Final answer:
The equation that would be parallel to the line y = 2x + 8 is A. y = 2x + 5, as it has the same slope (2) but a different y-intercept, ensuring the lines never intersect.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which equation would be parallel to the line y = 2x + 8. Lines are parallel when they have the same slope, so we're looking for an equation with the slope m = 2, the same as in the original equation. The general form of a linear equation is y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. Examining the given options, we identify that option A. y = 2x + 5 and option B. y = 2x + b both have the same slope of 2. However, since B includes any y-intercept b, it could be identical to the original line if b = 8 or another line if b is different.
Therefore, the correct answer is A. y = 2x + 5, as it is parallel to the original line and will not coincide with it no matter what value we plug in for x.