find the area!! 20 POINTS

Step One
Begin by drawing a line parallel to the x axis. Create it so it goes through (0,1)
This line you have drawn should hit points on the figure at (-5,1) (-2,1) and (3,1) 
You now have a figure on the bottom that is a trapezoid. It has 2 small triangles on top of it. We'll talk about them later.

Step Two
Find the area of the trapezoid.
Formula
Area = (b1 + b2)*h/2
h = 1 - - 3 = 4
b1 = 3 - - 8 = 11
b2 = 3 - - 5 = 8

Area = (11 + 8)*4 / 2
Area = (19 ) * 2
Area = 38

Step Three
Find the area of the small triangle on the left.
The base goes from -5 to - 2 which is 3 units.
The height goes from 1 to 3 (using the y axis as a reference) which is 2
Area = 1/2 * b * h
Area = 1/2 *3 * 2
Area = 3

Step Four
Find the area of the small triangle on the right.
The base is 5 (see if you can get 5 as an answer)
The height is 1.

Area = 1/2 b * h
Area = 1/2 5 * 1
Area = 2.5

Step Five
Total Area is found by adding the three areas together.
Total Area = trapezoid + small triangle on the left + small triangle on the right
Total Area = 38 + 3 + 2.5 = 43.5

43.5 <<<< answer