Final answer:
After totaling Irving's purchases and adding that sum to his ending balance, the initial account balance before shopping was $151.49.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Mathematics, specifically it involves a problem in basic arithmetic related to computing the initial amount of money in an account after making multiple purchases. To find out how much money Irving had in his account to begin with, we would need to add the total cost of his purchases and then add that sum to his ending balance. So, we need to sum the cost of the novel ($8.75), shirt ($21.66), lunch ($9.13), and the potted plant ($16.89). After calculating this, we subtract it from his ending balance ($95.06) to determine the starting balance.
Here's the calculation:
- Novel: $8.75
- Shirt: $21.66
- Lunch: $9.13
- Potted Plant: $16.89
Total spent: $8.75 + $21.66 + $9.13 + $16.89 = $56.43
Starting balance: $95.06 (ending balance) + $56.43 (amount spent) = $151.49
Therefore, the answer to how much money Irving had in his account to begin with is option b. $151.49.