PSAT Math Multiple-Choice Question 442: Answer and Explanation

Question: 442

Which of the following is equivalent to ?

• A.
• B.
• C.
• D.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

C

Difficulty: Medium

Strategic Advice: None of the choices has a remainder, suggesting that you probably will not need polynomial division for this question. Try factoring the numerator and denominator to see if something will cancel out.

Getting to the Answer: Start by factoring out a 2 in the denominator to make that quadratic a bit simpler. Once there, factor to reveal an (x - 2) term that will cancel out:

Unfortunately, none of the answer choices match. Try factoring -1 out of the numerator:

The correct answer is (C).