Answer:
C
Step-by-step explanation:
Note that the absolute value always returns a positive value, that is
| - a | = | a | = a, hence
| - 12 - 3 | = | - 15 | = 15 and
| 23 - 42 | = | - 19 | = 19
Thus the subtraction reduces to
[tex]\frac{15}{4}[/tex] - [tex]\frac{19}{8}[/tex]
The denominators must be common before subtracting
= [tex]\frac{15(2)}{4(2)}[/tex] - [tex]\frac{19}{8}[/tex]
= [tex]\frac{30}{8}[/tex] - [tex]\frac{19}{8}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{11}{8}[/tex] → C
