Problem
The shapes go square, triangle, circle and repeat every 3. Position 7 is a square, so position 8 is the next one — a triangle.
A 3-step shape cycle means position 8 follows position 7's square with a triangle.
4.OA.C.5Look For A PatternThe shape that belongs in the 8th spot is a triangle.
The row is built by repeating one fixed block of shapes — square, triangle, circle — so each spot's shape is decided by which slot of the block it lands on.
Counting the spots three at a time, spots 1 to 6 fill two whole blocks, so spot 7 is the 1st slot of the next block and spot 8 is its 2nd slot.
Each block is an exact copy of the first, so the 2nd slot holds the same shape it held before — a triangle.
The colors alternate red, yellow every 2. Odd spots are red and even spots are yellow, so position 8 (even) is yellow.
With a 2-step color cycle, every even spot lands on yellow.
4.OA.C.5Make A Systematic ListPosition 8 is a triangle (shape cycle) and yellow (color cycle), so the blank is a yellow triangle.
The two independent cycles together fix exactly one shape-and-color for each spot.
4.OA.C.5Look For A PatternTrack the shape cycle and the color cycle separately, then put them together: spot 8 is a yellow triangle!