1. Let's identify what the symbol \( \neq \) means in mathematics. 2. The symbol \( \neq \) stands for "not equal to." This means two values are different. 3. In the statement \( x \neq y \), it means that the value of \( x \) is not equal to the value of \( y \). 4. Looking at the choices: - a. "x is equal to y" is incorrect. - b. "x is greater than or equal to y" is incorrect. - c. "x is greater than y" is incorrect. - d. "x is not equal to y" is correct. Therefore, the correct answer is d.