not possible in this context.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked about what could be true if Maria saved 126% on her monthly energy bill. This is mathematically impossible because you cannot save more than 100% on a bill. However, the statement is likely meant to say that Maria's energy usage is 126% of what was previously used, so these statements should be considered in that context. If Maria's new monthly energy bill represents an increase, none of the statements would be true. If it's a decrease and we're looking at her savings in terms of reduction, the correct statement would be:
b) Her new monthly energy bill would be 74% of the previous monthly energy bill.
This means that if Maria's energy bill was reduced by 126%, she would be saving 26% on what she used to pay, hence she's paying the remaining 74% of the original bill. Choices a, c, and d are incorrect because a bill cannot be a negative percentage of a previous bill, and a percentage saved that's over 100% doesn't make sense in this context.