Question

 What is the distance from P(2, –5) to the line y = –8? a. –6 b. 3 c. 5 d. 10

Answer 1

Plotting that point puts us at a y value of -5 (the y coordinate of the point P). y=-8 is a straight horizontal line through y=-8, so the distance from -5 to -8 is 3.  Remember that distance is never negative.  Distance is measured using the absolute value of the numbers. So b is your choice.