
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Using a podium of a certain height, two identical books are placed as shown initially, yielding a combined visible length \(r\) of 40 inches. After rearranging the books as per the second configuration, length \(s\) is found to be 34 inches. How high is the podium?
**A) 35 inches**  
**B) 36 inches**  
**C) 37 inches**  
**D) 38 inches**  
**E) 39 inches**

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user