Which common factor will be taken out from (xy + xz)?

Correct answer: x

Answer: C, x. The expression has two terms: xy and xz. To find a common factor, look for a number or variable that appears as a factor in every term. The variable x appears in xy and also in xz. Therefore, x can be taken outside the brackets: xy + xz = x(y + z). The remaining factors are y and z. Option A, y, is present only in xy, not in xz. Option B, z, is present only in xz, not in xy. Option D, yz, is not a factor of either term because xy has no z and xz has no y. A useful check is to multiply x(y + z) again; it returns xy + xz. Memory cue: a common factor must be present in every term, not merely in one term.