The correct answer is C) northwest. The southeast trade winds actually blow toward the northwest. This is because the southeast trade winds are a system of prevailing winds that blow from the southeast toward the northwest in the Earth's tropics. The direction of the trade winds is determined by the Coriolis effect, which causes air masses to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The other answer choices are incorrect because the southeast trade winds do not blow toward the south (A), east (B), or southeast (D) - they blow toward the northwest.