Which statement best defines a polynomial?

• A. A constant only
• B. Product of terms
• C. Sum of terms each a monomial
• D. Single monomial

Answer: (C)

Polynomials are built by adding monomial terms. A monomial is a single term with a coefficient and variables raised to nonnegative integer powers, like 3x^2 or 7xy. A polynomial is any finite sum of such monomials, which is why a constant (like 5) counts as a monomial with exponent zero and fits into the idea of a polynomial. This makes the statement “sum of terms each a monomial” the best description. A constant-only view misses most polynomials, a single monomial is too restrictive (polynomials can have multiple terms), and a product of terms describes multiplication, not addition, so it’s not the right idea for polynomials.