The abscissa is the x-coordinate when talking about the cartesian coordinate system, and the ordinate is the y-coordinate. So when you say the sum (addition) of the abscissa and the ordinate (abscissa + ordinate or x + y) is ( = ) six (6), we have x + y = 6.You could get this without knowing abscissa and ordinate by noticing that none of the other choices have a sum in them, they're both products (multiplied).