Final answer:
The degree of the polynomial -7v²k-3k-9v²k³+5k² is determined by finding the term with the highest sum of exponents, which is 5 for the term -9v²k³.
Step-by-step explanation:
To identify the degree of the following polynomial, we need to look at each term of the polynomial -7v²k-3k-9v²k³+5k² and find the highest sum of the exponents of v and k in a single term.
The term with the highest degree is -9v²k³. To find the degree of this term, we add the exponents of v and k, which are 2 (for v²) and 3 (for k³), resulting in a degree of 5. This is the highest degree found in the polynomial, so the degree of the polynomial is 5.