The Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons. How many barrels did that correspond to?

The Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons. How many barrels did that correspond to?

• A. 261,900 bbls
• B. 1,000,000 bbls
• C. 500,000 bbls
• D. 100,000 bbls

Answer: (A)

Think in barrels. In oil, one barrel holds 42 gallons. To convert gallons to barrels, divide by 42. So 11,000,000 gallons ÷ 42 equals about 261,904.8 barrels, which rounds to roughly 261,900 barrels. Therefore, the spill amount expressed in barrels is about 261,900 bbls, matching the option near that value. The other numbers would imply much larger or smaller totals in gallons, so they don’t fit the conversion.

Think in barrels. In oil, one barrel holds 42 gallons. To convert gallons to barrels, divide by 42. So 11,000,000 gallons ÷ 42 equals about 261,904.8 barrels, which rounds to roughly 261,900 barrels. Therefore, the spill amount expressed in barrels is about 261,900 bbls, matching the option near that value. The other numbers would imply much larger or smaller totals in gallons, so they don’t fit the conversion.