Answer:
B) 2
Step-by-step explanation:
The first differences are increasing by 1 from term to term:
8-12 = -4
5-8 = -3
3-5 = -2
2-3 = -1 . . . . . if the next term is 2, as we believe it should be.
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Comment on number sequences
Any finite length sequence of n numbers can be modeled exactly by an n-1 degree polynomial. That is, a 4th-degree polynomial can be made to describe the sequence regardless of the next term you may choose.
If you choose the next term to be 2 as we suggest, then the sequence can be modeled by a 2nd-degree polynomial ...
(n² -11n +34)/2 . . . . for n = 1, 2, 3, ...
