Final answer:
To calculate the amount of tax Shelby will pay, find the total cost of her books and multiply it by the sales tax rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of tax Shelby will pay, we need to find the total cost of her books first. The Biology book costs $98, the used Poetry book costs $83, and the Algebra textbook costs $74. The total cost of the books is $98 + $83 + $74 = $255.
Next, we need to find the amount of sales tax. The sales tax rate is 7.5%, so we multiply the total cost by 0.075 to find the amount of tax: $255 * 0.075 = $19.125.
Therefore, Shelby will pay $19.125 in taxes.