How can you rewrite the expression 1 1/4 + 1/2 - 1/4 as first step in simplifying it? Of the choices below, which shows the best first step and property to rewrite the expression?

Answer:
The easiest way to do it is b) Commutative property
Step-by-step explanation:
This works best due to the fact that subtracting 1/4 from 1 1/4 is a simple operation. The commutative property allows us to rearrange these into any order that we'd like as long as we keep the signs consistent.