Maya earns $12.00 per hour and worked 41 hours this week. How much did she earn?

To determine Maya's earnings for the week, we start by calculating her total hours worked and her hourly wage. Maya worked 41 hours at a rate of $12.00 per hour.

First, we calculate her earnings for the first 40 hours, which are typically paid at the standard hourly rate. This is done by multiplying the number of hours by the hourly wage:

40 hours × $12.00/hour = $480.

Since Maya worked an additional hour beyond the standard 40 hours, this overtime hour is usually paid at a higher rate. In most workplaces, overtime is compensated at 1.5 times the regular hourly rate.

So, for the 1 hour of overtime, her pay would be:

1 hour × ($12.00 × 1.5) = 1 hour × $18.00 = $18.00.

Now, we add her standard earnings and her overtime pay together:

$480 (for 40 hours) + $18 (for 1 hour of overtime) = $498.

Thus, Maya's total earnings for the week amount to $498, making this option the correct answer.