Final answer:
Kim likely thought -105 was the slope of profits because she correctly identified that in a linear equation (y = mx + b), the slope is represented by the coefficient of x. Answer D is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
Kim thought that -105 was the slope of profits likely because she mistakenly believed the coefficient of x to be the slope, which is, in fact, the correct interpretation of a linear equation in the form y = mx + b. Therefore, the answer to the question is D) The correct slope is the coefficient of x. In the context of economics and linear graphs, the slope (m term) represents the rate at which one variable changes in relation to another variable. A positive slope indicates a direct relationship, while a negative slope indicates an inverse relationship between the two variables.