Question 65·Medium·Linear Equations in Two Variables
Which of the following is an equation of the line that passes through the point and has slope ?
For line-equation questions with a given slope and point, quickly write the slope-intercept form using the given slope for , then substitute the point’s coordinates to solve for . This is usually faster and less error-prone than guessing from the choices, and you can also eliminate any options that have the wrong slope before checking which one fits the point.
Hints
Think about the form of a line
A line with a known slope is often written in slope-intercept form . How can you use the given slope to start the equation?
Use the point to find the intercept
Once you write in terms of and using the given slope, plug in and from the point to create an equation for .
Match your equation to a choice
After solving for , write the complete equation of the line and see which answer choice is exactly the same.
Desmos Guide
Graph each answer choice
In Desmos, type each option on its own line: y = -3x - 4, y = 3x + 4, y = -3x + 10, and y = 3x - 10. This will graph all four lines.
Plot and check the given point
Add the point (2, -4) in Desmos (you can type (2, -4) directly). Look to see which of the four lines passes exactly through this point; that line’s equation is the correct choice.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use slope-intercept form
A line in slope-intercept form looks like , where is the slope and is the -intercept.
Here, the slope is given as , so the equation must look like
for some value of .
Substitute the given point to find
The line passes through , which means when , .
Substitute and into :
Now solve this equation for .
Solve for and write the final equation
From
we get
So , and the full equation is
which matches choice D.