Answer:
Mr. Nelson paid $48 befor tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x be the price of the item before tax.
108 % * x - x = 3.84 (the tax itself)
27/25x - x = 3.84
2/25 x = 3.84
x = 48
<u>Direct Variation:</u> 

when y = 7: 
14 = 15x

<u>Inverse variation:</u> y*x = k
15 * 2 = k
30 = k
when y = 7: 7 * x = 30

To solve this, you would divide 478 by 18, which equals 26.5555556. Since you can't have half a package of paper, the answer would be 26. Hope this helps!