Final answer:
The correct answer representing an elevation of two hundred seventy-two and one-fourth yards below sea level is D. -272 ¹/⁴, as elevations below sea level are indicated with a negative sign.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number that best represents an elevation of two hundred seventy-two and one-fourth yards below sea level is D. -272 ¹/⁴. Elevations below sea level are represented by negative numbers, and because 272 and ¼ corresponds to the fraction ¼, we express this as a mixed number with a negative sign to indicate below sea level. Thus, the correct answer is the number that combines the whole number with the fraction and designates it as a negative to represent below sea level.
It's important to distinguish between positive and negative numbers in this context, as they represent elevations above or below a reference point, which in this case is sea level.
Positive numbers indicate elevations above sea level, whereas negative numbers indicate elevations below sea level. The provided options B and C don't represent the magnitude given, and option A is a positive number, which wouldn't be appropriate for an elevation below sea level.