
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 constants $a$ and $c$ such that $(x + 3)(x + a) = x^2 + cx + 8$, find the value of $c$.
A) $\frac{14}{3}$  
B) $\frac{23}{3}$  
C) $\frac{5}{3}$  
D) $\frac{17}{3}$  
E) $\frac{11}{3}$

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