Which property is true for a parallelogram?

Which property is true for a parallelogram?

• A. Opposite sides are perpendicular.
• B. Opposite sides are parallel and equal.
• C. All angles are right angles.
• D. Diagonals are perpendicular.

Answer: (B)

In a parallelogram, opposite sides run in the same direction and have the same length. You can see this by drawing a diagonal, which creates two triangles that share that diagonal. The parallel sides make corresponding angles equal, so those two triangles become congruent. When triangles are congruent, their corresponding sides match up, meaning the opposite sides are not only parallel but also equal in length. That combination—opposite sides being parallel and equal—is what characterizes a parallelogram. Remember, having all right angles happens only in a rectangle, and diagonals are perpendicular only in special cases like a rhombus, not in every parallelogram.

In a parallelogram, opposite sides run in the same direction and have the same length. You can see this by drawing a diagonal, which creates two triangles that share that diagonal. The parallel sides make corresponding angles equal, so those two triangles become congruent. When triangles are congruent, their corresponding sides match up, meaning the opposite sides are not only parallel but also equal in length. That combination—opposite sides being parallel and equal—is what characterizes a parallelogram. Remember, having all right angles happens only in a rectangle, and diagonals are perpendicular only in special cases like a rhombus, not in every parallelogram.