A square is translated 3 units to the right and 2 units up. How does its position change?

• A. It rotates 90 degrees.
• B. It moves 3 units left and 2 units down.
• C. It moves 3 units right and 2 units up; orientation unchanged.
• D. It reflects across the y-axis.

Answer: (C)

Translations move every point of a figure the same distance in the same direction, keeping the size and orientation intact. Here, the square is shifted 3 units to the right and 2 units up, so every vertex goes +3 in the x-direction and +2 in the y-direction. The square doesn’t rotate, flip, or resize; it simply slides to a new position. That’s why the description is that it moves 3 units right and 2 units up with its orientation unchanged. Rotating would change orientation, moving in the opposite directions would be a different translation, and reflecting would flip the figure—none of which happens in a translation.