What is the defining property of a rectangle?

What is the defining property of a rectangle?

• A. Four right angles.
• B. All sides equal.
• C. Opposite sides are perpendicular.
• D. Diagonals are perpendicular.

Answer: (A)

A rectangle is defined by having four right angles. That means every corner measures 90 degrees, so each interior angle is a right angle. Because all four angles are right, the figure forms a parallelogram where opposite sides are parallel and equal in length, which is what distinguishes a rectangle from other quadrilaterals. This is why the statement about four right angles is the defining property. Other descriptions describe special cases or unrelated traits: all sides equal would describe a square, not a general rectangle; opposite sides being perpendicular would imply a different orientation of sides that isn’t how rectangles are described; and diagonals being perpendicular isn’t a general feature of rectangles (they’re equal in length and bisect each other, but are not typically perpendicular).

A rectangle is defined by having four right angles. That means every corner measures 90 degrees, so each interior angle is a right angle. Because all four angles are right, the figure forms a parallelogram where opposite sides are parallel and equal in length, which is what distinguishes a rectangle from other quadrilaterals.

This is why the statement about four right angles is the defining property. Other descriptions describe special cases or unrelated traits: all sides equal would describe a square, not a general rectangle; opposite sides being perpendicular would imply a different orientation of sides that isn’t how rectangles are described; and diagonals being perpendicular isn’t a general feature of rectangles (they’re equal in length and bisect each other, but are not typically perpendicular).