Ernie earned $121.50 more than Kaylin. Tria earned $35 less than 3 times the amount Kaylin earned. Ernie, Tria, and Kaylin earned $579 in all. How much did Tria earn?

Let Kaylin’s earnings be K. Then Ernie earned K + $121.50 and Tria earned 3K − $35. Adding their earnings gives 5K + $86.50 = $579, so K = $98.50. Tria earned 3($98.50) − $35 = $260.50, which is choice C.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.