Graphing Lines: Chapter Test
20 multiple-choice questions and 10 core practice problems, drawn from across the chapter and mixed together.
Multiple choice
20 questions, 100 points in total, 5 points each. Answer in any order and change your mind as often as you like. When you submit, your answers lock and every question shows its worked solution.
Core practice
10 problems from across the chapter. Work on paper, use hints when you need them, and check the answer or the full solution when you are ready.
Difficulty: Core (core-course level)
0 of 10 completed · 0 skipped
Progress saved in this browser.
Progress can't be saved in this browser, so your choices last for this visit only.
-
Problem 1 A coefficient, then a coordinate
The point lies on the line . Find . Then find so that the point also lies on this line.
- Hint 1
A point lies on a graph exactly when its coordinates make the equation true.
- Hint 2
Substitute the coordinates of P to get an equation in alone, then use that value of with the coordinates of Q to get an equation in .
Answer
and .
Full solution
Substituting and gives
so and .
The line is .
Substituting and into gives
so and .
Check: , and , so both points lie on the line.
Answer
and .
Key idea
Substituting a point's coordinates turns a line's equation into an equation for whatever is still unknown, a coefficient or a coordinate.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 2 Plotting window
The blank grid in the figure includes first coordinates from through 8 and second coordinates from through 2. A line has equation , where . Find the largest value of for which both axis crossings lie inside or on the edges of this window. Give the crossings, and draw the part of the line inside the window.
A blank grid for and . Text description of this figure
A blank coordinate grid with equal unit lengths on both axes. The horizontal x-axis runs from negative two to eight and the vertical y-axis from negative six to two, with gridlines, tick marks and number labels at every whole number, the origin labeled 0, and arrowheads at both ends of each axis. The y-axis also carries small unlabeled tick marks halfway between the whole numbers. Nothing is plotted on the grid: no points, lines or equations.
- Hint 1
Express each axis crossing using by setting the other coordinate to zero.
- Hint 2
Each crossing gives its own limit on , one from the right edge and one from the bottom edge, and the largest must satisfy both limits.
Answer
; x-intercept ; y-intercept ; the part of inside the window is the segment from to .
Full solution
At , , so the x-intercept is .
At , , so the y-intercept is .
Since , the first crossing is to the right of the origin and the second is below it.
The right edge requires
so .
The bottom edge requires
so .
Both limits hold only when , so the bottom edge is the one that binds, and the largest choice is .
The crossings are then and , and both satisfy .
The line enters the window at on the bottom edge.
At the top edge, gives , so , and the line leaves the window at .
Draw the segment from to , which passes through .
Any larger puts the y-intercept below the window.
Answer
; x-intercept ; y-intercept ; the part of inside the window is the segment from to .
Key idea
Each window edge limits one axis crossing, and the tighter of the two limits fixes the constant.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 3 A display setting
A display uses the equation . Its slope setting is to remain unchanged, while its y-intercept height is lowered by 5. Give the new equation in slope-intercept form.
- Hint 1
Read the slope from the coefficient of the input, including its sign.
- Hint 2
Change the constant by the stated amount while keeping that coefficient.
Answer
.
Full solution
The slope is and the original intercept height is 4.
The new height is
Therefore
At input zero the new output is , five below the original 4, while the slope is unchanged.
Answer
.
Key idea
Slope and intercept are separate settings in slope-intercept form.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 4 Checking a standard-form rewrite
A card describes a line by . A student rewrites the card's equation as . Decide whether the student's equation describes the same line, decide whether it is written in correct standard form, and write the card's line in correct standard form.
- Hint 1
The card's form shows one point of its line and its slope; two equations describe the same line when both contain that point and have that slope.
- Hint 2
Read the point from the card's two subtractions and test it in , then solve that equation for to find its slope.
- Hint 3
Standard form asks for integer coefficients, a coefficient of that is zero or positive, and no factor other than 1 shared by all three numbers.
Answer
Yes, it is the same line; no, it is not in correct standard form; the correct standard form is .
Full solution
The card's subtractions and show the point and the slope .
At the student's equation gives , so that point lies on it.
Solving for gives
so its slope is also .
A line through the same point with the same slope is the same line.
The numbers 6, and are integers and the coefficient of is positive, but all three share the factor 2.
Dividing by 2 gives
and 3, and share no factor other than 1.
From the card directly, multiplying both sides by 7 gives
and collecting the variables on the left gives again.
Answer
Yes, it is the same line; no, it is not in correct standard form; the correct standard form is .
Key idea
An equation can describe the right line and still break a standard-form convention, so check the line and the conventions separately.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 5 A route extension
The figure shows part of a straight route through A and B. Extend it to the vertical grid edge at . Give the crossing point, then write a point-slope equation for the route using that crossing point.
Part of the route: the segment . Text description of this figure
A coordinate grid with equal unit lengths on both axes. The horizontal x-axis runs from negative three to seven and the vertical y-axis from negative five to four, with gridlines, tick marks and number labels at every whole number, the origin labeled 0, and arrowheads at both ends of each axis. Point A is plotted at negative two, two, and point B at four, negative two, each labeled with its letter only. A solid segment joins A to B and stops at B. Nothing is drawn beyond B, and no other points, coordinates or equations are shown.
- Hint 1
Read the coordinate changes from A to B.
- Hint 2
Apply that same ratio to the run from A to the requested edge.
- Hint 3
Point-slope form subtracts the chosen point's coordinates from and from , so a negative coordinate turns into an addition.
Answer
Crossing ; .
Full solution
The graph gives and .
The slope is
The run from A to is 9, so the rise is
The height is , giving .
Using and the slope gives
which is
At A, the right side is , and , the height of A.
At B, the right side is , and , the height of B.
Answer
Crossing ; .
Key idea
A graph supplies the slope for an extension, and any point found along the way can anchor the line's equation.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 6 A crossing specification
A line crosses the x-axis at and is perpendicular to the line through and . Find its y-intercept, and draw the line on the blank grid in the figure.
A blank grid for and . Text description of this figure
A blank coordinate grid with equal unit lengths on both axes. The horizontal x-axis runs from negative one to seven and the vertical y-axis from negative two to nine, with gridlines, tick marks and number labels at every whole number, the origin labeled 0, and arrowheads at both ends of each axis. The y-axis also carries small unlabeled tick marks halfway between the whole numbers. Nothing is plotted on the grid: no points, lines or equations.
- Hint 1
The two given points determine the reference direction.
- Hint 2
Use the right-angle direction and the given axis crossing to find the other crossing.
Answer
y-intercept , or ; the line through and .
Full solution
The reference slope is , so the required slope is .
Using gives
At ,
The two crossings are and .
Plot them and draw their full line.
Their slope is , whose product with the reference slope is .
Answer
y-intercept , or ; the line through and .
Key idea
When the required slope is a nonzero number, an axis crossing and that slope determine the other axis crossing.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 7 Two lines against one reference
Line passes through and . Line passes through and . Find the slope of each line, and decide, for each line, whether it is perpendicular to .
- Hint 1
Each line's slope comes from its own two points, and the reference line's slope appears once its equation is solved for .
- Hint 2
Compare each slope with the reference slope: two slopes belong to perpendicular lines exactly when their product is .
Answer
has slope and is not perpendicular to ; has slope and is perpendicular to it.
Full solution
For ,
For ,
Solving for gives
so the reference slope is .
For the product is
which is not , so is not perpendicular to it.
For the product is
so is perpendicular to it.
Answer
has slope and is not perpendicular to ; has slope and is perpendicular to it.
Key idea
When both lines have slope numbers, perpendicularity needs their product to be exactly ; the opposite sign alone is not enough.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 8 Reading a point-slope equation
A student looks at and says its y-intercept is , because 7 sits beside . Decide whether the student is right, say which point of the line the 7 belongs to, and give the line in slope-intercept form.
- Hint 1
In point-slope form, the numbers subtracted from and are the coordinates of one point of the line, and that point is on the y-axis only when its first coordinate is 0.
- Hint 2
Distribute the slope on the right, then add 7 to both sides so that stands alone.
Answer
The student is wrong; the 7 is the second coordinate of the point ; in slope-intercept form the line is .
Full solution
The equation has the form with and , because is .
So the 7 is the height of the point , which lies two units left of the y-axis, not on it.
Distributing gives
and adding 7 to both sides gives
The slope is and the y-intercept is .
Check: at the original equation gives , so .
The point also fits , since
Answer
The student is wrong; the 7 is the second coordinate of the point ; in slope-intercept form the line is .
Key idea
The point shown in point-slope form is the y-intercept only when its first coordinate is 0; otherwise solve for to find the intercept.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 9 An equation without
A student says that the equation contains no , so its graph in the coordinate plane is the single point . Decide whether the student is right, describe every point whose coordinates satisfy the equation, and give the slope of its graph.
- Hint 1
Ask which points make the equation true; an equation that never mentions puts no condition on it.
- Hint 2
Solve for , then list a few points with that height and different first coordinates, and find the rise and run between two of them.
Answer
The student is wrong: the graph is the horizontal line . The points satisfying it are exactly those with second coordinate and any first coordinate, and the slope is 0.
Full solution
Solving gives , so
The equation says nothing about , so a point satisfies it exactly when its second coordinate is , whatever its first coordinate is.
For example, , and all satisfy it.
These points all have height , so the graph is the horizontal line , not a single point.
The point is only where that line crosses the y-axis.
From to the rise is 0 and the run is 3, so the slope is .
Any two distinct points of the line give a rise of 0 and a nonzero run, so the slope is 0 throughout.
Answer
The student is wrong: the graph is the horizontal line . The points satisfying it are exactly those with second coordinate and any first coordinate, and the slope is 0.
Key idea
An equation that names only fixes the height and leaves free, so its graph is a whole horizontal line with slope 0.
- Hint 1
-
Problem 10 Two direction requirements
A proposed line must be parallel to and perpendicular to . Can both requirements hold at once? If they can, explain why, and give equations of two distinct lines that satisfy them. If they cannot, explain why not.
- Hint 1
Translate each requirement into a condition on the proposed line's slope, which means finding each reference line's slope first.
- Hint 2
Solve each reference equation for , then compare the slope the parallel requirement demands with the slope the perpendicular requirement demands.
- Hint 3
If one slope does satisfy both requirements, note that a line parallel to a reference line must be a different line from it, so one intercept is ruled out.
Answer
Yes. The two reference lines are perpendicular to each other, and both requirements ask for slope 4. For example, and ; any two lines with different values of , and , are accepted.
Full solution
Solving for gives
so the parallel requirement asks for slope 4.
Solving for gives
so that line has slope .
A line perpendicular to it needs a slope whose product with is , and that slope is 4, since
Both requirements ask for the same slope, so they can hold together.
This happens because the two reference lines are themselves perpendicular, so every line parallel to the first crosses the second at a right angle.
The one line with slope 4 that fails is , because it is the first reference line itself, not a line parallel to it.
So any line with works.
For example, and are distinct from each other and from .
Answer
Yes. The two reference lines are perpendicular to each other, and both requirements ask for slope 4. For example, and ; any two lines with different values of , and , are accepted.
Key idea
When two reference lines are perpendicular to each other, being parallel to one and perpendicular to the other is a single slope condition, and the intercept stays free except for the reference line's own.
- Hint 1