A map has a scale of 3 centimeters : 8 kilometers. If two cities are 11 centimeters apart on the map, what is the actual distance between the cities, to the nearest tenth of a kilometer?

What exactly is your question?

Look, when you want to do something like put it like x^2. x2 could mean x² or x₂. so to clear confusion, know the notation. to find the product multiply the x's and you get -8x and the y's and you get 6y. since it's all being multiplied it is just -8x6y, or answer a. although the better answer is -48xy(combining -8 and 6) because you should multiply constants whenever you can.