Solve Quadratics: Play

Number of Questions: 15
Questions 1–7 are selected-response questions. Write the letters of the correct
answers on the answer sheet.
1. Arthur is comparing a quadratic equation to its
graph. However, the right side of the equation is
smudged as shown.
Arthur has the graph of the equation that shows that the solutions are x = ±6.

What is the smudged value?

A. −6 B. 4 C. 6 D. 28

E. 36 F. 44 G. 24 H. 12

2. Barbara sets off a water-powered rocket. The height of the rocket at time t seconds
is given by h(t) = −6t2 + 96t.

Use completing the square to estimate when into the trip the rocket is 64 feet high.
A. at about 0.6 sec and about 5.4 sec B. at about 0.8 sec and about 5.2 sec

C. at about 1.2 sec and about 4.8 sec D. at about 2.2 sec and about 3.8 sec

E. at about 3 sec
3. What are the exact and approximate solutions to (x + 3)2 − 10 = 8?
Select all that apply.

A. x = −3 and x = ± 18 B. x = −1 + 2 and x = −1 − 2

C. x = −3 + 18 and x = −3 − 18 D. x = −3 and x ≈ ±4.24

E. x ≈ 1.24 and x ≈ −7.24 F. x ≈ 0.41 and x ≈ −2.41

4. Solve 3x − 6x2 = −9.

2 1
A. x = −1; x = B. x = 1; x = −3 C. x = −3; x = −
3 2
3 3
D. x = 1; x = − E. x = −1; x = F. x = −3; x = −5
2 2
5. Mellie plans to make a patio 12 feet by 12 feet. She decides to add a border
of equal width around the patio to increase the total area to 180 square feet.
What is the width of this border, to the nearest tenth of a foot?

A. x = 0.4 B. x = 0.7 C. x = 6.7 D. x = 7.4 E. x = 12.7

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 6. Martin has the quadratic equation x2 = 64. He knows he can solve it by graphing,
but he can also recognize the solutions just by looking at the equation.

What are all the possible solutions for the equation?

A. x = 8 B. x = 32 C. x = ± 8
D. x = ±8 E. x = ±32 F. x = ± 32
7. Natasha uses the method of completing the square to find the solution of
2x2 + 10x + 10 = 0. She makes an error in the steps shown below.
Identify the step that contains her initial error.
A. 2x2 + 10x + 10 = 0

B. x2 + 5x + 5 = 0

C. x 2 + 5x = −5

25 25
D. x2 + 5x + = −5 +
4 4
2
E.  x + 5  = 5
 
 4 4
5 5
F. x+ =±
4 2
5 5
G. x = − ±
4 2
Questions 8–15 are fill-in-the-blank questions. Write the correct answers in the
spaces provided on the answer sheet.

8. What are the exact solutions to (x − 2)2 − 4 = 12?

Write both solutions on the answer sheet.

x= and x =

9. What are the solutions to 2x2 − 19 = 29?

Write the exact solutions on the answer sheet. Reduce completely so your answer is in
the form of a b , where a and b are both integers.

The exact solutions are x = and x = .

10. What are the solutions to 36x2 = 18x? Write both solutions on the answer sheet.

x= and x =

11. Determine the roots for the equation 3x2 − 20x + 16 = 4.

Write the exact solutions on the answer sheet.
The solutions are x = and x = .

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 12c) What do you think the jumper was
doing for the first 2.2 seconds?
12. The time and height of a high
jumper's jump is shown on
the graph.

What is the approximate time and

height of the jump?

Write values to complete the

statements below about this high
jump.
The high jumper was in the air for
approximately (a)
seconds and reached a maximum
height of (b) feet.

13. The graph of a quadratic function

is shown.

(a) What is the axis of symmetry of

this function?
x=

(b) What is the exact value of the

other root?
x=

14. Jess's age is six years less than three times Ethan's age. The product of their ages is
45. What is each of their ages?

Hint: Write an equation to represent the product of their ages, using x to represent
Ethan's age, and then solve this quadratic equation.
A. 1 B. 3 C. 5
D. 9 E. 15 F. 45
Jess's age: (a)

Ethan's age: (b)

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15. A dolphin jumps out of the water. The table shows the height of the dolphin
from the surface of the water.

Time (sec) Height (m)

0.0 −3.181
0.2 −0.829
0.4 1.131
0.6 2.699
0.8 3.875
1.0 4.659
1.2 5.051
1.4 5.051
1.6 4.659
1.8 3.875
2.0 2.699
2.2 1.131
2.4 −0.829
2.6 −3.181
2.8 −5.925

The dolphin breaks the surface of the water when it leaves the water and when it
returns to the water at the end of the jump.

Estimate the times when the dolphin breaks the surface of the water.
Write the numbers that make the statements true.

The dolphin breaks the water at (a) seconds and

at (b) seconds.

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Name ________________________________________ Date _______________________

Check for Understanding

Solve Quadratics: Investigation 2

1. What are the solutions to x 2  8x  15 ? Select all that apply.

A. x  3 B. x  3
C. x  5 D. x  5
E. x  8 F. x 8

2. Sketch the graph of y  x 2  x  12 on the coordinate grid. The sketch should include
points to show the roots of the related equation, the axis of symmetry, and they-int
and the
minimum or maximum point on the graph.

3. Which property tells you that if 2x  x  50   0 , then the solutions are x  0 and x  50 ?

A. associative property
B. distributive property
C. reflective property
D. zero product property
4. A student launches a rocket two times. Each launch has the height, in feet, modeled by
a different function, f  t  and g  t  , in terms of time t, in seconds, from the moment of
launch. The height of the first launch is modeled by f  t   16t 2  96t and the second
launch is modeled by g  t   16t 2  96t  432 . Which rocket stays in the air longer?
Show your work and justify your answer.
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Solve Quadratics: Play Answer Key

Selected-Response Items—Indicate the letter(s) only.

1. D 2. B 3. C, E

4. E 5. B 6. D

7. E

Fill-in-the-Blank Items

8. (a) −2 (b) 6 9. (a) 2 6 (b) 2 6

(in any order) (in any order)

2
10. (a) 0 (b) 0.5 11. (a) 6 (b)
3
(in any order) (in any order)

12. (a) 1.25 13. (a) 1

(b) 6.25 (b) 1 7

14. (a) D 15. (a) 0.3

(b) C (b) 2.3

(in any order)

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Check for Understanding
Solve Quadratics: Investigation 2

1. What are the solutions to x 2  8 x  15 ? Select all that apply.

A. x  3 B. x  3

C. x  5 D. x  5

E. x  8 F. x  8

2. Sketch the graph of y  x 2  x  12 on the coordinate grid. The sketch should include
points to show the roots of the related equation, the axis of symmetry, and the
minimum or maximum point on the graph.

3. Which property tells you that if 2 x  x  50   0 , then the solutions are x  0 and x  50 ?

A. associative property
B. distributive property
C. reflective property
D. zero product property
4. A student launches a rocket two times. Each launch has the height, in feet, modeled by
a different function, f  t  and g  t  , in terms of time t, in seconds, from the moment of
launch. The height of the first launch is modeled by f  t   16t 2  96t and the second
launch is modeled by g  t   16t 2  96t  432 . Which rocket stays in the air longer?
Show your work and justify your answer.

f  t   16t 2  96t  16t  t  6   0  t  0 or t  6

g  t   16t 2  96t  432 

 
g  t   16 t 2  6t  27  16  t  9   t  3   0  t  3 or t  9
The second launch stays in the air longer, 9 seconds instead of 6 seconds.

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