2 Algebra

2.1 Graphs of linear equations or functions

Graphs of linear equations and functions questions deal with linear equations
and functions and their graphs in the xy-plane. For example, the graph of y = 2x - 1 is
shown below.

An equation in function notation, f(x) = 2x - 1, can also represent this line.

The slope of a line describes its direction and steepness.

• A line that trends upward from left to right has a positive slope.
• A line that trends downward from left to right has a negative slope.
• The steeper the line is, the larger the magnitude of its slope is.

change in 𝑦 𝑦 −𝑦
slope = change in 𝑥 = 𝑥2−𝑥1
2 1

Example: Line l contains the points (-1,2) and (4,12). What is the slope of line l?
A horizontal line has a slope of 0
A vertical line has an undefined slope
The y-intercept

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 The x-intercept
slope-intercept form: y = mx + b
The slope of the line and a point on the line
Two points on the line
Question 1:

A line is graphed in the xy-plane as shown. Which of the following is an equation of

the line?
A. 2x - 5y + 10 = 0
B. 2x - 5y - 10 = 0
C. 2x + 5y - 10 = 0
D. 2x + 5y + 10 = 0
Question 2:
The graph of 7x + 2y = -31 in the xy-plane has an x-intercept at (a, 0) and a y-
$
intercept at (0, b), where a and b are constants. What is the value of ?
%
&
A -"
"
B -&
"
C &
&
D "

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Question 3:

The graph of y = f(x) + 14 is shown. Which equation defines function f?

!
A 𝑓(𝑥) = − ' 𝑥 − 12
!
B 𝑓(𝑥) = − ' 𝑥 + 16
!
C 𝑓(𝑥) = − ' 𝑥 + 2
!
D 𝑓(𝑥) = − ' 𝑥 − 14

4:
X F(x)
1 -64
2 0
3 64

For the linear function f, the table shows three values of a and their corresponding
values of ƒ(x). Function ƒ is defined by f(x) = ax + b, where a and b are constants. What is
the value of a - b?
A -64. B 62. C 128. D 192

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 Parallel and perpendicular lines
• Line l has a slope of 2.
• Line m also has a slope of 2. It is parallel to line l.
!
• Line n has a slope of - . It is perpendicular to both lines l and m.
"

Question 5:
In the xy-plane, line l passes through the point (0, 0) and is parallel to the line
represented by the equation y = 8x + 2. If line also passes through the point (3, d), what
is the value of d?

Question 6:
The graph of the linear function f is shown in the xy-
plane above. The graph of the linear function g (not
shown) is perpendicular to the graph of ƒ and passes
through the point (1, -5). What is the value of g(-2)?

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 2.2 Solving linear equations
Question 1:
If 5(x + 4) = 4(x + 4) + 29, what is the value of x + 4?
A -4
B 25
C 29
D 33
Question 2:
How many solutions does the equation 10(15x - 9) = -15(6 - 10x) have?
A Exactly one
B Exactly two
C Infinitely many
D Zero
Question 3:
3 + 10x - 5 = (a + 1)x - 2
In the equation shown above, a is a constant. For what value of a does the equation
have infinitely many solutions?
A. 2
B. 7
C. 10
D. 9
Question 4:
6x + 7y = 28
2x + 2y = 10
The solution to the given system of equations is (x, y). What is the value of y?
A -2
B 7
C 14
D 18

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 (a) Lines intersect at a (b) Line are parallel and do (c) Lines coincide - equations
single point. The system not intersect. The system has are for the same line. The
has one solution. no solution. system has infinitely many
solutions.

To determine the number of solutions a system of linear equations has using

slope-intercept form, y = mx + b:
1. Rewrite both equations in slope-intercept form.
2. Compare the m- and b-values of the equations to determine the number of
solutions.
3. If the two equations have different m-values, then the system has one solution.
4. If the two equations have the same m-value but different b-values, then the system
has no solution.
5. If the two equations have both the same m-value and the same b-value, then the
system has infinitely many solutions.
Question 5:
At how many points do the graphs of the equations y = x + 20 and y = 8x intersect in
the xy-plane?
A 0
B 1
C 2
D 8

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Question 6:
4x - 6y = 10y + 2
!
𝑡𝑦 = " + 2𝑥

In the given system of equations, t is a constant. If the system has no solution, what
is the value of t?
Question 7:
6x - 8y = 24
2 8
− 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 𝑚
3 9
In the system of equations above, m is a constant. If the system has more than one
solution, what is the value of m?
(
A) -#
!
B) -#
"
C) #
(
D) #

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 2.3 Interpreting linear functions or equations
Question 1:
C = 1.5b + 67.5
The total cost, C, in dollars, to produce b books is given by the equation. What is the
meaning of 1.5 in the equation?
A 1.5 books will cost $67.50 to produce.
B It costs an extra $1.50 for each book produced.
C If you produce one book, your total cost will be $1.50.
D There is a flat fee of $1.50 to produce any number of books.

Question 2:
Caleb used juice to make popsicles. The function f(x) = -5x + 30 approximates the
volume, in fluid ounces, of juice Caleb had remaining after making x popsicles. Which
statement is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of y = f(x) in the xy-
plane in this context?
A Caleb used approximately 5 fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.
B Caleb had approximately 5 fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the
popsicles.
C Caleb had approximately 30 fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the
popsicles.
D Caleb used approximately 30 fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.

Question 3:
The graph represents the total charge, in dollars, by an electrician for x hours of
work. The electrician charges a onetime fee plus an hourly rate. What is the best
interpretation of the slope of the graph?
A The electrician’s hourly rate
B The electrician’s onetime fee
C The maximum amount that the electrician charges
D The total amount that the electrician charges

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Question 4:
w(t) = 300 - 4t
The function w models the volume of liquid, in milliliters, in a container t seconds
after it begins draining from a hole at the bottom. According to the model, what is the
predicted volume, in milliliters, draining from the container each second?
A 300
B 296
C 75
D 4

Question 5:
A neighborhood consists of a 2-hectare park and a 35-hectare residential area. The
total number of trees in the neighborhood is 3,934. The equation 2x + 35y = 3,934
represents this situation. Which of the following is the best interpretation of x in this
context?
A The average number of trees per hectare in the park
B The average number of trees per hectare in the residential area
C The total number of trees in the park
D The total number of trees in the residential area

Question 6:
Keenan made 32 cups of vegetable broth. Keenan then filled x small jars and y large
jars with all the vegetable broth he made. The equation 3x + 5y = 32 represents this
situation. Which is the best interpretation of 5y in this context?
A The number of large jars Keenan filled
B The number of small jars Keenan filled
C The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars
D The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars

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Question 7:
9
𝐹(𝑥) = (𝑥 − 273.15) + 32
5
The function F gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a
temperature of x kelvins. If a temperature increased by 2.10 kelvins, by how much did
the temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit?
A 3.78
B 35.78
C 487.89
D 519.89

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 2.4 Word problems: linear equations and inequalities
Question 1:
2,5b + 5r = 80
The given equation describes the relationship between the number of birds, b, and
the number of reptiles, r, that can be cared for at a pet care business on a given day. If
the business cares for 16 reptiles on a given day, how many birds can it care for on this
day?
A 0
B 5
C 40
D 80

Question 2:
One gallon of paint will cover 220 square feet of a surface. A room has a total wall
area of w square feet. Which equation represents the total amount of paint P, in gallons,
needed to paint the walls of the room twice?
)
A 𝑃 = !!*

B P = 440w
)
C 𝑃 =
""*

D P = 220w

Question 3:
A window repair specialist charges $220 for the first two hours of repair plus an
hourly fee for each additional hour. The total cost for 5 hours of repair is $400. Which
function f gives the total cost, in dollars, for x hours of repair, where x ≥ 2?
A f(x) = 60x + 100
B f(x) = 60x + 220
C f(x) = 80x
D f(x) = 80x + 220

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Question 4:
For groups of 25 or more people, a museum charges $21 per person for the first 25
people and $14 for each additional person. Which function f gives the total charge, in
dollars, for a tour group with n people, where n ≥ 25?
A f(n) = 14n + 175
B f(n) = 14n + 525
C f(n) = 35n - 350
D f(n) = 14n + 21

Question 5:
A wire with a length of 106 inches is cut into two parts. One part has a length of x
inches, and the other part has a length of y inches. The value of x is 6 more than 4 times
the value of y. What is the value of x?
A 25
B 28
C 56
D 86

Question 6:
A proposal for a new library was included on an election ballot. A radio show stated
that 3 times as many people voted in favor of the proposal as people who voted against it.
A social media post reported that 15,000 more people voted in favor of the proposal than
voted against it. Based on these data, how many people voted against the proposal?
A 7,500
B 15,000
C 22,500
D 45,000

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Question 7:
Maizah bought a pair of pants and a briefcase at a department store. The sum of the
prices of the pants and the briefcase before sales tax was $130.00. There was no sales tax
on the pants and a 9% sales tax on the briefcase. The total Maizah paid, including the
sales tax, was $136.75. What was the price, in dollars, of the pants?

Question 8:
A moving truck can tow a trailer if the combined weight of the trailer and the boxes
it contains is no more than 4,600 pounds. What is the maximum number of boxes this
truck can tow in a trailer with a weight of 500 pounds if each box weighs 120 pounds?
A 34
B 35
C 38
D 39

Question 9:
In 2014, County X had 783 miles of paved roads. Starting in 2015, the county has
been building 8 miles of new paved roads each year. At this rate, in which year will County
X first have at least 1,000 miles of paved roads? (Assume that no paved roads go out of
service.)

Question 10: Each morning, John jogs at 6 miles per hour and rides a bike at 12 miles
per hour. His goal is to jog and ride his bike a total of at least 9 miles in no more than 1
hour. If John jogs j miles and rides his bike b miles, which of the following systems of
inequalities represents John’s goal?
+ $
A) + !" ≤ 1
,

j+b≥9
+ $
B) + !" ≥ 1
,

j+b≤9
C) 6j + 12b ≥ 9
j+b≤1
D) 6j + 12b ≤ 1
j+b≥9
Question 11:

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 A laundry service is buying detergent and fabric softener from its supplier. The
supplier will deliver no more than 300 pounds in a shipment. Each container of detergent
weighs 7.35 pounds, and each container of fabric softener weighs 6.2 pounds. The service
wants to buy at least twice as many containers of detergent as containers of fabric
softener. Let d represent the number of containers of detergent, and let s represent the
number of containers of fabric softener, where d and s are nonnegative integers. Which
of the following systems of inequalities best represents this situation?
A) 7.35d + 6.2s ≤ 300
d ≥ 2s
B) 7.35d + 6.2s ≤ 300
2d ≥ s
C) 14.7d + 6.2s ≤ 300
d ≥ 2s
D) 14.7d + 6.2s ≤ 300
2d ≥ s

Question 12:
A small business owner budgets $2,200 to purchase candles. The owner must
purchase a minimum of 200 candles to maintain the discounted pricing. If the owner pays
$4.90 per candle to purchase small candles and $11.60 per candle to purchase large
candles, what is the maximum number of large candles the owner can purchase to stay
within the budget and maintain the discounted pricing?

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 2.4 Linear inequalities and graphs
Question 1:
y≤x+7
y ≥ -2x - 1
Which point (-x, y) is a solution to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane?
A (-14, 0)
B (0, -14)
C (0, 14)
D (14, 0)

Question 2:
5y + 3x ≤ 15
The solution set to the inequality above is represented by the line and shaded region
of the graph in which of the following xy-planes?

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Graphs of inequality Systems:
y ≤ 3x - 2
! '
y ≥ −#𝑥 + #

Question 3:
!
If the system of inequalities y ≥ 2x + 1 and y > 𝑥 − 1 is graphed in the xy-plane
"
above, which quadrant contains no solutions to the system?
A) Quadrant II
B) Quadrant III
C) Quadrant IV
D) There are solutions in all four quadrants.

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Question 4:

The shaded region shown above

represents the solution to which of the
following systems of inequalities?
A) y<x
y≤4
B) y<x
y≥4
C) y>x
y≤4
D) y>x
y≥4

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 2.5 Absolute value and equations
|𝑥| = a => x = ±a (a ≥ 0)
Question 1:
|𝑥 + 2| = 9
What is the positive solution to the given equation?

Question 2:
|𝑥 − 15| = 2x
What is all possible solution to the given equation?
A) -15
B) 5
C) -5 and 5
D) There are no solutions.

Question 3:
How many solutions does the equation |𝑥 + 7| = -4 have?
A) Zero
B) Exactly one
C) Exactly two
D) More than two

Question 4:
2|4 − 𝑥| + 3|4 − 𝑥| = 25
What is the positive solution to the given equation?

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