Okay, we are tasked with adding 8968 and 7316. Let's begin!

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 6 in column 1 and get 14.
We'll write down the last digit 4 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 6 & 1 in column 2 and get 8.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 3 in column 3 and get 12.
We'll write down the last digit 2 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 7 in column 4 and get 16.
We'll write down the last digit 6 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 8968 + 7316 = 16284.

