Question ID 6abec9a8

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6abec9a8

What is the -intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6abec9a8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point 𝑥, 𝑦 on the graph where 𝑥 = 0. At 𝑥 = 0, the
corresponding value of 𝑦 is -5. Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is 0, - 5.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at 𝑦 = - 4, not 𝑦 = - 5.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at 𝑦 = 0, not 𝑦 = - 5.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 788bfd56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 788bfd56

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 788bfd56 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The value of 𝑓144 is the value of 𝑓𝑥 when 𝑥 = 144. It's given that the function 𝑓 is defined by
𝑓𝑥 = 4 + √𝑥. Substituting 144 for 𝑥 in this equation yields 𝑓144 = 4 + √144. Since the positive square root of 144 is 12, it
follows that this equation can be rewritten as 𝑓144 = 4 + 12, or 𝑓144 = 16. Therefore, the value of 𝑓144 is 16.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of 𝑓1,296, not 𝑓144. Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of 𝑓5,184, not 𝑓144.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 91e7ea5e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 91e7ea5e

The quadratic function h is defined as shown. In the xy-plane, the graph of

intersects the x-axis at the points and , where t is a constant.
What is the value of t ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 8

ID: 91e7ea5e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the graph of intersects the x-axis at and , where t is a constant.
Since this graph intersects the x-axis when or when , it follows that and . If ,

then . Adding 32 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this

equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding 4 to both
sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of t is 8.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9654add7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9654add7

The revenue , in dollars, that a company receives from sales of a product is

given by the function f above, where x is the unit price, in dollars, of the product.
The graph of in the xy-plane intersects the x-axis at 0 and a. What does
a represent?

A. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0

B. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

C. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0

D. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make

ID: 9654add7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. By definition, the y-value when a function intersects the x-axis is 0. It’s given that the graph of the
function intersects the x-axis at 0 and a, that x is the unit price, in dollars, of a product, and that , where , is
the revenue, in dollars, that a company receives from the sales of the product. Since the value of a occurs when ,a
is the unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0.

Choice A is incorrect. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0 is represented by , when .
Choice B is incorrect. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue is represented by the x-
coordinate of the maximum of f. Choice D is incorrect. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make is
represented by the y-coordinate of the maximum of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50e40f08
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 50e40f08

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is the x-coordinate of an x-intercept of the
graph?

ID: 50e40f08 Answer

Correct Answer: -6, 4

Rationale
The correct answer is either -6 or 4. The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where 𝑦 = 0. Thus, for an x-
intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥, 0 = 𝑓𝑥. Substituting 0 for 𝑓𝑥 in the equation 𝑓𝑥 = 𝑥 + 6𝑥 - 4 yields 0 = 𝑥 + 6𝑥 - 4. By the zero
product property, 𝑥 + 6 = 0 and 𝑥 - 4 = 0. Subtracting 6 from both sides of the equation 𝑥 + 6 = 0 yields 𝑥 = - 6. Adding 4 to
both sides of the equation 𝑥 - 4 = 0 yields 𝑥 = 4. Therefore, the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 are
-6 and 4. Note that -6 and 4 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c4cd5bcc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c4cd5bcc

In the xy-plane, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the function f is
c. Which of the following must be equal to c ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c4cd5bcc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A y-intercept is the point in the xy-plane where the graph of the function crosses the y-axis, which is
where . It’s given that the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of function f is c. It follows that the coordinate
pair representing the y-intercept must be . Therefore, c must equal .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because , , and would represent the y-value of the coordinate where
, , and , respectively.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 0121a235
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0121a235

x p(x)

The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p. Based on the
values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0121a235 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x-intercepts of the graph of p are
and . Since and are x-intercepts, it follows that and are factors of the
polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of is
0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p.

Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice B is
incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice C is incorrect.
The factors and correspond to x-intercepts and , respectively, which aren’t present in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d71f6dbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d71f6dbf

The height, in feet, of an object x seconds after it is thrown straight up in the air
can be modeled by the function . Based on the model,
which of the following statements best interprets the equation ?

A. The height of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.64 feet.

B. The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.4 feet.

The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.4 times as great as
C. its initial height.

D. The speed of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.64 feet per second.

ID: d71f6dbf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value 1.4 is the value of x, which represents the number of seconds after the object was thrown
straight up in the air. When the function h is evaluated for x = 1.4, the function has a value of 1.64, which is the height, in
feet, of the object.

Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from misidentifying seconds as feet and feet as seconds. Additionally,
choice C may result from incorrectly including the initial height of the object as the input x. Choice D is incorrect and may
result from misidentifying height as speed.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70753f99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70753f99

The function f is defined by . The graph of f in the xy-plane

is a parabola. Which of the following intervals contains the x-coordinate of the
vertex of the graph of f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70753f99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph of a quadratic function in the xy-plane is a parabola. The axis of symmetry of the parabola
passes through the vertex of the parabola. Therefore, the vertex of the parabola and the midpoint of the segment
between the two x-intercepts of the graph have the same x-coordinate. Since , the x-coordinate of

the vertex is . Of the shown intervals, only the interval in choice B contains –2. Choices A, C, and D
are incorrect and may result from either calculation errors or misidentification of the graph’s x-intercepts.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6676f055
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6676f055

An engineer wanted to identify the best angle for a cooling fan in an engine in
order to get the greatest airflow. The engineer discovered that the function
above models the airflow , in cubic feet per minute, as a function of the
angle of the fan , in degrees. According to the model, what angle, in degrees,
gives the greatest airflow?

A. –0.28

B. 0.28

C. 27

D. 880

ID: 6676f055 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The function f is quadratic, so it will have either a maximum or a minimum at the vertex of the graph.
Since the coefficient of the quadratic term (–0.28) is negative, the vertex will be at a maximum. The equation f( ) = –
0.28( – 27)2 + 880 is given in vertex form, so the vertex is at = 27. Therefore, an angle of 27 degrees gives the
greatest airflow.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of misidentifying which value in a quadratic equation in vertex form
represents the vertex. Choice D is incorrect. This choice identifies the maximum value of f( ) rather than the value of
for which f( ) is maximized.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 281a4f3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 281a4f3b

A certain college had 3,000 students enrolled in 2015. The college predicts that
after 2015, the number of students enrolled each year will be 2% less than the
number of students enrolled the year before. Which of the following functions
models the relationship between the number of students enrolled, , and the
number of years after 2015, x ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 281a4f3b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Because the change in the number of students decreases by the same percentage each year, the
relationship between the number of students and the number of years can be modeled with a decreasing exponential
function in the form , where is the number of students, a is the number of students in 2015, r is the
rate of decrease each year, and x is the number of years since 2015. It’s given that 3,000 students were enrolled in 2015
and that the rate of decrease is predicted to be 2%, or 0.02. Substituting these values into the decreasing exponential
function yields , which is equivalent to .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors when translating the given information into a
decreasing exponential function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c7a187a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c7a187a7

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is an x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c7a187a7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥. The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where 𝑦 = 0. Thus, for
an x-intercept of the graph of function 𝑓, 0 = 𝑓𝑥. Substituting 0 for 𝑓𝑥 in the equation 𝑓𝑥 = 𝑥2 - 18𝑥 - 360 yields
0 = 𝑥2 - 18𝑥 - 360. Factoring the right-hand side of this equation yields 0 = 𝑥 + 12𝑥 - 30. By the zero product property,
𝑥 + 12 = 0 and 𝑥 - 30 = 0. Subtracting 12 from both sides of the equation 𝑥 + 12 = 0 yields 𝑥 = - 12. Adding 30 to both sides
of the equation 𝑥 - 30 = 0 yields 𝑥 = 30. Therefore, the x-intercepts of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 are -12, 0 and 30, 0. Of these two
x-intercepts, only -12, 0 is given as a choice.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5bf0f84a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5bf0f84a

The function above models the height h, in feet, of an object above ground
t seconds after being launched straight up in the air. What does the number 72
represent in the function?

A. The initial height, in feet, of the object

B. The maximum height, in feet, of the object

C. The initial speed, in feet per second, of the object

D. The maximum speed, in feet per second, of the object

ID: 5bf0f84a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The variable t represents the seconds after the object is launched. Since , this means that
the height, in feet, at 0 seconds, or the initial height, is 72 feet.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of misinterpreting the function in context.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de39858a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de39858a

The function is defined by , where and are positive constants. The graph of in the -
plane passes through the points ( , ) and ( , ). What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de39858a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function ℎ is defined by ℎ𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 and that the graph of 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) in the xy-plane
passes through the points 0, 10 and -2, 325 .
36
Substituting 0 for 𝑥 and 10 for ℎ𝑥 in the equation ℎ𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 yields 10 = 𝑎0 + 𝑏
, or 10 = 1 + 𝑏. Subtracting 1 from both sides of this equation yields 9 = 𝑏. Substituting -2 for 𝑥 and 325 for
36
ℎ𝑥 in the
𝑥
equation ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑎 + 9 yields = 𝑎 + 9. Subtracting 9 from both sides of this equation yields = 𝑎 , which can be
325
36
-2 1
36
-2

rewritten as 𝑎 = 36. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields 𝑎 = 6 and 𝑎 = - 6, but because it’s given
2

that 𝑎 is a positive constant, 𝑎 must equal 6. Because the value of 𝑎 is 6 and the value of 𝑏 is 9, the value of 𝑎𝑏 is (6)(9), or
54.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of 𝑎-2 𝑏 rather than the value of 𝑎𝑏.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly finding the value of 𝑎 as 6, but multiplying it by the y-value in the first
ordered pair rather than by the value of 𝑏.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a7711fe8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a7711fe8

What is the minimum value of the function f

defined by ?

A.

B.

C. 2

D. 4

ID: a7711fe8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given quadratic function f is in vertex form, , where is the vertex of the

graph of in the xy-plane. Therefore, the vertex of the graph of is . In addition, the y-coordinate
of the vertex represents either the minimum or maximum value of a quadratic function, depending on whether the graph
of the function opens upward or downward. Since the leading coefficient of f (the coefficient of the term ) is 1,
which is positive, the graph of opens upward. It follows that at , the minimum value of the function f is
.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from making a sign error and from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice D is incorrect and may result from making a
sign error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7eed640d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7eed640d

The quadratic function above models the height above the ground h, in feet, of a
projectile x seconds after it had been launched vertically. If is graphed
in the xy-plane, which of the following represents the real-life meaning of the
positive x-intercept of the graph?

A. The initial height of the projectile

B. The maximum height of the projectile

C. The time at which the projectile reaches its maximum height

D. The time at which the projectile hits the ground

ID: 7eed640d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The positive x-intercept of the graph of is a point for which . Since
models the height above the ground, in feet, of the projectile, a y-value of 0 must correspond to the height of the projectile
when it is 0 feet above ground or, in other words, when the projectile is on the ground. Since x represents the time since
the projectile was launched, it follows that the positive x-intercept, , represents the time at which the projectile hits
the ground.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-intercept as a positive x-intercept. Choice B is incorrect
and may result from misidentifying the y-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from misidentifying the x-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f5e8ccf1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f5e8ccf1

The function f is defined above. Which of the following is NOT an x-intercept of

the graph of the function in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f5e8ccf1 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph of the function f in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at the points , where .

Substituting 0 for in the given equation yields . By the zero product property, if
, then , , or . Solving each of these linear equations for x, it

follows that , , and , respectively. This means that the graph of the function f in the xy-plane has

three x-intercepts: , , and . Therefore, isn’t an x-intercept of the graph of the function f.
Alternate approach: Substitution may be used. Since by definition an x-intercept of any graph is a point in the form
where k is a constant, and since all points in the options are in this form, it need only be checked whether the points in

the options lie on the graph of the function f. Substituting for x and 0 for in the given equation yields

, or . Therefore, the point doesn’t lie on the graph of the

function f and can’t be an x-intercept of the graph.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these points is an x-intercept of the graph of the function f in the xy-
plane. By definition, an x-intercept is a point on the graph of the form , where k is a constant. Substituting for x

and 0 for in the given equation yields , or . Since this is a true statement, the
point lies on the graph of the function f and is an x-intercept of the graph. Performing similar substitution using

the points and also yields the true statement , illustrating that these points also lie on the graph of the
function f and are x-intercepts of the graph.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1178f2df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1178f2df

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where and is a quadratic
function. What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 1178f2df Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale
The correct answer is -2,112. It's given that 𝑓 is a quadratic function. It follows that 𝑓 can be defined by an equation of the
form 𝑓𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 - ℎ + 𝑘, where 𝑎, ℎ, and 𝑘 are constants. It's also given that the table shows three values of 𝑥 and their
2

corresponding values of 𝑦, where 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 + 4. Substituting 𝑎𝑥 - ℎ2 + 𝑘 for 𝑓𝑥 in this equation yields 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 - ℎ2 + 𝑘 + 4. This

equation represents a quadratic relationship between 𝑥 and 𝑦, where 𝑘 + 4 is either the maximum or the minimum value
of 𝑦, which occurs when 𝑥 = ℎ. For quadratic relationships between 𝑥 and 𝑦, the maximum or minimum value of 𝑦 occurs
at the value of 𝑥 halfway between any two values of 𝑥 that have the same corresponding value of 𝑦. The table shows that
x-values of 21 and 25 correspond to the same y-value, -8. Since 23 is halfway between 21 and 25, the maximum or
minimum value of 𝑦 occurs at an x-value of 23. The table shows that when 𝑥 = 23, 𝑦 = 8. It follows that ℎ = 23 and 𝑘 + 4 = 8
. Subtracting 4 from both sides of the equation 𝑘 + 4 = 8 yields 𝑘 = 4. Substituting 23 for ℎ and 4 for 𝑘 in the equation
𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 - ℎ + 𝑘 + 4 yields 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 - 232 + 4 + 4, or 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 - 232 + 8. The value of 𝑎 can be found by substituting any x-value and
2

its corresponding y-value for 𝑥 and 𝑦, respectively, in this equation. Substituting 25 for 𝑥 and -8 for 𝑦 in this equation
yields -8 = 𝑎25 - 23 + 8, or -8 = 𝑎22 + 8. Subtracting 8 from both sides of this equation yields -16 = 𝑎22 , or -16 = 4𝑎. Dividing
2

both sides of this equation by 4 yields -4 = 𝑎. Substituting -4 for 𝑎, 23 for ℎ, and 4 for 𝑘 in the equation 𝑓𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 - ℎ + 𝑘
2

yields 𝑓𝑥 = - 4𝑥 - 232 + 4. The y-intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where 𝑥 = 0.
Substituting 0 for 𝑥 in the equation 𝑓𝑥 = - 4𝑥 - 232 + 4 yields 𝑓0 = - 40 - 232 + 4, or 𝑓0 = - 4-232 + 4. This is equivalent to
𝑓0 = - 2,112, so the y-intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 in the xy-plane is 0, - 2,112. Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept
of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓𝑥 in the xy-plane is -2,112.

Question Difficulty: Hard