Final answer:
The answer to Hayley's suggestion for combining the number of apples and bananas and multiplying the sum by 3 is represented by the expression 3(x + y).
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves an arithmetic operation combining the number of apples in each bag, represented by the variable x, with the number of bananas in each bunch, represented by the variable y, and then multiplying the sum by 3. To express this operation algebraically, we first add the variables x and y together, then multiply the result by 3. This is represented by the expression 3(x + y), which means you add x and y first due to the parenthesis, and then multiply the sum by 3.
Therefore, the correct answer is: c) 3(x + y).