Which statement describes the identity property of multiplication?

• A. the sum of two numbers equals the product of their average
• B. any number x 1 equals itself
• C. any number + 0 equals itself
• D. any number times zero equals zero

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the identity property of multiplication: there is a number, 1, that leaves any number unchanged when you multiply by it. In other words, any number times 1 equals that number. For example, 7 × 1 = 7 or (-4) × 1 = -4. This is exactly the statement described by the option that says any number times 1 equals itself.

Other choices refer to different ideas: adding 0 gives the additive identity, not the multiplicative one; multiplying by zero gives zero, which is a different property (the zero property of multiplication); and the option about sums and averages isn’t a standard identity in multiplication.