Ease Into Prep with an SAT^® Question of the Day

Because the expressions 16a²b² and 24a² are not like terms, they cannot be combined via addition or subtraction. However, the expression 16a²b² − 24a² can be factored. The greatest common factor of 16a²b² and 24a² is 8a²b. Factoring out of the original expression yields 8a²b(2b − 3).

If desired, you can check your work by multiplying out 8a²b(2b − 3):
8a²b(2b − 3) = 8a²b(2b) − 8a²b(3) = 16a²b² − 24a².

Choice (D) is correct.