if four congruent squares corners are cut from the large square of the cardboard to make a box, what is the area of the shaded figure in terms of x and y?

hard to say, with no figure to compare ...

To find the area of the shaded figure in terms of x and y, we first need to visualize the situation. Let's assume the large square of cardboard has side length a.

When the four congruent squares' corners are cut from the large square, four right triangles are formed in the corners. These triangles are similar to each other and have side lengths x, x, and y.

Here's how we can find the area of the shaded figure:

1. Find the area of the large square: Since all sides of the large square are equal, its area is a^2.

2. Find the area of the cut-out squares: Since all four squares are congruent, each square's area is equal to x^2.

3. Find the area of the four right triangles: Each right triangle's area can be calculated using the formula: A = (1/2) * base * height. In this case, the base and height of each right triangle are x and y, respectively. So, the area of each triangle is (1/2) * x * y.

4. Subtract the areas of the cut-out squares and the right triangles from the area of the large square: The shaded area is given by the difference between the area of the large square and the sum of the areas of the cut-out squares and right triangles.

Therefore, the area of the shaded figure in terms of x and y is:
Shaded Area = a^2 - 4(x^2) - 4[(1/2) * x * y]

It's important to note that we need more information to determine the value of a or establish any relationships between a, x, and y.