If in a square of side \((x-6)\), two strips are removed from the large square \(x^2\), what is the total area of the removed strips?

Correct answer: \(12x\)

Direct answer: B, \(12x\), is correct. Begin with a large square of side \(x\), whose area is \(x^2\). To reduce both dimensions from \(x\) to \(x-6\), remove one strip of width 6 and length \(x\) from one side; its area is \(6x\). Remove an equal strip from the adjacent side; its area is another \(6x\). The total area of the two strips, counted as the two strip regions before correcting their overlap, is \(6x+6x=12x\). The small overlapping corner has area \(6 ext{ × }6=36\), and it is handled separately when writing \((x-6)^2=x^2-12x+36\). A counts one strip only. C uses an incorrect product. D is the corner square, not the total of the strips. Memory cue: two strips of width \(a\) along an \(x\)-square contribute \(2ax\).