Answer:
12.25 cm^2
Explanation:
Draw a segment from the bottom of the 1.5-cm vertical side to the bottom side of the entire polygon.
Now you have two rectangles.
The left rectangle has dimensions 3.5 cm by 1.5 cm.
The right rectangle has length 5 cm - 1.5 cm = 3.5 cm and width 3.5 cm - 1.5 cm = 2 cm.
The total area is the sum of the areas of the two rectangles.
area of rectangle = length * width
total area = 3.5 cm * 1.5 cm + 3.5 cm * 2 cm
total area = 5.25 cm^2 + 7 cm^2
total area = 12.25 cm^2