There were 8 finalists in the Atlantic County spelling bee and 12 finalists in the Ocean County spelling bee. If one finalist from each county will advance to the state finals, how many different combinations are possible?

Choose one finalist from Atlantic County in 8 ways and one from Ocean County in 12 ways. By the multiplication principle, the number of combinations is 8 × 12 = 96. Therefore, the correct choice is C, 96.

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