How many ways are there to choose 2 items from a set of 6 items, without regard to order?

• A. 20
• B. 15
• C. 6
• D. 10

Answer: (B)

You're counting combinations—ways to pick two items from six without caring about the order. That’s 6 choose 2.

Think of it in two steps: if you counted in order, there are 6 options for the first item and 5 for the second, giving 6 × 5 = 30 ordered pairs. Since swapping the two items doesn’t create a new selection, you divide by 2 to get 15.

You can also use the factorial formula: 6!/(2!4!) = 15.

The other numbers don’t fit this scenario because they come from different setups (different numbers of items chosen or counting sequences where order matters). The count here is 15.