Final answer:
In the expression, like terms with the same variables raised to the same powers are grouped together, resulting in the correct answer being option (c) 3x² + 7x² + 2x + 7.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to group the like terms in a sum of polynomials. Like terms are terms that have the same variables raised to the same powers.
To group them, we combine the coefficients of these like terms. The correct expression that shows the sum of the polynomials with like terms grouped together is (c) 3x² + 7x² + 2x + 7.
Here, 3x² and 5x² are like terms because they both have the variable x squared. When we add their coefficients (3 and 5), we get 8x². However, this is just a simplification, and the question asked for the expression with like terms grouped, not combined. Therefore, we leave them as separate but grouped: 3x² + 7x².
The term 2x has no like term, so it remains as is. Finally, the constants 7 and 5 are like terms, which we can also group as 7.