The slope of a line in the form "y = mx + b" is given by the coefficient "m" of the x term.
For the first equation, x - 2y = -1/2, we can rearrange the terms to get y = (1/2)x - 1/2. The coefficient of the x term is 1/2, so the slope of the line is 1/2.
For the second equation, -4x - 8y = 2, we can rearrange the terms to get y = -(1/2)x - 1/4. The coefficient of the x term is -1/2, so the slope of the line is -1/2.