226 Lesson 8

MATHEMATICS SUBJECT TEST, LEVEL IIC

Directions: For each problem in this test, determine which is the best of the five choices given. Then
darken the corresponding oval space on the answer sheet.

Notes: (1) Figures that accompany problems in this test are drawn as accurately as possible
EXCEPT when accompanied by the words “NOTE: Figure not drawn to scale.”
(2) Unless otherwise indicated, all figures lie in a plane.
(3) Unless otherwise specified, the domain of a function is assumed to be the set of all real
numbers x such that f(x) is a real number.
(4) A calculator is necessary for answering some—but not all—of the questions in this test. In
each case, you must decide whether or not to use a calculator. For some items, you will
need to determine whether the calculator should be in the degree mode or the radian mode.

1. If x and y are positive integers such that x 4. A group of students consisting of 4 seniors, 5
divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 4, and y juniors, and 6 sophomores plans to nominate
divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 3, then what a slate of 3 officers—president, vice–president,
is the remainder when xy is divided by 7? and treasurer—for the student government
(A) 0 election. If the presidential candidate must be
(B) 1 a senior and the vice–presidential candidate
(C) 3 must be a junior, how many different slates
(D) 5 are possible?
(E) 6 (A) 3,375
(B) 840
2. The radius of a sphere with volume 35 is how
(C) 300
much greater than the radius of a sphere with
(D) 260
volume 24?
(E) 120
(A) 0.58
(B) 0.49 5. If f(x) = x2 + bx + 1, and if f(1) = 4, then b =
(C) 0.37 (A) 4
(D) 0.24 (B) 2
(E) 0.12 (C) 1
(D) 0
3. If S is the set of all integers that can be written
(E) –2
in the form n2 + 1, then which of the follow-
ing is a member of S? 6. Points P and Q lie in the coordinate plane.
(A) 8 If the coordinates of P are (5,3) and Q are
(B) 16 (–2, –6), what is the distance between point P
(C) 24 and point Q?
(D) 52 (A) 11.4
(E) 65 (B) 13.2
(C) 15.8
(D) 17.5
(E) 21.2

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 227

7. During the last 4 hours of a 400–kilometer trip, 10. How many integers are in the solution set of
a passenger train traveled at an average speed |3x – 2| < 1?
of t kilometers per hour. If the train completed (A) None
the entire trip in 6 hours, at what speed, in ki- (B) One
lometers per hour, did the train travel during (C) Two
the first 2 hours? (D) Three
(E) Infinitely many
(A)
11. If f(x,y) = x2 – xy + y2, for all real numbers,
(B) then which of the following must be true?
(C) 200 + t (A) f(x,y) = f(x,–y)
(D) 200 – 2t (B) f(x,y) = f(–x,y)
(E) 2t – 100 (C) f(x,y) = f(–x, –y)
(D) f(x,y) = f(x,1/y)
(E) f(x,y) = f(x, –1/y)

12. If , for what value of x is

f(x) undefined?
(A) –4
(B) –2
(C) 0
8. In the above figure, if AC is a diameter of the (D) 2
circle, B is a point on the circle, and sin θ = 1/2, (E) 4
then sin φ =
13. An angle measure of 45° is equivalent to an
angle measure of
(A)
1
(A) radians
(B) 4
1
(B) radians
(C) π
π
(C) radians
4
(D)
π
(D) radians
2
(E) (E) π radians

9. If an equilateral triangle is rotated 360° around π

one of its altitudes, the resulting solid is a 14. If cos x = 0.2586 and 0 < x < , what is the
2
(A) cone value of x?
(B) cube (A) 8.254
(C) cylinder (B) 1.309
(D) sphere (C) 0.999
(E) right prism (D) 0.688
(E) 0.005

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

228 Lesson 8

15. If log32 = x, then x = 21. In the coordinate plane, the graph of which of
(A) 0.27 the following lines is perpendicular to the
(B) 0.63 graph of line
(C) 0.89
(D) 1.2
(E) 1.7 (A)

16. If f(x) = 3x – 6, and if g(f(x)) = x, then g(x) = (B)

(A) (C)
(B) (D)
(C) 6 – 3x
(E)
(D)

(E) 22. If , then x =

17. Where defined, (A) 6

(B) 9
(A) sin x (C) 12
(B) cos x (D) 15
(C) tan x (E) 16
(D) sin x csc x
23. If the probability that an event, e, will occur is
(E) represented by the expression , then which
18. What is the area of a right triangle with an of the following expressions represents the
angle of 58° and with a shorter leg of 5? probability that event e will not occur?
(A) 8
(A)
(B) 15
(C) 20
(B)
(D) 27
(E) 33
(C)
19. The diameter and the height of a right circular
(D) x + 1
cylinder are equal. If the volume of the cylin-
(E) x – 1
der is 6, what is the height of the cylinder?
(A) 1.5
(B) 2.0
(C) 2.2
(D) 2.5
(E) 2.8
20. If x1/4 = 20, then x =
(A)
(B) 5
(C) 80
(D) 2,000
(E) 160,000

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 229

24. A student’s final grade in a certain course is

28. If , then which of the following must
the average of his scores on ten tests graded
on a scale of 0 to 100, inclusive. For the first be true?
six tests, the student’s scores averaged 83. If x I. sin x < cos x
is the student’s final grade for the course, then II. tan x < cot x
which of the following is true? III. sec x < cos x
(A) 8.3 ≤ x ≤ 83.0 (A) I only
(B) 49.8 ≤ x ≤ 83.0 (B) II only
(C) 49.8 ≤ x ≤ 89.8 (C) III only
(D) 54.7 ≤ x ≤ 89.8 (D) I, II, and III
(E) 83.0 ≤ x ≤ 89.8 (E) None

25. Which of the following represents the multi-

plicative inverse of the complex number 2 – i?
(A) 2 + i
(B) i – 2
(C) 29. In the above figure, if Arcsin s = 2 Arcsin d,
then x =
(D)
(A) 15°
(B) 30°
(E)
(C) 45°
26. (D) 60°
(E) 75°
(A) –1
30. If, for all n, 2n + 2 n + 2 n + 2 n = x(2 n+1 ), then x =
(B) (A) 2
(B) 4
(C)
(C) 2 n
(D) 2 2n
(D)
(E) 2 n+1
(E) 2
31. If i x = 1, then x could equal
–1
27. If , what is f (2.5)? (A) 13
(A) 0.4 (B) 14
(B) 0.9 (C) 15
(C) 1.3 (D) 16
(D) 1.7 (E) 17
(E) 2.3

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

230 Lesson 8

34. What is ?
(A) –1
(B) 0
(C) 1
(D) 2
(E) The limit does not exist.

35. If 0 ≤ x ≤ π and cos x = –1, then cos =

(A)
32. The formula for the area enclosed by an
ellipse is A = πab, where a and b are one–half
(B)
the lengths of the major and minor axes,
respectively. In the figure above, the equation (C) 0
of the circle is x 2 + y 2 = 12, then what is the
area enclosed by the ellipse? (D)
(A) 62
(B) 87 (E)
(C) 103
(D) 117 36. Which of the following defines the range of
(E) 131 the function ?
(A) All real numbers
(B) All real numbers except –1
(C) All real numbers except 0
(D) All real numbers except 1
(E) All real numbers greater than –1

33. The above figure is a possible graph for which

of the following equations?
(A) y = 2 sin x
(B) y = sin x + 2
(C) y = csc x + 1
(D) y = csc x – 1
(E) y = sec x + 1

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 231

37. Which of the following figures represents the 38. If 5x = 2, what does 3x equal?
graph of x = 3 sin θ (A) 2.8
y = 2 cos θ (B) 2.3
(A) (C) 2.1
(D) 1.9
(E) 1.6
39. If 4 cos x = sin x and if x is in radian measure,
what is the least positive value of x?
(A) 6.452
(B) 2.133
(C) 1.326
(D) 1.021
(E) 0.933
(B)
40. Triangle ABC has coordinates A(–1, –2),
B(0,4), and C(3, –1). Which of the following
provides the coordinates of triangle A’B’C’,
respectively, the image of triangle ABC after
a reflection in the line y = –x?
(A) (–2, –1), (4,0), (–3, –1)
(B) (1,2), (0, –4), (–3,1)
(C) (2,1), (–4,0), (1, –3)
(C) (D) (3,2), (5,1), (2, –2)
(E) (4,0), (3, –1), (–1, –2)
41. If sin x = cos x, then x could terminate only in
the
(A) first quadrant
(B) second quadrant
(C) first or third quadrants
(D) second or third quadrants
(E) second or fourth quadrants

(D) 42. If the line x = k is tangent to the circle

(x – 2) 2 + (y + 1) 2 = 4, then the point of tan-
gency is
(A) (–6, –1) or (2, –1)
(B) (–2, –1) or (6, –1)
(C) (0, –1) or (4, –1)
(D) (0,1) or (4,1)
(E) (2,1) or (6,1)
43. The graph of y = 2 cos 2x + 2 intersects the y–
(E) axis where y =
(A) 0
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

232 Lesson 8

44. What is the last term in the expansion 46. Which of the following could be a graph of the
(2x + 3y)4? equation y = ax2 + bx + c, where b2 – 4ac = 0?
(A) y4 (A)
(B) 9y4
(C) 27y4
(D) 81y4
(E) (xy) 4
45. If two unbiased dice are rolled, what is the
probability that the number of dots on the two
exposed faces will total 4?

(A) (B)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)
(C)

(D)

(E)

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 233

47. A plane cuts through a cube in such a way that 50. (1) Given any individual x, if x is a C, then x is
the plane passes through three of the cube’s also a Q.
vertices, no two of which lie on the same edge.
If the edge of the cube has a length of 1, what (2) There exists at least one individual x such
is the surface area of the smaller fragment of that x is not a Q.
the cube? Which of the following conclusions can be
(A) 2.4 logically deduced from the two statements
(B) 2.7 above?
(C) 3.1 (A) There exists at least one x such that x is
(D) 3.7 not a C.
(E) 4.3 (B) There exists at least one x such that x is a
48. Which of the following equations describes a C.
parabola with focus (2,3) and directrix y = 0? (C) There exists at least one x such that x is a
(A) (x + 2) 2 + (y + 3) 2 = 2 Q.
(B) (x – 2) 2 + (y – 3) 2 = 4 (D) There are no x’s that are C’s.
(C) (x – 2) 2 = – (y – 3) 2 (E) There are no x’s that are Q’s.
(D) (x – 2) 2 = 2(y + 3)
(E) (x – 2) 2 = 3(2y – 3) STOP
49. A student taking a true–false test guesses ran- IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED,
domly on three items. What is the probability YOU MAY CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS
that exactly two of the guesses will be cor- TEST ONLY. DO NOT WORK ON ANY
rect? OTHER TEST IN THIS BOOK.
1
(A)
16
1
(B)
8
1
(C)
4
3
(D)
8
1
(E)
2

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

234 Lesson 8

ANSWER KEY
1. D 11. C 21. D 31. D 41. C
2. D 12. B 22. B 32. B 42. C
3. E 13. C 23. C 33. E 43. D
4. D 14. B 24. C 34. D 44. D
5. B 15. B 25. E 35. C 45. C
6. A 16. D 26. C 36. B 46. A
7. D 17. B 27. A 37. E 47. B
8. C 18. C 28. E 38. E 48. E
9. A 19. B 29. D 39. C 49. D
10. A 20. E 30. A 40. C 50. A

EXPLANATORY ANSWERS
Each of the following explanations contains a “Calculator Status Report”:
[+] Calculator is necessary for this problem.
[0] Calculator is not necessary for this problem but might be useful.
[–] Calculator is probably not useful for this problem.
1. The correct answer is (D). [0] Since x divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 4, x has the form 7m + 4,
where m is an integer. And since y divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 3, y has the form 7n + 3, again
where n is an integer. So xy has the form:
(7m + 4)(7n + 3) = 49mn + 21m + 28n + 12
The sum of the first three terms of that expression—49mn + 21m + 28n—is evenly divisible by 7.
So the remainder is determined by the last term. And 12 divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 5.
Alternatively, you can just use some numbers. Let x be 4 (4 divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 4),
and let y be 3 (3 divided by 7 leaves a remainder of 3). On those assumptions, xy = 12. And 12 divided
by 7 leaves a remainder of 5.
2. The correct answer is (D). [+] First calculate the radius of each sphere:
4 4
35 = πr3 24 = πr3
3 3
3
3 3
3
r =35( )/π r =24( )π
4 4
r3 =8.3556 r3 =5.7295
r =2.0292 r =1.7894
So the difference between the length of the radius of the larger sphere and that of the smaller is:
2.0292 – 1.78940 = 0.2398
3. The correct answer is (E). [–] If x is a member of S, then x – 1 is a perfect square:
(A) 8 – 1 = 7 Not a perfect square.
(B) 16 – 1 = 15 Not a perfect square.
(C) 24 – 1 = 23 Not a perfect square.
(D) 52 – 1 = 51 Not a perfect square.
(E) 65 – 1 = 64 and 8 × 8 = 64

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 235

4. The correct answer is (D). [0] One of 4 seniors must be selected as the presidential candidate, and
one of 5 juniors must be selected as the vice–presidential candidate. So 13 people remain for the
position of treasurer:
4 × 5 × 13 = 260
5. The correct answer is (B). [–] Since f (1) = 4:
(1)2 + b(1) + 1 = 4
1+b+1=4
b+2=4
b=2
Alternatively, you could test the answer choices:
(A) (1)2 + 4(1) + 1 = 4
6 = 4 False.
(B) (1) 2 + 2(1) + 1 = 4
4 = 4 True.
(C) (1) 2 + 1(1) + 1 = 4
3 = 4 False.
(D) (1) 2 + 0(1) + 1 = 4
2 = 4 False.
(E) (1) 2 + –2(1) + 1 = 4
0 = 4 False.
6. The correct answer is (A). [+] Use the distance formula:

7. The correct answer is (D). [–] To find the train’s average speed for the first 2 hours, you need to
find how many kilometers are traveled during that time. You can do that by subtracting the kilometers
covered during the last 4 hours from 400:
400 – 4(t) = 400 – 4t
The train covered that many kilometers during the first two hours:

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

236 Lesson 8

Alternatively, you can just assume a value for t. Let us assume that the train traveled 100 kilometers
per hour for the last four hours, that is, t = 100. On that assumption, the train covered all 400 kilometers
during the last four hours of the trip and didn’t move at all during the first two hours. So if we substitute
100 for t into the formulas given as answer choices, the correct choice will generate the value 0:

(A)

(B)
(C) 200 + 100 = 300 Wrong
(D) 200 – 200 = 0 Correct!
(E) 2(100) – 100 = 100 Wrong
1
8. The correct answer is (C). [0] Since sin θ = :
2

And:

Since ABC is a right triangle:

AC2 = AB2 + BC2
AC
Substituting for BC:
2
2
 AC 
AC 2 = AB2 +  
 2 
AC 2
AC 2 = AB2 +
4
AC 2
AC 2 − = AB2
4
3 AC 2
= AB2
4
3 AC
= AB
2
AB 3
=
AC 2
AB
Since is sin φ, sin φ =
AC

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 237

9. The correct answer is (A). [–] Sometimes, one picture truly is worth a thousand words:

10. The correct answer is (A). [–] If x is an integer, then the expression |3x – 2| will have its minimum
value when x = 1:
|3(1) – 2| = |3 – 2| = |1| = 1
But 1 = 1. Therefore, there are no integral solutions to the inequality given.
11. The correct answer is (C). [0] One way of attacking this problem is to substitute the suggested
equivalences into the function. For choice (C), the result is:
x2 – xy2 + y2 = (–x)2 – (–x)( –y) + (–y)2 = x2 – xy + y2
You can reach the same conclusion by examining the structure of the function in light of the answer
choices. Since the first and third terms have variables of the second power, the sign before the substi-
tuted variable is irrelevant. The only question is whether the middle term—the xy term—will have the
same sign. Since (–x)( –y) = xy, (C) is necessarily true.
Finally, you can solve this problem very easily just by assuming some values for x and y—say 2 and
2. On that assumption, the function yields:
(2)2 – (2)(2) + (2)2 = 4
The correct answer choice, therefore, will also generate the value 4:
(A) (2)2 – (2)( –2) + (–2)2 = 12 Wrong.
(B) (–2)2 – (–2)(2) + (2)2 = 12 Wrong.
(C) (–2)2 – (–2)( –2) + (–2)2 = 4 Correct!
1 1 13
(D) (2)2 – (2)( ) + ( )2 = Wrong.
2 2 4
1 1 21
(E) (2)2 – (2)( – ) + (– )2 = Wrong.
2 2 4
12. The correct answer is (B). [0] When x = –2, (x + 2) = 0, and f(x) is undefined.
13. The correct answer is (C). [0] An angle has a measure of one radian if, when its vertex is placed at
the center of a circle, it intercepts an arc equal to the radius of a circle.

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

238 Lesson 8

2πr
The full circumference of a circle has a radian measure of = 2π. Now a simple proportion will
r
solve our problem:

14. The correct answer is (B). [+] Since angle x is measured in radians, set your calculator to the radian
mode. The value of x is the inverse cosine of 0.2586:
cos–1 0.2586 = 1.3092
15. The correct answer is (B). [+] By definition, log32 = x can be rewritten as 3x = 2. Solve for x by
taking the log of both sides of the equation:

Alternatively, you can use your calculator to test answer choices. Start with (C):
30.89 = 2.6585
Since that value is considerably more than 2, you should next test (B):
30.63 = 1.9979
So (B) must be the correct answer.
16. The correct answer is (D). [0] One way of attacking this problem is to examine the structure of the
two functions in light of the answer choices, but for most people that will probably be a matter of trial
and error.
Alternatively, you could substitute 3x – 6 into the answer choices until you find the formula that
generates the value x. But an even easier solution is to assign a value to x. Let x = 1. On that assump-
tion, f(1) = 3(1) – 6 = –3. Now, if you substitute –3 into the answer choices, the correct choice will
generate the value 1:

(A)

(B)
(C) 6 – 3(3) = –3 Wrong
(D)

(E)

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 239

17. The correct answer is (B). [0] Use an acute right triangle:

As for choices (A) and (C), sin and tan .

1
As for (D) and (E), sine and cosecant are reciprocal functions, so sin x · csc x = 1 and = csc x.
sin x
18. The correct answer is (C). [+] Since the triangle is a right triangle, the shorter side and the longer
side can be used to find the area of the figure:

One way of finding the length of the longer side is:

Using the value 8 as the length of the longer side, we calculated the area of the triangle:

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

240 Lesson 8

This problem is assigned a “+” for calculator usage, because using the trig function of the calculator
seems the most natural approach. Given that the answer choices are fairly far apart, however, the prob-
lem can actually be solved without using a calculator. The 32°–58–90° triangle of the problem is very
similar in shape to a 30°–60°–90° triangle. And in a 30°–60°–90° triangle, the two sides are related in
the following way:

where s and l represent the shorter and longer sides, respectively. Therefore:

And:

Since s = 5:

And the area of a right triangle with sides of 5 and 8.5 would be:

The closest answer is (C).

19. The correct answer is (B). [+] Since the diameter and the height of the cylinder are equal:

So (B) is the best response.

20. The correct answer is (E). [0] Raise both sides of the equation to the fourth power:
(x1/4)4 = 204
x = 204 = (2 × 10)4 = 24 × 104 = 16× 10,000 = 160,000
21. The correct answer is (D). [–] This problem can be easily solved if you recall that two lines are
perpendicular just in case the product of their slopes is –1. Alternatively, you could sketch the graph
of each of the lines.

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 241

22. The correct answer is (B). stands for the summation of all the values of 2k – 1 for the
integers 1 through 3, inclusive:

=9

23. The correct answer is (C). [–] Event e either occurs or does not occur—that is certain. Thus, the prob-
ability of (e or not–e) is a certainty or 1. If we let y represent the probability that e does not occur, then:

24. The correct answer is (C). [0] For the first six tests, the student has accumulated a total point count

of 6 × 83 = 498. If the student scores zero on each of the remaining four tests, the total point count will
498
remain 498 and the average will be = 49.8. If the student scores 100 on each of the four remain-
10
898
ing tests, the total point count will be 898 and the average will be = 89.8.
10
25. The correct answer is (E). [–] Let x be the multiplicative inverse of 2 – i: (x)(2 – i) = 1

And rationalize the right side of the equation:

Since , so:

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

242 Lesson 8

26. The correct answer is (C). [0] By definition, the logarithm of a number, to a given base, is the ex-
ponent that is used with the base to obtain that number:
be = n ↔ e = logbn
Here the base, b, is 3, and the number, n, is . So all you need to do is rewrite the statement in its
equivalent exponential form:
3 to what power equals
Since the fractional exponent 1/2 indicates “square root,” the statement should read:
1
3 to the power equals
2
27. The correct answer is (A). [+] The best approach to this problem is to use your calculator to find
the value of f–1(2.5):

1
So f–1(2.5) = = 0.4186. And (A) is the best answer.
2.3884
28. The correct answer is (E). [0] The following table summarizes the behavior of the trigonometric
functions in the first quadrant:
y = sin x increases from 0 to 1
y = cos x decreases from 1 to 0
y = tan x increases from 0 to ∞
y = cot x decreases from ∞ to 0
y = sec x increases from 1 to ∞
y = csc x decreases from ∞ to 1
You could also solve this problem by sketching a graph of the functions.
29. The correct answer is (D). [0] Arcsin s indicates the angle for which the sine is s, and Arcsin d
indicates the angle for which the sine is d. Since Arcsin s is twice Arcsin d, angle x must be twice the
unmarked angle. Since those two angles are complementary, x must be 60.
30. The correct answer is (A). [–] 2n + 2n + 2n = x(2n + 1)
22(2n) = x(2n + 1)
2n+2 = x(2n + 1)
x = 2n + 2 ÷ 2n + 1 = 2(n + 2) – (n + 1) = 21 = 2
31. The correct answer is (D). [–] i1 = i i5 = i i9 = i
i2 = –1 i6 = –1 i10 = –1
i3 = –i i7 = –i i11 = –i
i4 = 1 i8 = 1 i12 = 1
And the pattern repeats itself. Therefore, i raised to any power that is a multiple of 4 is equal to 1.
32. The correct answer is (B). [+] The general equation for a circle is x2 + y2 = r2, where r is the radius.
So the length of the radius of the circle above, which is also the length of the minor axis of the ellipse,
is 12. So the area of the ellipse is:

And (B) is the best response.

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 243

33. The correct answer is (E). [0] You should recognize the figure as the graph of the secant function
displaced one unit up on the coordinate axis.

34. The correct answer is (D).

As x approaches 1, x + 1 approaches 2. (Note: Although the expression is not defined at x = 1, we are not
concerned with what happens at that point.)
35. The correct answer is (C). [0] Given the restrictions on x, since cos x = –1, x must equal π(180°).
π
And cos = 0.
2
You can also reach this same conclusion if you visualize a graph of the cosine function:

36. The correct answer is (B). [–] Sketch a graph of the function:

1
The function cannot generate the value –1 because cannot have the value 0.
x
x Θy
37. The correct answer is (E). [0] Since x = 3 sin θ and y = 2 cos θ, sin θ = and cos . Since
3 2
sin2 θ + cos2 θ = 1:

And the equation:

is the equation of an ellipse with center (0,0) that passes through the points (3,0) and (0,2)

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

244 Lesson 8

Alternatively, you could try some values for θ:

θ=0

x = 3 sin 0 = 3(0) = 0
y = 2 cos 0 = 2(1) = 2

π
θ=
2
π
x = 3 sin = 3(1) = 3
2
π
y = 2 cos = 2(0) =0
2
So the graph must include the points (3,0) and (0,2). The only graph given that contains both of those
points is (E).
38. The correct answer is (E). [+] To find x, take the log of both sides of the equation:

39. The correct answer is (C). [+] Put your calculator in the radian mode. Since 4 cos x = sin x, sin x/
sin x
cos x = 4. But since = tan x (by Quotient Identity), tan x = 4. The value of x is the inverse
cos x
tangent of 4:
x = tan–1 4 = 1.3258 or 1.326.
40. The correct answer is (C). [0] A reflection in the line x = –y maps a point P with coordinates (x,y)
onto point P′ with coordinates (–y, –x).
(x,y) (–y, –x)
A (–1,–2) → A′ (2,1)
B (0,4) → B′ (–4,0)
C (3,–1) → C′ (1,–3)
41. The correct answer is (C). [0] You can answer this question either by applying the information pro-
vided in the explanation for question 28, above, or by visualizing the graph of the sine and cosine
functions:

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 245

42. The correct answer is (C). [–] The general form of the equation of a circle is:
(x – h)2 + (y – k)2 = r2
where (h,k) is the center of the circle and r its radius. The circle described in the question stem has a
radius of 2 and its center at (2, –1):

If a line of the form x = k (a vertical line) is tangent to this circle, it passes through point (0, –1) or (4, –1).
43. The correct answer is (D). [0] The graph intersects the y–axis where x = 0:
y = 2 cos 2(0) + 2
y = 2 cos 0 + 2
Since cos 0 = 1:
y = 2(1) + 2 = 4
44. The correct answer is (D). [–] According to the Binomial Theorem, the last term in the expansion
of a binomial having the form (a + b)n is bn. So the last term of this expansion will be (3y)4 = 81y4.
45. The correct answer is (C). [–] Since a die has six faces, the chance that any one of those faces will be
exposed is 1 out of 6. With two dice, the chance that any two faces will both be exposed is 1/6 × 1/6 = 1/36.
There are, however, three combinations that total 4: 1 + 3, 2 + 2, and 3 + 1. Thus, the chance that a 4 will
appear is 3/36 = 1/12.
46. The correct answer is (A). [0] The Quadratic Formula:

is used to find the roots of a quadratic equation having the form ax2 + bx + c. b2 – 4ac is called the
discriminant because it discriminates among three possibilities:
(1) When b2 – 4ac = 0, the equation has two equal real roots.
(2) When b2 – 4ac > 0, the equation has two unequal real roots.
(3) When b2 – 4ac < 0, the equation has no real roots.
Therefore, for the equation given in the question stem, ax2 + bx + c = 0 has only one solution. The
graph given in choice (A) is the only one that has only one point on the x axis (where y = 0).

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

246 Lesson 8

47. The correct answer is (B). The plane cuts the cube in this way:

The smaller fragment has four sides: three right isosceles triangles with sides of 1 and an equilateral
triangle with sides equal to the diagonal of the face of the cube. So we need only find the areas of
those triangles and add in order to find the surface area of the smaller fragment.
The area of the three right isosceles triangles is:

(Or you might just see that their area is half that of the face of the cube, and 1/2 of 1 = 1/2.) And since
there are three of them:

The sides of the equilateral triangle are diagonals of faces of the cube.

To find the area of the equilateral triangle, we need an altitude:

Using the properties of the 30–60–90 triangle, we determine the length of the altitude:

1
Side opposite 60° angle = × hypotenuse ×
2

1 6
Alt = × 2× 3=
2 2

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests

 Mathematics Level IC/IIC Subject Tests 247

So the area of the equilateral triangle is:

1 6
Area =  
2 2 
( 2) = 12
4
=
2
3

And the total surface area of the fragment is:

3 3 3+ 3
Area = + =
2 2 2
3 + 1.73
= = 2.36
2

48. The correct answer is (E). [0] A parabola is the locus of all points that are equidistant from a fixed
point called the focus and a certain fixed line (that does not include the focus) called the directrix.
Given the focus and the directrix, it is possible to find the equation that describes a certain parabola
by using the distance formula.
The distance of any point (x,y) on this parabola from the focus is:

And the distance from that same point to the directrix is just the change in the y–coordinate:
d=y–0
So the equation that describes the parabola is:

Square both sides of the equation:

(x – 2)2 + (y – 3)2 = y2
And:
(x – 2)2 + (y2 – 6y + 9) = y2
(x – 2)2 – 6y + 9 = 0
(x – 2)2 = 6y – 9
(x – 2)2 = 3(2y – 3)

ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests www.petersons.com/arco

248 Lesson 8

49. The correct answer is (D). [0] The probability of exactly x results out of n events is given by the
formula:

n
Cx [P(A)]x[P(B)]n – x

Where nCx is the number of combinations of n things taken x at a time, P(A) is the probability of the
occurrence of the event, and P(B) is the probability of the nonoccurrence of the event. Here the probability
of the student’s getting a correct or an incorrect answer on any given item is 1/2 and there are 3 such items:

50. The correct answer is (A). [–] The first statement says that any x that is a C must also be a Q. The
second statement states that there is an x that is not a Q. Since an x cannot be a C without also being
a Q, this means that the x that is not a Q cannot be a C.

www.petersons.com/arco ARCO ■ SAT II Subject Tests