Which meaning best defines parallel?

• A. Not intersecting
• B. Occurring at the same time
• C. Extending in the same direction
• D. Perpendicular

Answer: (A)

Parallel describes two lines that lie in the same plane and never meet, staying the same distance apart as they extend. This direct property—never crossing—captures what parallel means in everyday language and in tests like this. Think of railroad tracks or two lanes of a road running beside each other: they go in the same general direction but do not intersect. Other ideas in the choices aren’t about this relationship: happening at the same time is about simultaneity, extending in the same direction is vague and not enough to guarantee no intersection, and perpendicular means a right-angle relationship, which is a different concept altogether.