Final answer:
To find the area of the path around the square garden, subtract the area of the inner square from the area of the outer square. The closest multiple-choice option is (B) 205m², although this doesn't exactly match the calculated result.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the area of the path around the square garden, we need to subtract the area of the inner square from the area of the outer square.
The area of the outer square can be calculated by squaring the sum of the side length of the garden and twice the width of the path. So, the area of the path is (18 + 2*5)^2 - 18^2 = 23^2 - 18^2 = 529 - 324 = 205 m².