Final answer:
The equation that has the same rate of change as the cellphone company's charges, with an initial fee of $35 and $40 per month, is C) y = 35 + 40x, as it has the same slope (rate of change) of 40.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation representing a cellphone company that charges an initial fee and a monthly fee is in the slope-intercept form, which is y = mx + b, where m is the slope (rate of change) and b is the y-intercept (initial fee). In this case, the company charges a one-time fee of $35 and then $40 per month. Therefore, the equation can be written as y = 40x + 35.
The equation that has the same rate of change as the given situation is the one with the same slope, which represents the monthly charge. In this case, C) y = 35 + 40x has the same rate of change, since the coefficient of x is 40, which stands for the $40 monthly fee the company charges.