Question ID 104bff62

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 104bff62

In the given equation, is a positive constant. Which of the following is one of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 104bff62 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. If , then neither side of the given equation is defined and there can be no
solution. Therefore, . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields

, or . Squaring both sides of this equation yields , or

. Since is positive and, therefore, nonzero, the expression is defined and

equivalent to . It follows that the equation can be rewritten as ,
or , which is equivalent to . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields two solutions: and
. Therefore, of the given choices, is one of the solutions to the given equation.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 92f812bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 92f812bb

In the xy-plane, a parabola has vertex and intersects the x-axis at two points. If the equation of the parabola is
written in the form , where , , and are constants, which of the following could be the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92f812bb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The equation of a parabola in the xy-plane can be written in the form ,
where is a constant and is the vertex of the parabola. If is positive, the parabola will open upward, and
if is negative, the parabola will open downward. It’s given that the parabola has vertex . Substituting
for and for in the equation gives , which can be rewritten as
, or . Distributing the factor of on the right-hand side of
this equation yields . Therefore, the equation of the parabola,
, can be written in the form , where , , and
. Substituting for and for in the expression yields
, or . Since the vertex of the parabola, , is below the x-axis, and it’s
given that the parabola intersects the x-axis at two points, the parabola must open upward. Therefore, the
constant must have a positive value. Setting the expression equal to the value in choice D yields
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation
by yields , which is a positive value. Therefore, if the equation of the parabola is written in the form
, where , , and are constants, the value of could be .

Choice A is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative,
which means the parabola will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two
points.

Choice B is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative,
which means the parabola will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two
points.

Choice C is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be , which is
inconsistent with the equation of a parabola.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 7dbd46d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7dbd46d9

The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the -plane. What is a
possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7dbd46d9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the
point . Therefore, this intersection point is a solution to the given system. The solution can be found by
isolating in each equation. The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by subtracting
from both sides of the equation, which gives . The given equation can be rewritten
to isolate by subtracting from both sides of the equation, which gives . With each equation
solved for , the value of from one equation can be substituted into the other, which gives
. Adding and to both sides of this equation results in .
Dividing both sides of this equation by results in . This equation can be rewritten by
factoring the left-hand side, which yields . By the zero-product property, if
, then , or . It follows that , or . Since only
is given as a choice, a possible value of is .

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: Hard

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 bba18ecb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: bba18ecb

When the quadratic function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , its vertex is . One of the x-intercepts
of this graph is . What is the other x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bba18ecb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the line of symmetry for the graph of a quadratic function contains the vertex of the
graph, the x-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the x-coordinate of the midpoint of its two x-
intercepts. The midpoint of two points with x-coordinates and has x-coordinate , where .
It′s given that the vertex is and one of the x-intercepts is . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields
. Adding to each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the other x-intercept is
.

Choice A 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: Hard

Question ID 158591f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 158591f0

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

ID: 158591f0 Answer

Correct Answer: 29/3, 9.666, 9.667

Rationale

The correct answer is . Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of the given equation,
, yields . Applying the distributive property to the right-hand side of the given
equation, , yields . Thus, the equation becomes . Combining like
terms on the left- and right-hand sides of this equation yields , or
. For a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the

quadratic formula gives the solutions to the equation in the form . Substituting for , for
, and for from the equation into the quadratic formula yields

, or . It follows that the solutions to the given equation are and

. Adding these two solutions gives the sum of the solutions: , which is equivalent
to , or . Note that 29/3, 9.666, and 9.667 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 58dcc59f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 58dcc59f

A landscaper is designing a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is to

be 5 feet longer than the width. If the area of the garden will be 104 square feet,
what will be the length, in feet, of the garden?

ID: 58dcc59f Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 13. Let w represent the width of the rectangular garden, in feet. Since the length of the
garden will be 5 feet longer than the width of the garden, the length of the garden will be feet. Thus the

area of the garden will be . It is also given that the area of the garden will be 104 square feet. Therefore,

, which is equivalent to . Factoring this equation results in

. Therefore, and . Because width cannot be negative, the width of the garden must be 8 feet. This
means the length of the garden must be feet.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d1614a1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2d1614a1

The function models the population, in thousands, of a certain city years after . According to the model, the
population is predicted to increase by every months. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2d1614a1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the function models the population of the city years after . Since there
are months in a year, months is equivalent to years. Therefore, the expression can represent the
number of years in -month periods. Substituting for in the given equation yields
, which is equivalent to . Therefore, for each -month
period, the predicted population of the city is times, or of, the previous population. This means that
the population is predicted to increase by every months.

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

Choice B is incorrect. Each year, the predicted population of the city is times the previous year's predicted
population, which is not the same as an increase of .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 30281058
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 30281058

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects line p at and ,

where a and b are constants. What is the slope of line p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 30281058 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the graph of and line p intersect at and . Therefore, the
value of y when is the value of a, and the value of y when is the value of b. Substituting 1 for x in the

given equation yields , or . Similarly, substituting 5 for x in the given equation yields

, or . Therefore, the intersection points are and . The slope of line p is the ratio of

the change in y to the change in x between these two points: , or 6.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors in determining the values
of a, b, or the slope of line p.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84dd43f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84dd43f8

For the function , , and for each increase in by , the value of decreases by . What is the value of
?

ID: 84dd43f8 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of
decreases by . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each -unit
increase in the value of , this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form
, where represents the initial value of the function and represents the rate of decay,
expressed as a decimal. Because , the value of must be . Because the value of decreases by
for each -unit increase in , the value of must be , or . Therefore, the function can be
defined by . Substituting for in this function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Either or may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases by
. Therefore, when , the value of is , or , of , which can be expressed as
. Since , the value of is . Similarly, when , the value of is
of , which can be expressed as . Since , the value of is . Either
or may be entered as the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 59d1f4b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 59d1f4b5

The equation above models the number of members, M, of a gym t years after
the gym opens. Of the following, which equation models the number of
members of the gym q quarter years after the gym opens?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 59d1f4b5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. In 1 year, there are 4 quarter years, so the number of quarter years, q, is 4 times the number of

years, t ; that is, . This is equivalent to , and substituting this into the expression for M in terms of t

gives .

Choices B and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using instead of . (Choices B and

D are nearly the same since is equivalent to , which is approximately .) Choice C is

incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using and unnecessarily dividing 0.02 by 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 01668cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 01668cd6

The functions and are defined by the given equations, where . Which of the following equations displays, as a
constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it defines, where ?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 01668cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Functions and are both exponential functions with a base of . Since is less than
, functions and are both decreasing exponential functions. This means that and decrease as
increases. Since and decrease as increases, the maximum value of each function occurs at the least
value of for which the function is defined. It's given that functions and are defined for . Therefore, the
maximum value of each function occurs at . Substituting for in the equation defining yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the maximum value of
is . Since the equation doesn't display the value , the equation defining doesn't
display the maximum value of . Substituting for in the equation defining yields ,
which can be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to .
Therefore, the maximum value of is . Since the equation displays the value , the
equation defining displays the maximum value of . Thus, only equation II displays, as a constant or coefficient,
the maximum value of the function it defines.

Choice A 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: Hard

Question ID 5910bfff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5910bfff

The formula above can be used to approximate the dew point D, in degrees
Fahrenheit, given the temperature T, in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative
humidity of H percent, where . Which of the following expresses the
relative humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5910bfff Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative
humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point. Subtracting T from both sides of this equation yields

. Multiplying both sides by yields . Subtracting 100 from

both sides yields . Multiplying both sides by results in the formula

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rewriting the given formula.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fbb96bb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fbb96bb1

Which of the following are solutions to the given equation, where is a constant and ?
I.
II.
III.

A. I and II only

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

ID: fbb96bb1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Subtracting the expression from both sides of the given equation yields
, which can be rewritten as . Since the
two terms on the right-hand side of this equation have a common factor of , it can be rewritten as
, or . Since is equivalent to , the
equation can be rewritten as . By the zero product
property, it follows that or . Adding to both sides of the equation
yields . Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the two
solutions to the given equation are and . Thus, only and , not , are solutions to the given
equation.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ad038c19
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ad038c19

Which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad038c19 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . Using the distributive

property, the expression yields . Combining like terms gives

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors using the distributive property on the given
expression or combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ef926848
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ef926848

Square P has a side length of inches. Square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square
P. The function gives the area of square Q, in square inches. Which of the following defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ef926848 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Let represent the side length, in inches, of square P. It follows that the perimeter of square
P is inches. It's given that square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square P.
Thus, the perimeter of square Q is inches greater than inches, or inches. Since the perimeter of
a square is times the side length of the square, each side length of Q is , or inches. Since the area
of a square is calculated by multiplying the length of two sides, the area of square Q is , or
square inches. It follows that function is defined by .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 77c0cced
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 77c0cced

In the given system of equations, is a constant. The graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one
point, , in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 77c0cced Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one point,
, in the xy-plane. Therefore, is the only solution to the given system of equations. The given system
of equations can be solved by subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation,
. This yields , or . Since
the given system has only one solution, this equation has only one solution. A quadratic equation in the form
, where , , and are constants, has one solution if and only if the discriminant, , is
equal to zero. Substituting for , for , and for in the expression yields
. Setting this expression equal to zero yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Factoring from the right-hand side of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , which is equivalent
to , or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields .
Adding to both sides of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 635f54ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 635f54ee

The surface area of a cube is , where a is a positive constant. Which of

the following gives the perimeter of one face of the cube?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 635f54ee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A cube has 6 faces of equal area, so if the total surface area of a cube is , then the area

of one face is . Likewise, the area of one face of a cube is the square of one of its edges; therefore, if the area

of one face is , then the length of one edge of the cube is . Since the perimeter of one face of a cube is

four times the length of one edge, the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is , then the total surface area of the

cube is , which is not . Choice C is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the

cube is 4a, then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not . Choice D is incorrect

because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is 6a, then the total surface area of the cube is

, which is not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1697ffcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1697ffcf

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects the graph of at the

points and . What is the value of a ?

ID: 1697ffcf Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The intersection points of the graphs of and can be found by

solving the system consisting of these two equations. To solve the system, substitute x for y in the first equation.
This gives . Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives . Factoring out of

each term on the left-hand side of the equation gives . Therefore, the possible values for x are 0 and

5. Since , the two intersection points are and . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20291f47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 20291f47

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 20291f47 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Factoring the denominator in the second term of the given expression gives .
This expression can be rewritten with common denominators by multiplying the first term by , giving
. Adding these two terms yields . Using the distributive property to rewrite
this expression gives . Combining the like terms in the numerator of this expression gives
.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 42f8e4b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 42f8e4b4

One of the factors of is , where is a positive constant. What is the smallest possible value of
?

ID: 42f8e4b4 Answer

Correct Answer: 8

Rationale

The correct answer is . Since each term of the given expression, , has a factor of , the
expression can be rewritten as , or . Since the values and
have a sum of and a product of , the expression can be factored as .
Therefore, the given expression can be factored as . It follows that the factors of the given
expression are , , , and . Of these factors, only and are of the form , where is a
positive constant. Therefore, the possible values of are and . Thus, the smallest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 is defined by and that the graph of in
the xy-plane passes through the points and . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of
both sides of this equation yields and , but because it’s given that is a positive constant, must
equal . Because the value of is and the value of is , the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of rather than the value of .

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 as , but multiplying it by the y-value
in the first ordered pair rather than by the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an
equation of the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows
three values of and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting for
in this equation yields . This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and
, where is either the maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic
relationships between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between
any two values of that have the same corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and
correspond to the same y-value, . Since is halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of
occurs at an x-value of . The table shows that when , . It follows that and .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . The value of can be
found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and , respectively, in this equation.
Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation
yields . The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is the point on the
graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to , so the y-intercept of
the graph of in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of
in the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84e8cc72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84e8cc72

A quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after the
object is launched off an elevated surface. The model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the
ground and reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched. Based on the
model, what is the height, in feet, of the object above the ground seconds after being launched?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 84e8cc72 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be
defined by an equation of the form , where is the height of the object seconds after
it was launched, and , , and are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, , when .
Since the model indicates the object reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after
being launched, reaches its maximum value, , when . Therefore, and .
Substituting for and for in the function yields .
Since the model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the ground, the value of is
when . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the model can be
represented by the equation . Substituting for in this equation yields
, or . Therefore, based on the model, seconds after being
launched, the height of the object above the ground is feet.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 12e7faf8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 12e7faf8

The equation is true for all , where a and d

are integers. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 12e7faf8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the expression can be factored as , the given equation can be

rewritten as . Since , is also not equal to 0, so both the numerator and

denominator of can be divided by . This gives . Equating the coefficient of x on

each side of the equation gives . Equating the constant terms gives . The sum is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly simplifying the equation. Choices B and D are incorrect.
They are the values of d and a, respectively, not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 89fc23af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 89fc23af

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 89fc23af Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The numerator of the given expression can be rewritten in terms of the denominator, ,

as follows: , which is equivalent to . So the given expression

is equivalent to . Since the given expression is defined for

, the expression can be rewritten as .

Long division can also be used as an alternate approach. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from
errors made when dividing the two polynomials or making use of structure.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 911c415b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 911c415b

The expression above can be written in the form , where a and b are

constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 911c415b Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6632. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Then adding together and and collecting like

terms results in . This is written in the form , where and . Therefore

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b74f2feb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b74f2feb

The expression is equivalent to , where and are positive constants and . What is the value
of ?

ID: b74f2feb Answer

Correct Answer: 361/8, 45.12, 45.13

Rationale

The correct answer is . The rational exponent property is , where , and are integers,
and . This property can be applied to rewrite the given expression as
, or . This expression can be rewritten by multiplying the constants,

which gives . The multiplication exponent property is , where . This property

can be applied to rewrite the expression as , or . Therefore,

. It's given that is equivalent to ; therefore, and . It
follows that . Finding a common denominator on the right-hand side of this equation gives
, or . Note that 361/8, 45.12, and 45.13 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5edc8c98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5edc8c98

In the given equation, and are positive constants. The sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where
is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5edc8c98 Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale

The correct answer is . Let and represent the solutions to the given equation. Then, the given equation can
be rewritten as , or . Since this equation is equivalent to the
given equation, it follows that . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, the sum of the solutions to the given equation, , is equal
to . Since it's given that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a
constant, it follows that . Note that 1/16, .0625, 0.062, and 0.063 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Alternate approach: The given equation can be rewritten as , where and are
positive constants. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The solutions
for a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, can be calculated
using the quadratic formula, and . It follows that the sum of the solutions
to a quadratic equation in the form is , which can be
rewritten as , which is equivalent to , or . In the equation
, , , and . Substituting for and for
in yields , which can be rewritten as . Thus, the sum of the solutions to the given
equation is . Since it's given that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where
is a constant, it follows that .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cd358b89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cd358b89

Function is defined by . Function is defined by . The graph of

in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at , , and , where , , and are distinct constants. What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: cd358b89 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that

. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where . The
x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by solving the equation
. Applying the zero product property to this equation yields three equations: ,
, and . Solving each of these equations for yields , , and ,
respectively. Therefore, the x-intercepts of the graph of are , , and . It follows that
the values of , , and are , , and . Thus, the value of is , which is equal to .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f89e1d6f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f89e1d6f

If , which of the following is equivalent to the

expression ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f89e1d6f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

2 2 2 2 2
Choice C is correct. Factoring –1 from the second, third, and fourth terms gives x –c – 2cd – d
– (c + =x
2 2 2 2 2 2
2cd + d ). The expression c + 2cd + d is the expanded form of a perfect square: c + 2cd + d = (c + d) .
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Therefore, x – (c + 2cd + d ) = x – (c + d) . Since a = c + d, x – (c + d) = x – a . Finally, because x – a
2 2
is the difference of squares, it can be expanded as x –a = (x + a)(x – a).

2
Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of making an error in factoring the difference of squares x
2
– a . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly combining terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ff2e5c76
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ff2e5c76

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ff2e5c76 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . To complete the square,
adding , or , to each side of this equation yields , or .
Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields . Adding to each side of this
equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and
. The sum of these solutions is , or .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4b642eef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4b642eef

The total distance d, in meters, traveled by an object moving in a straight line

can be modeled by a quadratic function that is defined in terms of t, where t is
the time in seconds. At a time of 10.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by the
object is 50.0 meters, and at a time of 20.0 seconds, the total distance traveled
by the object is 200.0 meters. If the object was at a distance of 0 meters when
, then what is the total distance traveled, in meters, by the object after 30.0

seconds?

ID: 4b642eef Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 450. The quadratic equation that models this situation can be written in the form
, where a, b, and c are constants. It’s given that the distance, d, the object traveled was 0 meters

when seconds. These values can be substituted into the equation to solve for a, b, and c:

. Therefore, , and it follows that . Since it’s also given that d is 50 when t is 10 and d is 200 when t

is 20, these values for d and t can be substituted to create a system of two linear equations:

and , or and . Subtracting the first equation from the second

equation yields , or . Substituting for a in the first equation and solving for b yields .

Therefore, the equation that represents this situation is . Evaluating this function when seconds

yields , or meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c5c22d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c5c22d0

How many solutions are there to the

system of equations above?

A. There are exactly 4 solutions.

B. There are exactly 2 solutions.

C. There is exactly 1 solution.

D. There are no solutions.

ID: 2c5c22d0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The second equation of the system can be rewritten as . Substituting for y

in the first equation gives . This equation can be solved as shown below:

Substituting 1 for x in the equation gives . Therefore, is the only solution to the system

of equations.

Choice A is incorrect. In the xy-plane, a parabola and a line can intersect at no more than two points. Since the
graph of the first equation is a parabola and the graph of the second equation is a line, the system cannot have
more than 2 solutions. Choice B is incorrect. There is a single ordered pair that satisfies both equations of

the system. Choice D is incorrect because the ordered pair satisfies both equations of the system.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fc3dfa26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3dfa26

What value of x satisfies the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fc3dfa26 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each fraction in the given equation can be expressed with the common denominator .

Multiplying by yields , and multiplying by yields . Therefore, the

given equation can be written as . Multiplying each fraction by the denominator

results in the equation , or . This equation can be solved by setting a

quadratic expression equal to 0, then solving for x. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields

. The expression can be factored, resulting in the equation . By

the zero product property, or . To solve for x in , 1 can be added to both sides of the

equation, resulting in . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 results in . Solving for x in

yields . However, this value of x would result in the second fraction of the original equation having a
denominator of 0. Therefore, is an extraneous solution. Thus, the only value of x that satisfies the given

equation is .
Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving but not realizing that this solution is extraneous

because it would result in a denominator of 0 in the second fraction. Choice B is incorrect and may result from a
sign error when solving for x. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6d9e01a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6d9e01a2

The given equation defines the function . For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 6d9e01a2 Answer

Correct Answer: 25/4, 6.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten in the form , where , ,
and are constants. When , is the value of for which reaches its minimum. The given equation
can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
. This equation can be rewritten as

, or , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, , so the value of for which reaches its minimum is . Note

that 25/4 and 6.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9f2ecade
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9f2ecade

The function h is defined above, where a, b, and c are integer constants. If the
zeros of the function are 6, and 7, what is the value of c ?

ID: 9f2ecade Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 210. Since , 6, and 7 are zeros of the function, the function can be rewritten as

. Expanding the function yields . Thus, , ,

and . Therefore, the value of c is 210.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6011a3f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6011a3f8

In the given equation, is a constant. For which of the following values of will the equation have more than one real
solution?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6011a3f8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
either no real solutions, exactly one real solution, or exactly two real solutions. That is, for the given equation to
have more than one real solution, it must have exactly two real solutions. When the value of the discriminant, or
, is greater than 0, the given equation has exactly two real solutions. In the given equation,
, and . Therefore, the given equation has exactly two real solutions when
, or . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields .
Taking the square root of both sides of yields two possible inequalities: or . Of the
choices, only choice A satisfies or .

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: Hard

Question ID 0e61101e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0e61101e

The function is defined by the given equation. If , which of the following equations defines the
function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0e61101e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting for in

gives . Rewriting this equation using properties of exponents gives ,
which is equivalent to . Multiplying and in this equation gives .
Since , .

Choice A 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: Hard

Question ID e117d3b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e117d3b8

If a and c are positive numbers, which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e117d3b8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

3
Choice C is correct. Using the property that for positive numbers x and y, with x = (a + c) and y =

4 22
a + c, it follows that . By rewriting (a + c) as ((a + c) ) , it is possible to simplify

the square root expression as follows: .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of . Choice B is incorrect and may be the result
2 2 2
of incorrectly rewriting (a + c) as a + c . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly applying
properties of exponents.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 04bbce67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 04bbce67

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 04bbce67 Answer

Correct Answer: -7

Rationale

The correct answer is . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form ,
where , , and are constants and , the function reaches its minimum when . In the given function,
, , and . Therefore, the value of for which reaches its minimum is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6f5540a5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6f5540a5

Kao measured the temperature of a cup of hot chocolate placed in a room with
a constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The temperature of the
hot chocolate was 185°F at 6:00 p.m. when it started cooling. The temperature of
the hot chocolate was 156°F at 6:05 p.m. and 135°F at 6:10 p.m. The hot
chocolate’s temperature continued to decrease. Of the following functions,
which best models the temperature , in degrees Fahrenheit, of Kao’s hot

chocolate m minutes after it started cooling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6f5540a5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The hot chocolate cools from 185°F over time, never going lower than the room temperature,
70°F. Since the base of the exponent in this function, 0.75, is less than 1, decreases as time increases. Using

the function, the temperature, in °F, at 6:00 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to .

The temperature, in °F, at 6:05 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is

approximately 156°F. Finally, the temperature, in °F, at 6:10 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to

, which is approximately 135°F. Since these three given values of m and their corresponding

values for can be verified using the function , this is the best function out of the

given choices to model the temperature of Kao’s hot chocolate after m minutes.

Choice A is incorrect because the base of the exponent, , results in the value of increasing over time

rather than decreasing. Choice B is incorrect because when m is large enough, becomes less than 70.
Choice C is incorrect because the maximum value of at 6:00 p.m. is 115°F, not 185°F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9cb9beec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 9cb9beec

In the given system of equations, is a positive constant. The system has exactly one distinct real solution. What is the
value of ?

ID: 9cb9beec Answer

Correct Answer: 14.5, 29/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . According to the first equation in the given system, the value of is . Substituting
for in the second equation in the given system yields . Adding to both sides of
this equation yields . If the given system has exactly one distinct real solution, it follows
that has exactly one distinct real solution. A quadratic equation in the form
, where , , and are constants, has exactly one distinct real solution if and only if the
discriminant, , is equal to . The equation is in this form, where , ,
and . Therefore, the discriminant of the equation is , or
. Setting the discriminant equal to to solve for yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or . Therefore, if the
given system of equations has exactly one distinct real solution, the value of is . Note that 29/2 and 14.5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fe10d97
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1fe10d97

The given function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Which of the following functions best
models the population of Lowell months after the census?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1fe10d97 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Since
there are months in a year, months after the census is equivalent to years after the census. Substituting
for in the equation yields . Therefore, the function that
best models the population of Lowell months after the census is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b73ee6cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b73ee6cf

The population of a town is currently 50,000, and the population is estimated to

increase each year by 3% from the previous year. Which of the following
equations can be used to estimate the number of years, t, it will take for the
population of the town to reach 60,000 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b73ee6cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Stating that the population will increase each year by 3% from the previous year is
equivalent to saying that the population each year will be 103% of the population the year before. Since the initial
t
population is 50,000, the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03) . It follows that the equation 60,000 =
t
50,000(1.03) can be used to estimate the number of years it will take for the population to reach 60,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation models how long it will take the population to decrease from 60,000 to
50,000, which is impossible given the growth factor. Choice B is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting a
3% growth as growth by a factor of 3. Additionally, this equation attempts to model how long it will take the
population to decrease from 60,000 to 50,000. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how
to model percent growth by multiplying the initial amount by a factor greater than 1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 08d03fe4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 08d03fe4

For the exponential function , the value of is , where is a constant. Which of the following equivalent forms of
the function shows the value of as the coefficient or the base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 08d03fe4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For the form of the function in choice C, , the value of can be found
as , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, , which is shown in
as the coefficient.

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

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

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

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 43926bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 43926bd9

For the exponential function f, the table above shows several values of x and their corresponding values of ,

where a is a constant greater than 1. If k is a constant and , what is the value of k ?

ID: 43926bd9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The values of for the exponential function f shown in the table increase by a factor

of for each increase of 1 in x. This relationship can be represented by the equation , where b is a

constant. It’s given that when , . Substituting 2 for x and for into yields

. Since , it follows that . Thus, an equation that defines the function f is

. It follows that the value of k such that can be found by solving the equation

, which yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4d037075
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d037075

The rational function is defined by an equation in the form , where and are constants. The partial graph
of is shown. If , which equation could define function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d037075 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that and that the graph shown is a partial graph of .
Substituting for in the equation yields . The graph passes through the point
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side
of this equation by yields , or . The graph also passes through the point
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side
of this equation by yields , or . Substituting for in this equation
yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Subtracting from
each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for
in the equation yields , or . Substituting for and for in the equation
 yields . It's given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to . It follows that .

Choice A is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice B is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice D is incorrect. This could define function if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4d7064a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d7064a6

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d7064a6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .

Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches
its minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its
minimum. For an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of
the vertex is . For the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-
coordinate of the vertex is , or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of
the graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and .
The midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between
and is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value
of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-
plane.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a54753ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a54753ca

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation intersects the line at exactly one point. What is
the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a54753ca Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, the graph of the line is a horizontal line that crosses the y-axis at
and the graph of the quadratic equation is a parabola. A parabola can intersect a
horizontal line at exactly one point only at its vertex. Therefore, the value of should be equal to the y-
coordinate of the vertex of the graph of the given equation. For a quadratic equation in vertex form,
, the vertex of its graph in the xy-plane is . The given quadratic equation,
, can be rewritten as , or

. Thus, the value of is equal to .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1853bb35
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1853bb35

For the function , the value of decreases by for every increase in the value of by . If , which
equation defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1853bb35 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the value of decreases by a fixed percentage, , for every increase in the value
of by , the function is a decreasing exponential function. A decreasing exponential function can be written
in the form , where is the value of and the value of decreases by for every
increase in the value of by . If , then . Since the value of decreases by for every
increase in the value of by , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or .

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

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

Choice D is incorrect. For this function, the value of increases, rather than decreases, by for every
increase in the value of by .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a8ae0d22
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a8ae0d22

Two variables, and , are related such that for each increase of in the value of , the value of increases by a factor of
. When , . Which equation represents this relationship?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: a8ae0d22 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the value of increases by a constant factor, , for each increase of in the value of ,
the relationship between and is exponential. An exponential relationship between and can be
represented by an equation of the form , where is the value of when and increases by a
factor of for each increase of in the value of . Since when , . Since increases by a
factor of for each increase of in the value of , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Thus, the equation represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a relationship where for each increase of in the value of , the
value of increases by a factor of , not , and when , is equal to , not .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1a722d7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1a722d7d

Let the function p be defined as , where c is a constant.

If , what is the value of ?

A. 10.00

B. 10.25

C. 10.75

D. 11.00

ID: 1a722d7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The value of p(12) depends on the value of the constant c, so the value of c must first be
determined. It is given that p(c) = 10. Based on the definition of p, it follows that:

This means that for all values of x. Therefore:

Choice A is incorrect. It is the value of p(8), not p(12). Choices B and C are incorrect. If one of these values were
correct, then x = 12 and the selected value of p(12) could be substituted into the equation to solve for c. However,
the values of c that result from choices B and C each result in p(c) < 10.

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.

D.

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 58b109d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 58b109d4

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 58b109d4 Answer

Correct Answer: -10

Rationale

The correct answer is . Adding to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields
. Substituting for in the first equation in the given system yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Factoring
the left-hand side of this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of
both sides of this equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard