Answer: 5 boxes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Given : The audio-visual technician for a hotel ordered 4 boxes of microphone cords.
There are 12 cords in each box.
Then, the number of cords in 4 boxes will be [tex]4\times12=48[/tex]
If there are now a total of 108 cords at the hotel, then the number of corfds were before the order : 108-48=60
Then, the number of boxes were in hotel before the order :-
[tex]=\dfrac{60}{12}=5[/tex]
Hence, there were 5 boxes of cords in the hotel before the order.