Final answer:
The expression that represents the total number of flags compared to city residents is a) 2(Residents) - 10.
Step-by-step explanation:
The city council purchased enough small American flags to account for ten less than twice the number of residents in the city. We can represent the number of residents in the city as 'Residents'.
Based on the given information, the total number of flags can be represented by the expression 2(Residents) - 10.
This is because we are multiplying the number of residents by 2 and then subtracting 10 from the result.
Therefore, the expression that represents the total number of flags compared to city residents is option a. 2(Residents) - 10.