To solve for the total area of the figure, we can break it down into its components and then sum the areas.

Breakdown of the shape:

1. Left rectangle:

   • Dimensions: $4.25 \, \text{inches} \times 4 \, \text{inches}$
   • Area: $\text{Area} = 4.25 \times 4 = 17 \, \text{square inches}$

2. Middle trapezoid:

   • Height: $3 \, \text{inches}$
   • Shorter base: $2.75 \, \text{inches}$
   • Longer base: $4 \, \text{inches}$
   • Area formula: $A = \frac{1}{2} \times (\text{base}_1 + \text{base}_2) \times \text{height}$
   • Area: $A = \frac{1}{2} \times (2.75 + 4) \times 3 = \frac{1}{2} \times 6.75 \times 3 = 10.125 \, \text{square inches}$

3. Right triangle:

   • Base: $3 \, \text{inches}$
   • Height: $2.5 \, \text{inches}$
   • Area formula: $A = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}$
   • Area: $A = \frac{1}{2} \times 3 \times 2.5 = 3.75 \, \text{square inches}$

Total Area:

Summing all the areas of the components:

$\text{Total Area} = 17 \, \text{(rectangle)} + 10.125 \, \text{(trapezoid)} + 3.75 \, \text{(triangle)} = 30.875 \, \text{square inches}$

Thus, the total area of the entire figure is 30.875 square inches.

Let me know if you need more details or have any questions!

Here are 5 relative questions to expand on this:

1. What is the general formula for the area of a trapezoid?
2. How does the height of a shape affect its area?
3. Can the area formula for a rectangle be used for parallelograms?
4. What happens to the area when both the height and the base of a triangle are doubled?
5. How would the total area change if the left rectangle's width was increased by 2 inches?

Tip:

Always remember that composite shapes can be broken down into simpler components like rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids for easier area calculation.