If you're not sure where to start, you can always start with PLUGGING IN NUMBERS.

Let's start with an easy value for x. How about x = 0
We get:
Quantity A: 4^(2x) = 4⁰ = 1
Quantity B: 16^x = 16⁰ = 1
Okay, the quantities are EQUAL

At this point, we know the correct answer is C or D

Now try some other value for x.
How about: x = 1
We get:
Quantity A: 4^(2x) = 4² = 16
Quantity B: 16^x = 16¹ = 16
The quantities are still EQUAL

Let's try x = -1
We get:
Quantity A: 4^(2x) = 4ˉ² = 1/4² = 1/16
Quantity B: 16^x = 16ˉ¹ = 1/16
The quantities are still EQUAL

Let's try one more value for x. How about x = 2
We get:
Quantity A: 4^(2x) = 4⁴ = 256
Quantity B: 16^x = 16² = 256
The quantities are still EQUAL

At this point, we might be reasonably convinced that the two quantities will always be equal. So, you might submit this as the correct answer and move on.
In my next post, I'll show you why the correct answer is C

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