Find the rate of change shown in the table. * \begin{tabular}{|c|c|} \hline$x$ & $y$ \\ \hline 1 & -3 \\ \hline 2 & -9 \\ \hline 3 & -15 \\ \hline 4 & -21 \\ \hline \end{tabular}

Step 1 ：The rate of change in a table can be found by calculating the difference in the y-values divided by the difference in the x-values. This is essentially calculating the slope of the line that the table represents. In this case, we can take any two consecutive points and calculate the rate of change. Let's take the points (1, -3) and (2, -9).

Step 2 ：Calculate the rate of change using the formula: \(\frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}\). Substituting the values from the points (1, -3) and (2, -9), we get \(\frac{-9 - (-3)}{2 - 1} = -6.0\).

Step 3 ：The rate of change calculated from the two points (1, -3) and (2, -9) is -6.0. This means that for each unit increase in x, y decreases by 6 units. This seems to be consistent with the other points in the table as well.

Step 4 ：Final Answer: The rate of change shown in the table is \(\boxed{-6}\).