On the coordinate plane shown, points
A (−5,−6), B (2,−6), C (8,5), and D (−7,5)
are plotted and connected with line segments to form a trapezoid.
What is the height of the trapezoid?
A.11 units
B.7 units
C.15 units
D.10 units
We can find the height of the trapezoid by finding the distance between the parallel sides. One side is AB with length 2 − (−5) = 7, and the other side is CD with length (−7) − 8 = −15 (but the distance is the absolute value of this, which is 15). Therefore, the height of the trapezoid is the distance between AB and CD, which is 15 − 7 = 8 units. However, be careful! The trapezoid is not drawn to scale, so we cannot use the grid lines to measure the distance. The correct answer is:
height = 15 - 7 = 8 units
Therefore, the answer is not any of the choices given.