If 5 raised to the 3 b minus 1 power is equal to 5 raised to the b minus 3 power , what is the value of b ?

Because both sides have the same base, 5, their exponents must be equal: 3b − 1 = b − 3. Subtract b from both sides and add 1 to both sides to get 2b = −2, so b = −1. The correct choice is negative 1.

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