Correct answer: A. 7 + 9 = 16, so they are complementary selections
Explanation: The governing idea is complementary selection, represented by the combination identity ⁿCᵣ = ⁿCₙ₋ᵣ. From a collection of 16 objects, every selection of 7 objects determines exactly one complementary group of 9 objects that was not selected. This one-to-one correspondence proves that the number of 7-element selections equals the number of 9-element selections. Algebraically, 16−7=9, or equivalently 7+9=16, so ¹⁶C₇=¹⁶C₉. Hence option A is correct. Option B is irrelevant because multiplication is not the condition in the symmetry identity. Option C is false because the lower indices are different, and option D confuses combinations, where order is ignored, with permutations, where order matters.