What are the coordinates of the point of intersection of the lines?

Correct answer: a (1, −2)

−x − 1 = 3x − 5 gives x = 1 and y = −2; the intersection is (1, −2).

Why the other options are wrong

• b (1, 2): Putting (1, 2) in the first line gives 2 ≠ −2; the ordinate is negative.
• c (−1, 2): −x − 1 = 3x − 5 gives x = 1 and y = −2; the intersection is (1, −2). So (−1, 2) is not the answer.
• d (−1, −2): −x − 1 = 3x − 5 gives x = 1 and y = −2; the intersection is (1, −2). So (−1, −2) is not the answer.