1. The problem asks for the degree of the polynomial $$p(x) = 3x^4 - 5x^3 + 7x^2 - 2x + 1$$. 2. The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable $x$ with a nonzero coefficient. 3. In the polynomial, the terms are: - $3x^4$ (degree 4) - $-5x^3$ (degree 3) - $7x^2$ (degree 2) - $-2x$ (degree 1) - $1$ (degree 0) 4. The highest degree term is $3x^4$, so the degree of the polynomial is 4. 5. Therefore, the correct answer is option a. 4.