1. The problem asks to evaluate $17 \times (15 \times 16)$ and determine which expression among the choices A, B, and C is equivalent to it. 2. First, calculate the value inside the parentheses: $$15 \times 16 = 240$$ 3. Now multiply by 17: $$17 \times 240 = 4080$$ 4. Let's evaluate each choice to see which equals 4080: - Choice A: $(17 + 15) \times 16 = 32 \times 16 = 512$ - Choice B: $(17 \times 15) + 16 = 255 + 16 = 271$ - Choice C: $(17 \times 15) \times 16 = 255 \times 16 = 4080$ 5. The correct answer is choice C because it equals the original expression's value. 6. This problem demonstrates the associative property of multiplication, which states that $a \times (b \times c) = (a \times b) \times c$. Final answer: C