Question

A football team started at the line of scrimmage. On the first play of the drive, the team lost 4 yards. On the second play of the drive, the team gained 45 yards. Taylor calculated |–4 – 45| = |–49| = 49, and said that the team gained a total of 49 yards on the two plays. Which best describes Taylor’s error?

A. Taylor did not find the correct distance between –4 and 45.

B. Taylor did not make an error. The team gained a total of 49 yards on the two plays.
C. Taylor correctly found the distance between –4 and 45, but this number represents the team’s total loss, not the team’s total gain.
D. Taylor correctly found the distance between –4 and 45, but this number represents the total distance the team moved in both directions, not the team’s total gain.

Answer 1

D.

Explanation:

Answer 2

D. Taylor correctly found the distance between –4 and 45, but this number represents the total distance the team moved in both directions, not the team’s total gain.

Explanation:

The team only ended up gaining the 45 yards on the second play and had gained -4 on the first play. 45-4≠49, but the total distance between -4 and 45 is 49.