first off, bear in mind that the terms are usually separated by a + or a - sign.
secondly, the degree of a term of a polynomial comes from the sum of its variables' exponents.
a)
[tex]\bf 2x^3y^2\qquad \begin{cases} \textit{no + or - signs, just one term a \underline{monomial}}\\\\ x^3y^2\implies \stackrel{degree}{3+2}\implies 5 \end{cases}[/tex]
b)
[tex]\bf \stackrel{term}{5x}+\stackrel{term}{3x^2}-\stackrel{term}{9}\qquad \begin{cases} \textit{three terms, a \underline{trinomial}}\\\\ 5x^1\implies 1\\ 3x^2\implies 2\qquad \stackrel{\textit{degree of the polynomial}}{\textit{term with highest degree}}\\ \end{cases}[/tex]
