Answer: Sold at a discount because the stated rate of interest was lower than the effective rate.
Explanation:
The stated rate of interest is the coupon rate. This is the interest rate at which the bond will make periodic payments.
The effective rate is the market rate. This is the rate that will discount the bond to the present.
If the effective rate is higher than the stated rate of interest, the coupon payments will be discounted such that the current price of the bond will be less than par.
The above bond had a par of 100 but was issued at 98. It was issued at a discount which means that the effective rate was higher than the stated rate.