PSAT Math Practice Test: Passport to
Advanced Math - Functions
1. An ecosystem is a network in which all living and nonliving things are connected. Components of an
ecosystem are interdependent, meaning that a change in one component affects all other elements of
the ecosystem. Biologists often study changes in ecosystems to predict other changes. A biologist
studying the birth rate of a certain fish uses the function b (n ) to analyze the fish’s effect on other
parts of the ecosystem, where n is the number of eggs laid by the fish over a given period of time.
Which of the following lists could represent a portion of the domain for the biologist’s function?
(A) {… –1,500, –1,000, –500, 0, 500, 1,000, 1,500…}
(B) {–1,500, –1,000, –500, 0, 500, 1,000, 1,500}
(C) {0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5…}
(D) {0, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000…}
2. If h (x ) = 3x – 1, what is the value of h (5) – h (2) ?
(A) 3
(B) 8
(C) 9
(D) 14
3. The figure shown represents the function . Which statement about the function is not true?
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(A) q (0) = 0
(B) q (2) = 4
(C) The range of q (x ) is y ≥ 0.
(D) The domain of q (x ) is x ≥ 0.
4.
A function is defined by the equation . For what value of x does f (x ) = 5 ?
(A) –5
(B) 2
(C) 9
(D) 30
5. Tyree is dropping old pennies into a jar that contains a cleaning solution. As he adds more pennies, the
height of the solution in the jar changes based on the number of pennies he adds. The figure shows this
relationship after 50 pennies have been dropped in the jar. If the height of the solution in the jar was
5 inches before any pennies were added, which of the following linear functions represents the
relationship between the number of pennies and the height of the solution in the jar?
(A) h (p ) = 0.7p + 5
(B) h (p ) = 0.7p + 8.5
(C) h (p ) = 0.07p + 5
(D) h (p ) = 0.07p + 8.5
x g(x)
−2 1
0 2
1 3
4 2
x g(x)
6 1
x h(x)
−2 4
−1 2
0 0
1 −2
2 −4
6. Several values for the functions g (x ) and h (x ) are shown in the tables. What is the value of g (h (–2)) ?
(A) –2
(B) 0
(C) 2
(D) 3
7. If the graph of R (x ) passes through the point (–2, 6), through which point does the graph of
–R (x + 5) + 1 pass?
(A) (–7, –5)
(B) (3, –5)
(C) (3, 7)
(D) (7, 7)
8. Doctors use the function shown to calculate the concentration, in parts per million, of a certain drug in
a patient’s bloodstream after t hours. How many more parts per million of the drug are in the
bloodstream after 20 hours than after 10 hours?
9. Which set of ordered pairs could represent part of a function?
(A) {(–4, –4), (–2, –2), (0, 0), (–2, 2), (–4, 4)}
(B) {(–4, –2), (–2, 0), (0, 2), (2, 0), (4, –2)}
(C) {(–2, 0), (0, –2), (2, 0), (0, 2), (4, 2)}
(D) {(–2, –4), (–2, –2), (–2, 0), (–2, 2), (–2, 4)}
10. The graph of f (x ) is shown here. Which of the following represents the domain and range of the
function?
(A) Domain: f (x ) ≥ 5; Range: all real numbers
(B) Domain: f (x ) ≤ 5; Range: all real numbers
(C) Domain: all real numbers; Range: f (x ) ≥ 5
(D) Domain: all real numbers; Range: f (x ) ≤ 5
11.
If , which of the following statements is always true?
(A) g (x ) < 0
(B) g (x ) > 0
(C) g (x ) < 0 when x < 0
(D) g (x ) > 0 when x > 0
12. In the figure shown, what is the value of f (3) – g (3) ?
(A) –3
(B) 0
(C) 3
(D) 6
13.
If f (x ) = − 4x + 1 and , what is the value of ?
(A) –11
(B) 0
(C) 2.5
(D) 3
14. The graph of g (x ) is shown in the figure. If k (x ) = –g (x ) – 1, which of the following statements is true?
(A) The range of k (x ) is –5 ≤ y ≤ 1.
(B) The minimum value of k (x ) is –4.
(C) The coordinates of point A on the function k (x ) are (2, 0).
(D) The graph of k (x ) is increasing between x = 0 and x = 1.
2
15. If f (x ) = –x + 5 and g (x ) = x , which of the following is not in the range of f (g (x )) ?
(A) –11
(B) 0
(C) 1
(D) 9
1. D /Difficulty: Easy
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: The domain of a function represents the possible values of the input
values. In this function, the input values are represented by n , which is the number of eggs laid
by the fish over a given period of time. Because there cannot be a negative number of eggs laid
or a fraction of an egg laid, the list in (D) is the only one that could represent part of the
function’s domain.
2. C /Difficulty: Easy
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: The notation ‘h (x )’ is read h of x and represents the range value
(output) of the function that corresponds to a given domain value (input). Therefore, h (5) means
the output value of the function when 5 is substituted for the input (x ), and h (2) means the
output value of the function when 2 is substituted for the input (x ). Substitute 5 and 2 into the
equation, one at a time, and then subtract the results.
Choice (C) is correct. Caution—this is not the same as subtracting 5 – 2 and then substituting 3
into the function.
3. B /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Compare each answer choice, one at a time, to the graph. Be careful—
you’re looking for the statement that is not true, so cross out true statements as you go. The
statement in A is true (and therefore not correct) because at x = 0, y is also 0. Move on to B.
When x is 2, q (x ), or y , is somewhere between 1 and 2, not equal to 4, so this statement is not
true, making (B) the correct answer. The statements in C and D are both true because the x -
(domain) and y -values (range) are all greater than or equal to 0.
4. D /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: In this question, you are given that the value of f (x ) is 5, and you are
asked for the value of x that produces this result. This means you are solving for x , not
substituting for x . Set the function equal to 5 and solve using inverse operations.
Choice (D) is correct.
5. C /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: The question tells you that the function is linear, which means you
need to know the slope (rate of change in the height of the solution) and the y -intercept
(height of the solution when there are 0 pennies) to pick the correct function.
You already know the height of the solution when there are 0 pennies —it’s 5 inches. This
means you can eliminate B and D. To determine the rate of change in the height of the solution,
write what you know as ordered pairs, and then use the slope formula:
At 0 pennies, the height is 5 inches → (0, 5).
At 50 pennies, the height is 8.5 inches → (50, 8.5).
The rate of change in the height of the solution is . This means the
correct function is h (p ) = 0.07p + 5, which is (C).
6. C /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: The notation (g (h (x )) indicates a composition of two functions that
can be read “g of h of x .” It means that the output when x is substituted into h (x ) becomes
the input for g (x ). First, use the h (x ) table to find h (–2); you’ll see it equals 4. Use this as the
domain in the g (x ) table to find g (4), which is 2. Choice (C) is correct.
7. A /Difficulty: Hard
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Transformations that are grouped with the x in a function shift the
graph horizontally and therefore affect the x -coordinates of points on the graph.
Transformations that are not grouped with the x shift the graph vertically and, therefore, affect
the y -coordinates of points on the graph. Remember, horizontal shifts are always the opposite
of what they look like.
Start with (x + 5). This shifts the graph left 5 units, so subtract 5 from the x -coordinate of the
given point: (–2, 6) → (–2 – 5, 6) = (–7, 6). Next, apply the negative in front of R , which makes
the y -coordinate negative: (–7, 6) → (–7, –6). Finally, the + 1 is not grouped with x , so add 1 to
the y -coordinate: (–7, –6) → (–7, –6 + 1) = (–7, –5), (A).
You could also plot the point on a coordinate plane, perform the transformations (left 5, reflect
vertically over the x -axis, and then up 1), and find the resulting point.
8. 5 /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Evaluate the function at t = 20 and at t = 10, and then subtract the
results. Make sure you follow the correct order of operations as you simplify.
The question asks how many more parts per million are in a patient’s bloodstream after
20 hours than after 10 hours, so subtract 22 – 17 = 5.
9. B /Difficulty: Easy
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: If a relationship represents a function, then each input can have only
one corresponding output. When a function is presented as a set of ordered pairs, this means
that no number in the domain (the first value in an ordered pair) can be repeated. Choice (B) is
correct because each input (x -value) has only one output (y -value). All other choices have
multiple outputs for a single input.
10. D /Difficulty: Easy
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: To determine the domain, look at the x -values. To determine the range,
look at the y -values. For the domain, the graph is continuous and has arrows on both sides, so
the domain is all real numbers. This means you can eliminate choices A and B. For the range, the
function’s maximum is located at (0, 5), which means the highest possible value of f (x ) is 5.
The graph is continuous and opens downward, so the range of the function is f (x ) ≤ 5, making
(D) correct.
11. D /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Skim the answer choices. They are all asking about the sign (positive or
negative) of g (x ) because g (x ) < 0 means negative and g (x ) > 0 means positive. When using
function notation, g (x ) is the same as y, so you are trying to decide whether (and when) the y -
values of the function are negative or positive. The quickest way to do this is to draw a sketch of
the function, such as the one shown here:
From the graph, you can see that part of the line will eventually be below the y -axis (or
negative) and part above the y -axis (or positive), so you can eliminate choices A and B. To
choose between C and D, you’ll need to examine the graph more carefully. There are some
values of x that are less than 0 (to the left of the vertical axis) for which the y -values are greater
than 0, so C is not true either, which means choice (D) must be correct. For all values of x greater
than 0, the y -values are in fact all positive (or g (x ) > 0).
12. A /Difficulty: Medium
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Graphically, the notation f (3) means the y -value when x is 3. Pay
careful attention to which graph is which. It may help to draw dots on the graph. Find x = 3 on
the x -axis, then mark each function at this x -value on the graph as shown here:
Now read the y -coordinates from the graph and subtract: f (3) is –2 and g (3) is 1, so
f (3) – g (3) = −2 – 1 = −3, (A).
13. A /Difficulty: Hard
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: The notation (f º g )(x ) indicates a composition of two functions that
can also be written as f (g (x )) and is read “f of g of x .” It means that the output when x is
substituted into g (x ) becomes the input for f (x ). Substitute for x in g (x ), simplify, and then
substitute the result into f (x ):
Therefore, , (A).
14. A /Difficulty: Hard
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: Think about how each transformation affects the graph of g (x ), and
draw a sketch of k (x ) on the same grid. Compare the new graph to each of the answer choices
until you find one that is true. The graph of k (x ) = –g (x ) – 1 is a vertical reflection of g (x ) over
the x -axis that is then shifted down 1 unit. The graph looks like the dashed line here:
Now compare the dashed line to each of the answer choices. The range of k (x ) is the set of y -
values from lowest to highest (based on the dashed line). The lowest point occurs at the new
point B and has a y -value of –5, and the highest value occurs at both ends of the graph and is 1,
so the range is –5 ≤ y ≤ 1. This means (A) is correct and you can move on to the next question.
Don’t waste valuable time checking the other answer choices unless you are not sure about the
range. (Choice B: The minimum value of k (x ) is –5, not –4. Choice C: The coordinates of point A
on k (x ) are (–2, –4), not (2, 0). Choice D: The graph of k (x ) is decreasing, not increasing,
between x = 0 and x = 1.)
15. D /Difficulty: Hard
Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions
Getting to the Answer: When dealing with a composition, the range of the inner function
becomes the domain of the outer function, which in turn produces the range of the
2
composition. In the composition f (g (x )), the function g (x ) = x is the inner function. Every
value of x , when substituted into this function, will result in a nonnegative value (because of the
square on x ). This means the smallest possible range value of g (x ) is 0. Now look at f (x ).
Substituting large positive values of x in the function will result in large negative numbers.
Consequently, substituting the smallest value from the range of g , which is 0, results in the
largest range value for the composition, which is –0 + 5 = 5. Because 9 > 5, it is not in the range
of f (g (x )), making (D) correct.
