C. 1/2
In the table below, this refers to the original solution, not the acid concentration. Sorry about the formatting...it should be a 3X4 table with one expression in each box.
Original Removed Added Result
Concentration 0.50 0.50 0.70 0.60
Amount 1 x x 1
Multiply 0.50 0.50x 0.70x 0.60
0.50 (Original amount) - 0.50x (Removed) + 0.70x (Added) = 0.60 (End Result)
0.20x = 0.10
x = 1/2
Explanation:
Because the question asks for the original solution, you can change the numbers to reflect that. If 50% of the solution is acid, then 50% of the solution is the original solution. Then you're removing 50% concentration of acid (which is also 50% original solution) and then adding the same amount back but with 30% concentration of acid (also 70% concentration of original solution). What I mean by that is if you remove 50% of the acid, then you are also removing 50% concentration of the original solution. If you are adding an amount with 30% solution of acid, then you are also adding 70% of the original solution. The end result should be 40% acid---60% original solution, which is the focus since the question asks for the original amount of the solution.
Looking at the table, the original amount is 50% of let's say, 1 unit. The original solution is 0.50. You remove 50% concentration of original solution of some amount x and then you add back the same amount x but with 70% of original solution concentration. The end result is 60% original solution. Multiply down, then remove and add terms and solve for x. The amount you replaced, or x, is 1/2.
Try this problem:
mixture-problem-78345.html and see how you do.
I had trouble with mixture problems, too, but I came across the user Economist's link,
https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/mixture-problems.html, and this is where I got the above strategy from. You should check it out.