OEQuote:
To determine the largest possible value of x, you’ll need to determine the smallest possible value of y. If y is a positive integer, then y could be 1, making \(y^4 = 1\). Thus, x^4 could be a little less than 9,999, and the sum \(x^4 + y^4\) would still be less than 10,000. So, you need to find the approximate number that, raised to the fourth power, is equal to 9,999. That sounds like a tall order until you realize that you’re just approximating and that \(10, 000 = 10^4\)
So, 9,999 is approximately 10 raised to the fourth power, so 40 the greatest possible value of x is a little bit less than 10, or choice (D), between 9 and 12.