To find the slope of the line that passes through the points $(-1, 8)$ and $(3, -4)$, you can use the slope formula:

$\text{slope} = \dfrac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$

Substituting the given points $(-1, 8)$ and $(3, -4)$:

$\text{slope} = \dfrac{-4 - 8}{3 - (-1)} = \dfrac{-12}{4} = -3$

So, the correct answer is:

$\boxed{-3}$

Would you like more details or have any questions?

Here are 5 related questions to further your understanding:

1. What is the slope-intercept form of the line passing through the points $(-1, 8)$ and $(3, -4)$?
2. How do you find the equation of the line given two points?
3. Can the slope of a vertical line be defined? If not, why?
4. What is the significance of a positive vs. negative slope in the context of a line on a graph?
5. How would you find the midpoint of the segment connecting $(-1, 8)$ and $(3, -4)$?

Tip: The slope of a line represents the rate of change of $y$ with respect to $x$. A negative slope indicates that the line is decreasing from left to right.