The last count word in the counting sequence represents the total number of items.

The last count word in the counting sequence represents the total number of items.

• A. Cardinality principle
• B. Ordinal numbers
• C. Cardinal numbers
• D. Order of magnitude

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is the cardinality principle: when you count objects, the final number word you say tells you how many items are in the set. For example, count five blocks—one, two, three, four, five—and the last word “five” indicates there are five items. That direct link between the last count word and the total is exactly what the statement describes. Ordinal numbers refer to positions in a sequence (first, second), which isn’t about how many items there are. Cardinal numbers are the quantity words themselves, but the principle here is specifically about the rule that the last count word gives the total. Order of magnitude deals with rough size rather than an exact count, so it doesn’t capture the precise total you get from counting.

The idea being tested is the cardinality principle: when you count objects, the final number word you say tells you how many items are in the set. For example, count five blocks—one, two, three, four, five—and the last word “five” indicates there are five items. That direct link between the last count word and the total is exactly what the statement describes.

Ordinal numbers refer to positions in a sequence (first, second), which isn’t about how many items there are. Cardinal numbers are the quantity words themselves, but the principle here is specifically about the rule that the last count word gives the total. Order of magnitude deals with rough size rather than an exact count, so it doesn’t capture the precise total you get from counting.