Final answer:
The degree of a polynomial is determined by the highest exponent of any term in the polynomial.
Step-by-step explanation:
The degree of a polynomial is determined by the highest exponent of any term in the polynomial. So the answer to the question is C) The highest exponent of any term.
For example, in the polynomial 3x^2 + 5x + 1, the highest exponent is 2.
Therefore, the degree of this polynomial is 2.