A rectangle is which of the following?

A rectangle is which of the following?

• A. A trapezoid
• B. A rectangle
• C. A kite
• D. A parallelogram and an isosceles trapezoid

Answer: (D)

Rectangles have two sets of opposite sides that are parallel and equal, and all angles are right angles. That makes it a parallelogram because opposite sides are parallel and equal. Since there is a pair of parallel sides and the other pair is equal in length, it also fits the isosceles trapezoid idea. Many definitions of trapezoid allow at least one pair of parallel sides, so a rectangle can be viewed as a trapezoid as well. Putting it together, a rectangle is both a parallelogram and an isosceles trapezoid under those definitions. (Note that if you use the strict definition of trapezoid as exactly one pair of parallel sides, a rectangle wouldn’t be a trapezoid, but the common classroom convention used here includes it.)

Rectangles have two sets of opposite sides that are parallel and equal, and all angles are right angles. That makes it a parallelogram because opposite sides are parallel and equal. Since there is a pair of parallel sides and the other pair is equal in length, it also fits the isosceles trapezoid idea. Many definitions of trapezoid allow at least one pair of parallel sides, so a rectangle can be viewed as a trapezoid as well. Putting it together, a rectangle is both a parallelogram and an isosceles trapezoid under those definitions. (Note that if you use the strict definition of trapezoid as exactly one pair of parallel sides, a rectangle wouldn’t be a trapezoid, but the common classroom convention used here includes it.)