Jac is reading this paragraph from the code book. mathematicians have been studying factoring for centuries, and modern factoring techniques are not significantly better than ancient techniques. indeed, it could be that the laws of mathematics forbid the existence of a significant shortcut for factoring. which question will best jac apply the reading to his own life? how can i get a better math grade? how can i learn about ancient techniques? what is important for me to understand? what is a modern factoring technique?

The (third) option is the ANSWER

The correct answer here is: What is important for me to understand? This would be the best question Jac could ask himself to apply what he has read.

Explanation:

The reason for this has to do with the conclusion that can be drawn from the words in the text Jac has read. In essence, the particular excerpt read by Jac in his code book summarizes that whether the techniques used are old, or new, the ancient ones used in the past, versus the newly created systems of factoring, the truth is that shortcuts are not possible in mathematics, and therefore, all steps must be applied. This means that Jac must learn what is truly important, what he needs to really understand about factoring, instead of worrying about whether the techniques he will apply are ancient or recent. The same can be said about his own life; regardless of how he chooses to live his life, there are moments when shortcuts cannot be used.