Select the correct answer.

Niall owes [tex] \$187 [/tex] to his cousin. However, he doesn't have any money right now. He hopes to earn some money by painting a house. He gets paid [tex] \$34 [/tex] for every 2 hours he paints. Which equation of a line models [tex] y [/tex], the amount of money he will have after paying back his cousin, in terms of [tex] x [/tex], the number of hours he spends painting?

A. [tex] y = 34x - 187 [/tex]
B. [tex] y = 17x + 187 [/tex]
C. [tex] y = 34x + 187 [/tex]
D. [tex] y = 17x - 187 [/tex]

Niall earns \[tex]$34 for every 2 hours of work. To determine his hourly rate, divide \$[/tex]34 by 2:

[tex]$$
\text{Hourly wage} = \frac{34}{2} = 17 \text{ dollars per hour.}
$$[/tex]

Since he starts with \[tex]$0 and he owes \$[/tex]187, the amount of money he will have after painting for [tex]$x$[/tex] hours is calculated by subtracting the debt from his earnings. His earnings after [tex]$x$[/tex] hours are given by:

[tex]$$
\text{Earnings} = 17x.
$$[/tex]

Thus, the net amount of money he has after paying his cousin is:

[tex]$$
y = 17x - 187.
$$[/tex]

This corresponds to option D.