ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS: PROBLEM SET 14

Easy
1. B

The question asks which choice could be the graph of f if f has three distinct zeros. A zero
is a point in which y = 0, or an x-intercept. Count the number of times the graph touches
the x-axis in each choice. In (A), the graph touches the x-axis four times. In (B), the graph
touches the x-axis three times. In (C), the graph touches the x-axis two times. In (D), the
graph touches the x-axis two times. The correct answer is (B).

2. A

The question asks for the equation that could define function g and states that g has zeros
at –4, 2, and 4. A zero is a point in which the value of the function is 0. Notice that each of
the choices is in factored form. If k is a zero of a function, then (x – k) is a factor of the
function. Since the zeros of g are –4, 2, and 4, the factors of g must be (x + 4), (x – 2), and
(x – 4). Only (A) has all three factors. Alternatively, since –4, 2, and 4, are zeros, then g(–
4) = 0, g(2) = 0, and g(4) = 0. Plug these points into each of the answer choices, crossing
off any for which g is not 0. First, g(4) = 0 in (A), (B), and (C) but not (D), so eliminate
(D). Then, g(2) = 0 in (A) and (B) but not (C), so eliminate (C). Finally, g(–4) = 0 in (A)
but not (B), so eliminate (B). The correct answer is (A).

3. B

The question asks for the value of a. Since a is inside the parentheses, it is an x-value.

When a function question asks for an x-value, use PITA. Start with (C). If a = 2, then f(a)

= f(2) = 2(2) + 1 = 5. Since f(a) should be 2, this is incorrect, so eliminate (C). Since the

correct answer must be smaller, eliminate (D) as well. Now try (B). If , then

. Since this is what the question says f(a) is, the correct answer is

(B).

Medium
4. C

The question asks for the graph of f(x). Think about how graphs work. In the equation, 2
represents the y-intercept, so eliminate any graphs that do not cross the y-axis at 2. You
are down to (A) and (C). A slope of greater than 1 is relatively steep as compared with a
45-degree angle, while a fractional slope is relatively shallow. The slope here is 4, so you
need a steep graph. Eliminate (A). The correct answer is (C).

5. D

The question asks which of the answers could be the graph of f(x). Think about how
graphs work. The y-intercept on the graph is 3, so you need a formula that ends in +3.
 Eliminate (A) and (C). A slope of greater than 1 is relatively steep as compared with a 45-
degree angle, while a fractional slope is relatively shallow. The slope of the lines on the
graph is relatively steep, so eliminate (B). The correct answer is (D).

6. D

The question asks for an equation based on a graph. To determine a possible equation of
the graph function, identify the zeros, or the x-intercepts. The x-intercepts occur at x = –
4, x = 0, and x = 3. If b is an x-intercept, then (x – b) is a factor. Therefore, the factors of
the equation of this function must be (x + 4), (x), and (x – 3). Eliminate the choices that
do not have these three factors: (A) and (C). Look at the difference between (B) and (D).
Both have factors of (x + 4) and (x – 3), but (B) has x, while (D) has x2. There are two
possible ways to determine which one it should be. One is to notice that at x = 0, the
graph doesn’t cross the x-axis but is tangent to it. This indicates a double root, or a root
that is squared. Therefore, the equation must have x2. The other way is to notice that the
graph has three turning points. A graph must be of a degree that is at least one higher
than the number of turning points. Therefore, this equation must be at least fourth
degree. When an equation is in factored form, determine the degree by adding the degree
of each factor. Choice (B) has three first degree factors, so it has a degree of 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
Choice (D) has a second degree factor and two first degree factors, so it has a degree of 2
+ 1 + 1 = 4. Either way, the correct answer is (D).

7. C

The question asks where f(x) = 0, or where 2x2 + 8x + 2 = 0. To solve a quadratic in the

form ax2 + bx + c = 0, either factor or use the quadratic formula: . For a

hint as to which to use, look at the answer choices. Since the answers more closely

resemble the quadratic formula, use the quadratic formula. In this case, a = 2, b = 8,

and c = 2. Plug these values into the quadratic formula to get . Simplify

to get and . None of the choices include , so simplify the

square root by finding a perfect square factor. List out the factors of 48: 1 and 48, 2 and

24, 3 and 16, 4 and 12, and 6 and 8. Of those factors, the greatest perfect square is 16.

Therefore, . Substitute this to get . None of the

answers have a denominator of 4, so find a way to cancel the 4. To do so, factor a 4 from

both terms in the numerator to get . Cancel the 4’s to get . The

correct answer is (C).

8. D

The question asks which graph could be the graph of g(x). Use POE based on the
www.cracksat.net
information given about the function g. The term range refers to all possible values of y.
The range of g is limited to all real values greater than or equal to –3. Eliminate (A) and
 (B), which include y-values that are less than –3. The question also says that the
function g has zeros at 4 and –2. The term zeros refers to x-intercepts, or points at which
the value of the function is 0. Eliminate (C), which has zeros at –4 and 2. The correct
answer is (D).

Hard
9. D

The question asks about changes to the graph of a function based on changes to the
equation. The easiest way to handle this is to understand how functions move. The –3
outside the parentheses shifts the original graph down by 3 units. Eliminate (C) because
it is not shifted down. The +2 inside the parentheses shifts the original graph to the left
by 2 units. Eliminate (A) and (B) because they are not shifted to the left. You can also
plug in, testing one of the points indicated by a dot against the function you are looking
for. Either way, the correct answer is (D).

10. C

The question asks for an equivalent form of the equation of the function in which the
coordinates of the vertex can be found as constants. Therefore, the question is asking for
the vertex form of the equation: f(x) = a(x – h)2 + k, where (h, k) represents the vertex of
the parabola. Eliminate any choice that is not in this form. Choices (A), (B), and (D) are
not in vertex form, so eliminate them. Only one choice remains. Alternatively, find the
vertex in the graph. The vertex is the minimum (or maximum) point on the graph and the
point at which at parabola turns on the axis of symmetry. On the graph, this point
appears to be at (2, –25). Eliminate any choices that do not have 2 and 25 as constants.
Once again, this eliminates (A), (B), and (D). The correct answer is (C).

11. A

The question asks for a polynomial that is divisible by a certain expression. You could do
a lot of algebraic manipulation and factoring to solve this, but there are variables
everywhere, so plug in. Pick a value for x such as x = 3. Find the values
of p and q when x = 3. p(3) = 3(3)3 + 15(3)2 + 18(3) = 81 + 135 + 54 = 270. q(3) = (3)2 +
5(3) + 6 = 9 + 15 + 6 = 30. The question asks for which of the given functions is divisible
by 3x – 2, so see which answer choices are divisible by 3(3) – 2 = 7. In (A), f(x) = p(x) –
2q(x), so when x = 3, f(3) = 270 – 2(30) = 210. This is divisible by 7, so keep (A). In
(B), g(3) = 2p(x) – 3q(x) = 2(270) – 3(30) = 450. This is not divisible by 7, so eliminate it.
In (C), h(x) = 3p(x) – 2q(x) = 3(270) – 2(30) = 750, and in (D), j(x) = 4p(x) – 3q(x) =
4(270) – 3(30) = 990. Neither of these are divisible by 7. The correct answer is (A).
 www.cracksat.net

Digital SAT Test Resource

Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Tests

https://www.cracksat.net/digital/reading-writing/

https://www.satpanda.com/sat/reading-writing/

Digital SAT Math Practice Tests

https://www.cracksat.net/digital/math/

https://www.satpanda.com/sat/math/

More SAT Math Tests

https://www.cracksat.net/sat/math-multiple-choice/

https://www.cracksat.net/sat/math-grid-ins/

Digital SAT Practice Tests Download

https://www.cracksat.net/sat-downloads/new-sat.html

https://www.satpanda.com/sat-downloads/

Other Tests
ACT Practice Tests

https://www.crackab.com

https://www.actexam.net

AP Practice Tests

https://www.crackap.com

https://www.apstudy.net

www.satpanda.com