If (x + 1)(x + 3) = x^2 + x, what is a possible value of x? Answers:
A) 2	B) 3	C) - 1 / 3	D) - 3	E) - 1

Rationale: rearranging the given expression : ( x + 1 ) ( x + 3 ) = x ^ 2 + x i . e . x ^ 2 + 4 x + 3 = x ^ 2 + x i . e . 3 x = - 3 i . e . x = - 3 / 3 = - 1 answer : option e had it been a difficult expression to solve further , then we could have used options to check which one satisfies the expression after solving it as further as possible .
Answer: E