Predict the result
How many cards are in a deck with four suits and thirteen ranks?
Count choices in two stages.

Set up the model
First choose one of four suits.
For each suit there are thirteen ranks.

Work the example
Multiply four by thirteen.
Each suit-and-rank pair is a different card.
There are fifty-two cards.
The same thirteen ranks are available in every suit.

Check the result
Now count one-topping pizzas with four crust types and fifteen toppings.
Take eight seconds to think before the answer appears.
[Eight-second silent pause to work; the answer remains hidden.]
Four times fifteen equals sixty.
There are sixty crust-and-topping pairs.

Interpret the result
The multiplication rule follows the allowed choices at each stage.
Use the original task and check that your result fits its meaning.