What is the **common difference** of the arithmetic sequence $-7, -2, 3, 8, 13, \ldots$?

Common difference $d = a_{n+1} - a_{n}$ for any consecutive pair. $-2 - (-7) = -2 + 7 = 5$. Verify: $3 - (-2) = 5$ ✓, $8 - 3 = 5$ ✓. The sequence increases by $5$ each step. - Trap A negates the sign. The sequence is *increasing* (terms get bigger), so $d > 0$. - Trap D mistakes the *initial value* magnitude for the difference.