The independent variable of an equation is x, or something u can change. in linear equations, for example, it is y=3x+4. and x is the independent variable cause most of the time u will plug in or substitute a number for x.
For those who may need it in the future, the answer on e1010 is actually: C: 10
31 is the answer because you would do 5 x 3 an that's 15 and if it's squared u technically add 15 a second time
The x-intercept is (-4/3,0).
Hope that helps!