Josh works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month. Carl is an intern and works 2 hours less than Josh every day. Josh gets $9 an hour and Carl, half that. How much does the company pay for the 2 together in one month? Let's think first. Chain of thought:
Josh works 8 hours / day * 5 days / week * 4 weeks / month = 160 hours a month. He earns 160 hours / month * $9 / month = $1440 per month. Carl works less because he is an intern: 6 hours / day * 5 days / week * 4 weeks / month = 120 hours per month. Carl earns 120 hours * $4.5 / hour = $540 per month. The company pays for the 2 together: $1440 + $540 = $1980.
Therefore, the answer is 1980.