Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 5, 5.2, Section 5.2, Problem 29

Determine if the polynomial $-6p^4q - 3p^3q^2 +2pq^3 -q^4$ is a monomial, binomial, trinomial or none of these. Also,
find the degree

$-6p^4q - 3p^3q^2 +2pq^3 -q^4$ is a polynomial with more than three terms. Thus, the answer is none of the choices.

The degree is the sum of the exponents of each variable in the expression.

In this case, the degree of $-6p^4q$ is 5 and the degree of $2pq^3$ is 4

Thus, the degree of $-6p^4q - 3p^3q^2 +2pq^3 -q^4$ is the largest degree of its terms. Thus, the answer the degree is $5$