The line is a tangent to the parabola . The value of is:

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A.

  1. Step 1: Set the rules equal: , so .
  2. Step 2: A tangent touches once, so the discriminant is zero: .
  3. Step 3: , so .
Answer
c = -4.
Why not the others: and come from sign slips in the discriminant; uses and forgets the constant 5.

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