Which orientation best represents a direct relationship on a Cartesian plane?

Which orientation best represents a direct relationship on a Cartesian plane?

• A. Descends from upper left to lower right
• B. Horizontal line
• C. Vertical line
• D. Ascends from lower left to upper right

Answer: (D)

A direct relationship is shown by a positive slope: as x increases, y also increases. On a Cartesian plane, that appears as a line that rises from the bottom-left toward the top-right. The other orientations don’t fit this idea: a line that descends has a negative relationship (y falls as x rises), a horizontal line means y stays the same regardless of x, and a vertical line would mean y isn’t determined by x at all. So the orientation that best represents a direct relationship is the one that goes upward as you move to the right.

A direct relationship is shown by a positive slope: as x increases, y also increases. On a Cartesian plane, that appears as a line that rises from the bottom-left toward the top-right. The other orientations don’t fit this idea: a line that descends has a negative relationship (y falls as x rises), a horizontal line means y stays the same regardless of x, and a vertical line would mean y isn’t determined by x at all. So the orientation that best represents a direct relationship is the one that goes upward as you move to the right.