College Math CLEP Prep Practice Exam

What is the result of 6 + (-3)2?

1. -3

2. 3

3. 21

4. -21

The correct answer is: 3

The equation follows the standard order of operations, also known as PEMDAS. The parentheses signify that the number inside of them must be evaluated first. Therefore, we first solve (-3)2, which is equal to -6. Next, we apply the addition portion of the equation to get 6 + (-6), which equals to 0. So, the final result is 0 + 6, giving us an answer of 6. A is incorrect because it goes against the order of operations. C and D are incorrect because the parentheses must be evaluated first and therefore the answer cannot be a multiple of 2.