Test: (Topics 2.1-1.

6) Exponential Functions and Modeling Name:

Section 1: Part A - No Calculators Allowed
Directions: Read the following problems carefully. Work out each question and circle the best answer. Be sure to write
your answer choices on the separate answer sheet as well.

1. Values of the terms of a geometric sequence g n are graphed in the figure above. Which of the following is an
expression for the nth term of the geometric sequence?
n n −1 n−2 n+2
1 1  1  1
(A) g n = 8   (B) g n = −16   (C) g n = 8  −  (D) g n = 8  − 
2 2  2  2

2. Selected values of the terms of an arithmetic sequence an are graphed in the figure above. Which of the following is
an expression for the nth term of the arithmetic sequence?
2 2 2 3
(A) an = 1 + ( n − 6) (B) an = 5 + ( n − 6) (C) an = 5 + ( n + 6) (D) an = 5 + ( n − 6)
3 3 3 2
 n 1 5 7 8 15
an b 32 26 c 2

3. The table above contains selected values of an arithmetic sequence an , where b and c are constants. What is the
value of b + c ?

(A) 49 (B) 58 (C) 67 (D) 76

4. Let g n be a geometric sequence with g1 = 8 and g 4 = 27 . Which of the following is the value of g 2 ?
16 43
(A) (B) 12 (C) (D) 18
3 3

x g ( x)

1 3
2 6
3 12
4 24
5 48
5. Selected values of the function g are given in the table above. Which of the following statements about g is most
appropriate?
(A) g could be linear because over equal-length input-value intervals, the output values change at a constant rate.
(B) g could be linear because the output values change linearly as the input values change proportionally.
(C) g could be exponential because over equal-length input-value intervals, the output values change proportionally.
(D) g could be exponential because the output values change linearly as the input values change proportionally.
6. The exponential function f is defined by f ( x ) = ab x , where a and b are constants. If f ( 2 ) = 36 and
f ( x + 1)
= 3 for all values of x , which of the following is the expression for f ( x ) ?
f ( x)
x
1
(B) 4 ( 3) (C) 12 ( 3) (D) 36 ( 3)
x x x
(A) 36  
3

x 1 2 3 4 5
1 1 3 9 27
h ( x)
12 4 4 4 4

7. The exponential function h is defined by h ( x ) = ab x , where a and b are positive constants. The table above gives
values of h ( x ) at selected values of x . Which of the following statements is true?

(A) h demonstrates exponential decay because 0  a  1 and b  1.

(B) h demonstrates exponential decay because a  0 and 0  b  1.
(C) h demonstrates exponential growth because a  0 and 0  b  1.
(D) h demonstrates exponential growth because a  0 and b  1.

8. The function g is an exponential function that increases at a decreasing rate for all values of x . Which of the
following pairs of limit statements could describe the end behaviors for the graph of g ?
(A) lim g ( x ) = − and lim g ( x ) = 0
x →− x →

(B) lim g ( x ) = − and lim g ( x ) = 

x →− x →

(C) lim g ( x ) = 0 and lim g ( x ) = 

x →− x →

(D) lim g ( x ) =  and lim g ( x ) = 0

x →− x →
9. Let f be an exponential function with the following end behavior.

lim f ( x ) =  and lim f ( x ) = 0

x →− x →

Which of the following could be the graph of f ?

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

x −1
2
10. Let m ( x ) = 5   . Which of the following statements about m is correct?
3
(A) m is increasing and the graph of m is concave up.
(B) m is increasing and the graph of m is concave down.
(C) m is decreasing and the graph of m is concave up.
(D) m is decreasing and the graph of m is concave down.
11. Let f be an exponential function of the form f ( x ) = ab x , where a and b are constants. If the function g is the
result of a horizontal dilation to the graph of f , then which of the following equations could represent the transformation
from f to g ?

(A) g ( x ) = 2 f ( x ) (B) g ( x ) = f ( x + 2 ) ( )
(C) g ( x ) = f x 2 (
(D) g ( x ) = f ( x ) )
2

12. Which of the following functions is an equivalent form of the function h ( x ) = 100  9 x ?
(A) h ( x ) = 10  32 x
(B) h ( x ) = 10  92 x
(C) h ( x ) = 100  32 x

(D) h ( x ) = 100  3( )
x2

13. Which of the following functions is an equivalent form of the function k ( x ) = 4  92 x ?

(A) k ( x ) = 362 x
(B) k ( x ) = 4  3x
(C) k ( x ) = 4  81x
(D) k ( x ) = 16  81x

14. Which of the following functions is an equivalent form of the function p ( x ) = 4−2 x ?

(A) p ( x ) = ( −16 )
x

(B) p ( x ) = 2 x
x
1
(C) p ( x ) =  
2
x
1
(D) p ( x ) =  
 16 
 t (days) 0 1 2 3 4
D (t ) 81 54 36 24 16

15. After returning home from spending two weeks in Kansas City grading AP Exams, Mr. Passwater notices a large
number of dandelions in his yard and decides to apply weed killer to his yard. The decreasing function D gives the
number of dandelions in his yard. The table above gives values of D ( t ) for selected values of t , in days, since Mr.
Passwater applied week killer to his yard. If a model is constructed to represent these data, which of the following best
applies to this situation?
t t
1 2 2
(A) y = 81  (B) y = 81  (C) y = 81 − 27t (D) y = 81 − t
3 3 3

16. From 2011 – 2015, the number of electric vehicles purchased in Norway grew exponentially. The percent of all new
vehicles purchased that were electric is modeled by the function E , which increased by 96.8% each year. In 2011
( t = 0 ) , 1.6% of all new cars purchased in Norway were electric. If t is measured in months, which of the following is
an expression for E ( t ) ? (Note: There are twelve months in one year.)
( t 12) (12t ) ( t 12 ) (12t )
(A) 1.6 ( 0.968 ) (B) 1.6 ( 0.968) (C) 1.6 (1.968 ) (D) 1.6 (1.968 )

17. The distance, in meters, that a toy pull-back car will travel after being pulled backwards c centimeters can be
modeled by the function d given by d ( c ) = .15 (1.2 ) . Which of the following functions D models the distance that
2c

the toy car travels after being pulled back m millimeters? (There are 10 millimeters in a centimeter, so m = 10c .)

(A) D ( m ) = .15 (1.2 )

m 10

( ( ))
(B) D ( m ) = .15 1.2
2m
1 10

D ( m ) = .15 (1.2( ) )
2m
10
(C)

D ( m ) = .15 (1.2( ) )
m
15
(D)
18. A quadratic regression was used to develop a model for a given set of data. The figure above shows a graph of the
residuals of the quadratic regression. Which of the following statements about the quadratic regression is true?
(A) The quadratic model is not appropriate because there is a clear pattern in the graph of the residuals.
(B) The quadratic model is not appropriate because there are more positive residual values than negative residual values.
(C) The quadratic model is appropriate because there is a linear pattern in the graph of the residuals.
(D) The quadratic model is appropriate because none of the residuals fall outside the pattern in the graph of the residuals.

19. A set of data was used to create a linear, a quadratic, and an exponential regression model. The residual plots for the
three models are shown above. Based on the three residual plots, which of the following could be an appropriate model
for the data?

(A) y = 5.7 − 2.9 x

(B) y = −1.3x 2 + 2.1x + 0.3
(C) y = −0.3 (1.72 )
x

(D) y = −0.3 + 2.4 log x

20. After Mr. Passwater discovers what he thought was a new radioactive element, he names one particular isotope
Boogeranium-317. He notices that Boogeranium-317 has a half-life of 9.7 seconds. If Mr. Passwater wants to find a
function that models the amount of Boogeranium-317 left in a particular sample, which of the following model types is
best?
(A) linear (B) quadratic (C) cubic (C) exponential
Test: (Topics 2.1-1.6) Exponential Functions and Modeling Name:
Section 1: Part B - Calculator Required
Directions: The following problems require the use of a graphing calculator. Read each problem carefully. Do the work
for each question and then circle the appropriate answer. Be sure to mark your answers on the answer sheet as well.

21. The largest chess streamer on YouTube is GothamChess (Levy Rozman), who currently has over 4 million
subscribers. The number of Gotham subscribers can be modeled by the arithmetic sequence an , where an is the number

of Gotham subscribers (in millions) for month n ( n = 1 represents January 2021).

If GothamChess had 1.66 million subscribers in month 9 and an +1 − an = 0.143 for n  1 , how many subscribers (in

millions) does the arithmetic model predict GothamChess will have for month 13?

(A) 1.803 (B) 2.232 (C) 2.833 (D) 3.519

22. Dommaraju Gukesh, better known as Gukesh D, is one of the best young chess players in the world. At only 17 years
old, Gukesh D is already the 8th highest rated chess player in the world and recently surpassed the former world chess
champion Vishy Anand as the highest rated chess player in India. When he first began playing chess, Gukesh’s rating
could be modeled using a geometric sequence, where the first term represents his rating during month 1 (December 2013).
Gukesh had a rating of 1475 during month 9 (August 2014) and a rating of 1700 during month 15 (February 2015).
According to this model, what was Gukesh’s rating during month 25 (December 2015)? Round your answer to the
nearest whole number.
(A) 2075 (B) 2154 (C) 3950 (D) 7031
 x g ( x)

−1 5
1 8
2 10
5 19

23. The table above presents values for a function g at selected values of x . An exponential regression y = ab x is used
to model these data. What is the value of g ( 3.2 ) predicted by the exponential function model?

(A) 12.880 (B) 12.994 (C) 13.161 (D) 13.941

t (years since 2007) 0 1 2 3 4 5

i (t ) 1.39 11.63 20.73 39.99 72.29 125.05

24. The function i gives the total number of iPhones sold worldwide yearly from 2007 – 2012. The table above gives
the number of iPhones sold, in millions, for the years 2007 – 2012. A quadratic regression y = at 2 + bt + c is used to
model the function i . What is the residual for the number of iPhones sold (in millions) in the year 2009 ( t = 2 ) ?
(A) −12.742 (B) 1.801 (C) 5.954 (D) 18.929

25. As the population of a particular town begins to increase, the number of students enrolled at the local high school also
begins the increase. The school district creates two function models, Q and E , to predict the number of students (in
thousands) that will be enrolled at the local high school in t years.

If Q ( t ) = 0.77t 2 + 0.365t + 1.1 and E ( t ) = 1.216 (1.31) , what is the first time t that student enrollment predicted by
t

the quadratic model will be 0.05 thousand students more than student enrollment predicted by the exponential model?

(A) t = 1.011 (B) t = 1.989 (C) t = 5.570 (D) t = 5.906

Test: (Topics 2.1-2.6) Free Response Questions Name:
Section 2: Part A - Calculator Required
You may use your graphing calculator for this portion of the exam.

Directions: The following page contains one free response problem. While you may write on the following page, the
only work and answers that will be graded are what you write in the appropriate spaces of the free response answer
booklet. When completing the free response problem, consider the following:

• Show all of your work. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your responses,
including your supporting work and answers. Answers without supporting work may not receive credit in cases
where supporting work is required.

• For the following questions, you are expected to use your graphing calculator for tasks such as producing graphs
and tables, evaluating functions, solving equations, and performing computations.

• Avoid rounding intermediate computations on the way to the final result. Unless otherwise specified, any decimal
approximations reported in your work should be accurate to three places after the decimal point.

• It may be helpful to use your graphing calculator to store information such as computed values for constants,
functions you are working with solutions to equations, and any intermediate values. Computations with the
graphing calculator that use the stored information help to maintain as much precision as possible and ensure the
desired accuracy in final answers.
 t
0 11 20 31 38 54 64 75 87
(years since 1933)
P (t )
19.91 14.71 9.69 8.35 6.39 2.28 1.61 1.20 1.00
(in dollars)

1. The purchasing power of the US currency is the amount of goods and services that can be bought with one US dollar.
The function P gives the purchasing power on one US dollar based on the value of a dollar in the year 2020. The table
above presents values for the function P at selected values of t , where t is the number of years since 1933.

P ( t ) can be modeled by the exponential regression y = 21.682 ( 0.963) , where t is the number of years since 1933.
t

(A) (i) Find the time t predicted by the given exponential regression model when P ( t ) = 5. Show the setup that
leads to your answer.
(ii) Find the value of P ( 54 ) predicted by the exponential regression model.

(iii) Find the residual value of the purchasing power of the US currency when t = 54 . Does this residual value
indicate that our model overestimated or underestimated the purchasing power of the US currency when
t = 54 ? Give a reason for your answer.

(B) (i) The function P ( t ) can also be modeled with a linear model. Let y = a + bx be the linear regression model

for P ( t ) . Use the data in the table to find the linear regression model for P ( t ) .

(ii) Find the value of P ( 30 ) predicted by the linear regression model.

(C) (i) The graphs of the residuals for the exponential and linear regression models are below. Use the graphs of the
residuals to determine which model was appropriate for the data. Explain your reasoning.
Test: (Topics 2.1-2.6) Free Response Questions Name:
Section 2: Part B - No Calculators Allowed
You may not use your graphing calculator for this portion of the exam.
Directions: The following page contains one free response problem. While you may write on the following page, the
only work and answers that will be graded are what you write in the appropriate spaces of the free response answer
booklet. When completing the free response problem, consider the following:

• Show all of your work. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your responses,
including your supporting work and answers. Answers without supporting work may not receive credit in cases
where supporting work is required.
 n 2 4 5

fn 3 k 24

2. The table above presents values for a sequence f at selected values of n , where k is a constant. The data in the table
can be used to find two models for f n : an arithmetic model ( an ) and a geometric model ( g n ) .

(A) (i) The arithmetic model an for f n can be written as an = a0 + dn , where d is the common difference between
successive terms. Use the data in the table to find an expression for an .

(ii) Using the arithmetic model an , find the value of the constant k in the table above.
(iii) According to the arithmetic model, for what value of n will f n = 66? Show the work that leads to your
answer.

(B) (i) The geometric model g n for f n can be written as g n = abn , where a and b are constants. Use the given
data to write two equations that can be used to find the values for constants a and b in the expression for g n .

(ii) Find the values for a and b.

(iii) Using the geometric model g n , find the value of the constant k in the table above.

(C) (i) For n  0 , the value of f n +1 − f n increases as n increases. Based on this, is an or g n a better model for f n ?
Give a reason for your answer.