If a cook earns $12 per hour and works two hours of overtime, how much will they be compensated for the overtime hours?

To calculate the overtime compensation for the cook, it's essential to understand how overtime rates are typically determined. In most cases, overtime work is compensated at a rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly pay.

In this scenario, the cook earns $12 per hour. Therefore, the overtime rate would be calculated as follows:

1.5 x $12 = $18 per hour for overtime work.

If the cook works two hours of overtime, the total compensation for those overtime hours would be:

2 hours x $18 per hour = $36.

This shows why the correct answer is $36, reflecting the appropriate compensation for the two hours of overtime worked at the elevated pay rate.