Which of the following names would be indexed first?

In the context of indexing names alphabetically, the correct choice is based on the standard rules for alphabetical order. When names are indexed, they are typically sorted first by the first name, then by the middle initial (if present), and finally by the last name.

In this case, "Karen Lane" should be indexed first because we compare the first names "Karen," "Karin," and "Kristen." "Karen" comes before both "Karin" and "Kristen" alphabetically.

Looking at the other choices, "Karin" and "Kristen" would come after "Karen," so neither of those options would be indexed first. Even though "Karin" begins with the same letters as "Karen," the subsequent letters are different, leading to the latter being prioritized in alphabetical order.

Additionally, the presence of a middle initial in the first or last names does not affect the ranking when comparing the first names directly. Therefore, the names are sorted primarily by the first name, which establishes "Karen Lane" as the leading option in this list.