the correct question is
A 15-foot ladder is leaning against a house. the base of the ladder is 4 feet from the house. to the nearest tenth of a foot. How high up the house does the ladder reach?
see the picture attached to better understand the problem
applying the Pythagoras Theorem
15²=4²+h²-----> h²=15²-4²-----> h²=225-16----> h=√209
h=14.46 ft------> h=14.5 ft
the answer is
14.5 ft
