Advanced Math practice question

Answer: -4 or −4

Factor: (x + 4)(x − 1) = 0, so x = −4 or x = 1. The negative solution is −4.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 1

1 is the positive solution.

If you answered 4

4 has the wrong sign; the factor is (x + 4).

If you answered -1

−1 comes from factoring as (x − 4)(x + 1), which gives x² − 3x − 4, not x² + 3x − 4.

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