(3) Intermediate Algebra

(A) Solving system equations

(B) Functions
(C) Matrices
(D) Logarithms
(E) Sequence & Patterns
(F) Complex numbers
 Test (1)
9. What two numbers should be placed in the blanks below
so that the difference between the consecutive numbers
is the same?
13, __, __, 34
A. 19, 28
B. 20, 27
C. 21, 26
D. 23, 24
E. 24, 29

13. The number of students participating in fall sports at

a certain high school can be shown with the following
matrix:

Tennis Soccer Cross-Country Football

25 30 50 80

The athletic director estimates the ratio of the number

of sports awards that will be earned to the number of
students participating with the following matrix:

Tennis 0.2
Soccer 0.5
Cross-Country 0.3
Football 0.4

Given these matrices, what is the athletic director’s esti-

mate for the number of sports awards that will be earned
for these fall sports?
A. 55
B. 60
C. 65
D. 67
E. 74

26. The length L, in meters, of a spring is given by the

!2"
equation L = F +0.05, where F is the applied force
3
in newtons. Approximately what force, in newtons, must
be applied for the spring’s length to be 0.23 meters?
F. 0.12
G. 0.18
H. 0.20
J. 0.24
K. 0.27

32. For all pairs of real numbers S and T where S = 4T − 7,

T =?
S
F. −7
4
S
G. +7
4
H. 4S + 7
S−7
J.
4
S+7
K.
4
 34. If b = a + 3, then (a − b)4 = ?
F. 81
G. 27
H. −3
J. −27
K. −81

36. The larger of two numbers exceeds three times the

smaller number by 4. The sum of twice the larger num-
ber and 4 times the smaller number is 58. If x is the
smaller number, which equation below determines the
correct value of x?
F. 3(2x + 4) + 4x = 58
G. 3(2x − 4) + 3x = 58
H. 2(3x + 4) + 2x = 58
J. 2(3x + 4) + 4x = 58
K. 2(2x − 4) + 4x = 58

48. Using the complex number i, where i2 = −1,

2 (1 + i)
× =?
(1 − i) (1 + i)
F. 1+i
G. i−1
H. 1−i
J. 2(1 + i)
K. 2(1 − i)

49. Which of the following describes the total number of

dots in the first n rows of the triangular arrangement
below?

A. 30
B. 2n
C. n2
D. n(n + 1)
E. 2n + 2(n − 1)

50. After polling a class of 24 students by a show of hands,

you find that 9 students play soccer and 21 students play
basketball. Given that information, what is the number
of students in the class who must play both soccer and
basketball?
F. 0
G. 1
H. 3
J. 6
K. 9

51. Which of the following is the set of all real numbers x

such that x + 2 > x + 5 ?
A. The set containing only zero
B. The ser containing all nonnegative real numbers
C. The ser containing all negative real numbers
D. The set containing all real nu1mbers
E. The empty set
56. If f (x ) = 2x 2 + 3, then f (x + h) = ?
F. 2x 2 + h2
G. 2x 2 + h + 3
H. 2x 2 + 2h2 + 3
J. x 2 + 2xh + h2 + 3
K. 2x 2 + 4xh + 2h2 + 3

Test (2)
1. In the standard (x,y) coordinate plane, point X has coor-
dinates (−4,0) and point Y has coordinates (0,−8). What
are the coordinates of the midpoint of XY ?
A. (−6,−1)
B. (−2,−4)
C. (0,2)
D. (2,4)
E. (6,−1)

15. What is the 217th digit after the decimal point in the
repeating decimal 0.3456?
A. 0
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
E. 6

Test (3)
26. A shoe store charges $39 for a certain type of sneaker.
This price is 30% more than the amount it costs the shoe
store to buy one pair of these sneakers. At an end-of-the-
year sale, sales associates can purchase any remaining
sneakers at 20% off the shoe store’s cost. How much
would it cost an employee to purchase a pair of sneakers
of this type during the sale (excluding sales tax)?
F. $31.20
G. $25.00
H. $24.00
J. $21.84
K. $19.50

41. For which of the following functions is f (−5) > f (5)?

A. f (x) = 6x 2
B. f (x) = 6
C. f (x) = 6/x
D. f (x) = 6 − x 3
E. f (x) = x 6 + 6

42. For what value of n would the following system of

equations have an infinite number of solutions?
3a + b = 12
12a + 4b = 3n
F. 4
G. 9
H. 16
J. 36
K. 48

48. For real numbers r and s, when is the equation |r − s| =

|r + s| true?
F. Always
G. Only when r = s
H. Only when r = 0 or s = 0
J. Only when r > 0 and s < 0
K. Never
 Test (4)
14. Which of the following is a value of n that satisfies
logn 64 = 2?
F. 4
G. 6
H. 8
J. 12
K. 32

43. For what value of b would the following system of

equations have an infinite number of solutions?
3x + 5y = 27
12x + 20y = 3b

A. 9
B. 27
C. 36
D. 81
E. 126

58. A computer repair person charges $50.00 per hour, plus

an additional mileage fee. The charge for mileage varies
directly with the square root of the number of miles trav-
eled. If one hour plus 25 miles traveled costs $140.00,
what is the total amount charged for one hour plus
36 miles traveled?
F. $218.00
G. $196.92
H. $179.60
J. $158.00
K. $143.60

Test (5)
18. If f (x) = −3x 2 − 8, then f (−4) = ?
F. −56
G. −40
H. 8
J. 24
K. 40

x 0 1 2 3
f (x) −6 −5 −2 3

31. The table above gives values of the quadratic function f

for selected values of x. Which of the following defines
the quadratic function f ?
A. f (x ) = x 2 − 6
B. f (x ) = x 2 + 6
C. f (x) = 2x 2 − 10
D. f (x) = 2x 2 − 6
E. f (x) = 2x 2 − 7

33. For all numbers x and y, let the operation ¤ be defined

as x ¤ y = 2xy − 4x. If a and b are positive integers,
which of the following can be equal to zero?
I. a ¤ b
II. (a − b) ¤ b
III. b ¤ (a − b)
A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II only
E. I, II, and III
38. Which of the following statements is NOT true about
the geometric sequence 36, 18, 9, . . .?
F. The fourth term is 4.5.
G. The sum of the first five terms is 69.75.
1
H. Each consecutive term is of the previous term.
2
J. Each consecutive term is evenly divisible by 3.
K. The common ratio of consecutive terms is 2:1.

56. For every cent increase in price of a pound of apples, the

grocery store sells 25 fewer pounds per day. The grocery
store normally sells 800 pounds of apples per day at
$1.09 per pound. Which of the following expressions
represents the number of pounds of apples sold per day
if the cost is increased by 3x cents per pound of apples?
F. (1.09 + 3x)(800 − 75x)
G. 800 − 25x
H. 800 − 75(1.09)x
J. 800 + 75x
K. 800 − 75x

58. If f (x ) = x 2 + 3, then f (x + y) = ?
F. x 2 + 2xy + y2 + 3
G. x 2 + 2xy + y2
H. x 2 + 2xy + 3
J. x 2 + 3 + y
K. x 2 + y2

60. What is the smallest possible value for the product of

2 real numbers that differ by 6?
F. −9
G. −8
H. −5
J. 0
K. 7

Test (6)
1
17. What is the next term after − in the geometric
3
1
sequence 9, −3, 1, − , . . .?
3
1
A. −
9
B. 0
1
C.
9
1
D.
6
1
E.
3
�3. If x is any number other than 3 and 6, then
(x - 3)(x - 6) _
?
(3 - x)(x - 6) -
A. 18
B. I
C. 0
D. -I
E. -18

40. For the 2 functions f (x) and g(x), tables of values are
shown below. What is the value of g ( f (−1))?

F. −3
G. 0
H. 2
J. 3
K. 8

47. When entering information about the budget of her char-

ity ball, Laura records an expense of $20.00. However,
Laura accidentally enters the $20.00 as income instead
of an expense. The balance of the charity ball budget
now shows:
A. $40 less than it should.
B. $20 less than it should.
C. the correct amount.
D. $20 more than it should.
E. $40 more than it should.

57. If a is inversely proportional to b and a = 36 when

b = 12, what is the value of a when b = 48?
A. 0
1
B.
3
1
C.
4
D. 4
E. 9
 Test (7)

22. If 0 < pr < 1, then which of the following CANNOT be

true?
F. p < 0 and r < 0
G. p < −1 and r < 0
H. p < −1 and r < −1
J. p < 1 and r < 1
K. p < 1 and r > 0

24. What is the value of b in the solution to the system of

equations below?
3a − b = 18
a + 3b = −4
F. −10
G. −3
H. 3
J. 6
K. cannot be determined with the given information

32. One traffic light flashes every 6 seconds. Another traffic

light flashes every 9 seconds. If they flash together and
you begin counting seconds, how many seconds after
they flash together will they next flash together?
F. 6
G. 9
H. 18
J. 36
K. 54

48. If the function f satisfies the equation f (x + y) = f (x) +

f (y) for every pair of real numbers x and y, what is (are)
the possible value(s) of f (1)?
F. Any real number
G. Any positive real number
H. 0 and 1 only
J. 0 only
K. 1 only

53. If x = 6a + 3 and y = 9 + a, which of the following

expresses y in terms of x?
A. y = x + 51
B. y = 7x + 12
C. y = 9 + x
57 + x
D. y =
6
51 + x
E. y =
6

55. The total weekly profit p, in dollars, from producing

and selling x units of a certain product is given by the
function p(x) = 225x−(165x+c), where c is a constant.
If 75 units were produced and sold last week for a profit
of $3,365, what is the value of c?
A. −1,135
B. −745
C. 1,135
D. 4,500
E. 9,010
 60. For any real number a. the equation Ix - 2al = 5. On a
number line, how far apart are the 2 solutions for x?
F. 2a
G. 5 + 2a
H. IOa
J. 5
K. 10

Test (8)
24. The fixed costs of printing a certain textbook are $900.00
per week. The variable costs are $1.50 per textbook.
Which of the following expressions can be used to model
the cost of printing t textbooks in 1 week?
F. $901.50t
G. $150t−$900.00
H. $900.00t +$1.50
J. $900.00−$1.50t
K. $900.00 + $1.50t

32. Given f (x) = 3x + 5 and g(x) = x 2 − x + 7, which of

the following is an expression for f (g(x))?
F. 3x 2 − 3x + 26
G. 3x 2 − 3x + 12
H. x 2 − x + 12
J. 9x 2 + 25x + 27
K. 3x 2 + 21

39. Which of the following statements is NOT true about

the arithmetic sequence 16, 11, 6, 1, …?
A. The fifth term is −4.
B. The sum of the first 5 terms is 30.
C. The seventh term is −12.
D. The common difference of consecutive integers
is −5.
E. The sum of the first 7 terms is 7.

53. If loga x = n and loga y = p, then loga (xy)2 =?

A. np
B. 2np
C. 4np
D. n + p
E. 2(n + p)

54. For every positive 2-digit number, a, with units digit

x and tens digit y, let b be the 2-digit number formed
by reversing the digits of a. Which of the following
expressions is equivalent to a − b?
F. 0
G. 9x − y
H. 9y − x
J. 9(x − y)
K. 9(y − x )
 55. If f (a) = a2 − 2, then f (a + b) =?
A. a2 + b2
B. a2 − 2 + b
C. a2 + b2 − 2
D. a2 + 2ab + b2
E. a2 + 2ab + b2 − 2

1
56. In the complex numbers, where i2 = −1, ×
(1 + i)
(1 − i)
=?
(1 − i)
F. i − 1
G. 1 + i
H. 1 − i
(1 − i)
J.
2
(1 + i)
K.
2
58. The sum of an infinite geometric sequence series with
x
first term x and common ratio y < 1 is given by .
(1 − y)
The sum of a given infinite geometric series is 200, and
the common ratio is 0.15. What is the second term of
this series?
F. 199.85
G. 170
H. 169.85
J. 30
K. 25.5

Test (9)
3. Let a function of 2 variables be defined by f (a, b) =
ab − (a − b). What is the value of f (8,9)?
A. 89
B. 73
C. 71
D. 34
E. 0

10. Two professors were hired to begin work at the same

time. Professor A’s contract called for a starting salary
of $50,000 with an increase of $1,500 after each year
of employment. Professor B’s contract called for a start-
ing salary of $42,000 with an increase of $2,800 after
each year of employment. If y represents the number
of full years of employment (that is, the number of
yearly increases each professor has received), which of
the following equations could be solved to determine
the number of years until B’s yearly salary equals A’s
yearly salary?
F. 50, 000 + 1, 500y = 42, 000 + 2, 800y
G. 50, 000 + 2, 800y = 42, 000 + 1, 500y
H. 1, 500y + 2, 800y = y
J. 1, 500y + 2, 800y = 42, 000
K. 1, 500y + 2, 800y = 50, 000

19. The lengths of the sides of a triangle are 3 consecu-

tive even integers. If the perimeter of the triangle is
48 inches, what is the length, in inches, of the longest
side?
A. 12
B. 14
C. 16
D. 18
E. 24
  
2x
45. What is the matrix product 3x  [1, 0, −1]?
5x
 
2x 0 −2x
A. 3x 0 −3x 
5x 0 −5x
 
2x 0 −2x
B.  0 0 0 
10x 0 −10x
C. [2x 3x 5x]
D. [9x 0 −9x]
E. [0]

52. Let the function g be defined by g(x) = 3(x 2 −2). When

g(x) = 69, what is a possible value of 2x − 3?
F. −7
G. −5
H. 2
J. 5
K. 7

58. Let x = 2y + 3z − 5. What happens to the value of

x if the value of y decreases by 1 and the value of z
increases by 2?
F. It decreases by 2
G. It is unchanged
H. It increases by 1
J. It increases by 2
K. It increases by 4

Test (10)
19. Given the system of equations below, x = ?

y + 3x = 9
1
2x − y = 6
3

A. 1
B. 3
C. 5
D. 7
E. 9
46. Let x = 3y − 4z + 7. What happens to the value of x
if the value of y decreases by 2 and the value of z is
increased by 1?
F. It increases by 3.
G. It increases by 5.
H. It decreases by 1.
J. It decreases by 10.
K. It is unchanged.