Which answer shows a correct order to solve this story problem?
maurine had to pay $2.52 tax on her purchases. she bought 3 books for $12.99 each, 2 pens for $0.69 each, and a magazine for $2.99. how much did maureen spend?

a. step 1: add the price of a book and a pen. step 2: multiply by 3 and then by 2. step 3: add $2.99 to that result. step 4: add the tax to the total of the purchases.
b. step 1: calculate the total price of the 2 pens. step 2: add $2.99 to that total. step 3: calculate the total price of the 3 books. step 4: add the tax to the price of the 3 books
c. step 1: calculate the total price of the 3 books. step 2: calculate the total price of the 2 pens. step 3: add $2.99 to the total of the cost of the books and pens. step 4: add the tax to the total of the purchases.
d. step 1: add $2.99 to the amount of the tax. step 2: calculate the total price of the 2 pens. step 3: calculate the total price of the 3 books. step 4: add the prices of the pens to the price of the books.