Answer :
Consider that the total expenditute made by Maria includes the cost (B) of the bill and the tip (T) paid for the dinner.
Given that the bill is $13.53, while the tip is 15% of the bill, the actual amount paid as tip is calculated as,
[tex]T=\frac{15}{100}\times13.53=2.0295\approx2.03[/tex]Then the total cost (C) of the dinner is given as,
[tex]C=B+T=13.53+2.03=15.56[/tex]Thus, the dinner costs $15.56 to Maria.