
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given two real numbers \( a \) and \( b \), consider \( ab = a^2 - ab + b^2 \). What is the value of 1?
(a) 1
(b) 0
(c) 2
(d) -2
(e) -1

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user