1. The problem asks us to determine the trend shown by a scatter plot of house square footage (x-axis) versus monthly rental cost (y-axis). 2. A positive trend means as $x$ increases, $y$ also increases; a negative trend means as $x$ increases, $y$ decreases; no trend means no clear pattern. 3. From the description, the points trend upward from left to right, meaning as square footage increases, rental cost increases. 4. Therefore, the scatter plot shows a positive trend. Final answer: The scatter plot shows a positive trend.