Functions, Formulas, and Sequences

For questions in the Quantitative Comparison format (“Quantity A” and “Quantity B” given), the
answer choices are always as follows:

(A) Quantity A is greater.

(B) Quantity B is greater.
(C) The two quantities are equal.
(D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

For questions followed by a numeric entry box , you are to enter your own answer in the

box. For questions followed by fraction-style numeric entry boxes , you are to enter
your answer in the form of a fraction. You are not required to reduce fractions. For example, if the
answer is 1/4, you may enter 25/100 or any equivalent fraction.

All numbers used are real numbers. All figures are assumed to lie in a plane unless otherwise
indicated. Geometric figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. You should assume, however, that
lines that appear to be straight are actually straight, points on a line are in the order shown, and all
geometric objects are in the relative positions shown. Coordinate systems, such as xy-planes and
number lines, as well as graphical data presentations such as bar charts, circle graphs, and line graphs,
are drawn to scale. A symbol that appears more than once in a question has the same meaning
throughout the question.

1. If f(x) = x2 + 1, what is f(2) + f(-2)?

(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 10

2. If f(x) = 2x and g(x) = x3, what is f(g(-3))?

(A) -6
(B) -27
(C) 54
(D) -54
(E) -216

3. If h(x) = 2x3 - 3 and h(m) = -19, what is the value of m?

(A) -3
 (B) -2
(C) 2
(D) 6,856
(E) 6,862

4. If f(x) = x - 3 and 2[f(g)] = 14, what is the value of f(4g)?

5. If f(a, b) = a2b4, and f(m, n) = 5, what is f(3m, 2n)?

6. If f(x) = x2 - 1, what is the value of f(y) + f(-1)?

(A) y2 - 1
(B) y2
(C) y2 + 1
(D) y2 - 2y
(E) y2 - 2y - 1

7. If g(x) = 3x - 3, what is the value of ?

8. If , what is the value of f(f(10))?

9. If h(x) = 5x2 + x, then h(a + b) =

(A) 5a2 + 5b2

(B) 5a3 + 5b3
(C) 5a2 + 5b2 + a + b
(D) 5a3 + 10ab + 5b3
(E) 5a2 + 10ab + 5b2 + a + b
10. If , what is ?

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

11. is defined as the least integer greater than x for all odd values of x, and the greatest integer less than x for all

even values of x. What is ?

(A) -12
(B) -9
(C) -8
(D) -7
(E) 3

12. g(x) = x2 - 4 and g(c) = 12. If c < 0, what is g(c - 2)?

13. If h(x) = 2x - 1 and g(x) = x2 - 3, what is h(g(5))?

14. h(x) = 2x - 1 and g(x) = x2 - 3. If g(m) = 61, what is h(m) if m > 0?

15. If &x& is defined as one-half the square of x, what is the value of ?

16. If ~x = |14x|, which of the following must be true?

 Indicate all such answers.

~2 = ~(-2)
~3 + ~4 = ~7
The minimum possible value of ~x is zero

17. #x = the square of the number that is 2 less than x. What is the value of #5 - #(-1)?

18. If , which answer represents all values of x for which g(x) is undefined?

(A) 0

(B)
(C) -2, 1
(D) -2, 0, 1

(E)

19. If for all integer values of x, for how many values of x is f(x) undefined?

(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3
(E) more than 3

20.

f(x) = 2x - 3
f(m) = -11

Quantity A Quantity B
The value of m Half the value of f(m)

21. The price of a phone call consists of a standard connection fee, which does not change, plus a per-minute charge.
A 10-minute call costs $2.90 and a 16-minute call costs $4.40. How much does a 13-minute call cost?

(A) $3.55
(B) $3.57
(C) $3.58
(D) $3.65
 (E) $3.77

22. The first three terms in an arithmetic sequence are 30, 33, and 36. What is the 80th term?

23. The sequence S is defined as Sn = 2(Sn - 1) - 4. If S1 = 6, what is S5?

(A) -20
(B) 16
(C) 20
(D) 24
(E) 36

24. The sequence S is defined as Sn = 3(Sn - 1) + 1. If S1 = -2, what is S4?

(A) -39
(B) -41
(C) -43
(D) -45
(E) -47

25. If Sn = Sn - 1 + Sn - 2 - 3, then what is S6 when S1 = 5 and S2 = 0?

(A) -6
(B) -5
(C) -3
(D) -1
(E) 1

26. If Sn = Sn - 1 + Sn - 2 - 1, then what is S4 when S0 = -10 and S2 = 0?

(A) -3
(B) 0
(C) 9
(D) 10
(E) 14

27. If Sn = Sn - 1 + Sn - 2 + Sn - 3 - 5, what is S6 when S1 = 4, S2 = 0, and S4 = -4?

(A) -2
(B) -12
(C) -16
(D) -20
(E) -24

28. The sequence P is defined as Pn = 10(Pn - 1) - 2. If P1 = 2, what is P4?

29. The sequence S is defined as . If S1 = -4, what is S4?

(A) -256
(B) -64
(C) -1/16
(D) 1/16
(E) 256

30. In sequence An, A1 = 45, and An = An - 1 + 2 for all integers n > 1. What is the sum of the first 100 terms in
sequence An?

(A) 243
(B) 14,400
(C) 14,500
(D) 24,300
(E) 24,545

31. In a certain sequence, the term an is given by the formula an = an - 1 + 10. What is the positive difference between
the 10th term and the 15th term?

(A) 5
(B) 10
(C) 25
(D) 50
(E) 100

32. In a certain sequence, the term an is given by the formula an = 10(an - 1). How many times greater is a10 than a8?

(A) 1
(B) 3
(C) 10
(D) 30
(E) 100

33. Ashley and Beatrice received the same score on a physical fitness test. The scores for this test, t, are determined
by the formula t = 3ps - 25m where s and p are the numbers of sit-ups and push-ups the athlete can do in one
minute and m is the number of minutes she takes to run a mile. Ashley did 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups and ran an
8-minute mile. Beatrice did half as many sit-ups and twice as many push-ups. If both girls received the same
overall score, how many minutes did it take Beatrice to run the mile?

(A) 4
(B) 8
(C) 10
(D) 16
(E) 20

34.

The expression a{}b is defined as a{}b = (a - b)(a + b).

Quantity A Quantity B
 The value of (7{}6) {} (11{}11) 26

35. If 5||10 = 5 and 1||(-2) = 1, which of the following could define the expression a||b?

(A) b - a

(B)
(C) -ab/4

(D)
(E) a + b + 4

36. The maximum height reached by a ball thrown straight up into the air can be determined by the formula h = -16t2 +
vt + d, where t is the number of seconds since it was thrown, v is the initial speed of the throw (in feet per
second), d is the height (in feet) at which the ball was released, and h is the height of ball t seconds after the
throw. Two seconds after a ball is thrown, how high in the air is the ball if it was released at a height of 6 feet and
a speed of 80 feet per second?

(A) 96 feet
(B) 100 feet
(C) 102 feet
(D) 134 feet
(E) 230 feet

37. If , where b 0, what is the value of (-4)#4?

(A) -36
(B) -28
(C) 12
(D) 28
(E) 36

38. The expression x$y is defined as , where y 0. What is the value of 9$(6$2)?

(A) 1/2
(B) 9/4
(C) 9/2
(D) 18
(E) 108

39. Amy deposited $1,000 into an account that earns 8% annual interest compounded every 6 months. Bob deposited
$1,000 into an account that earns 8% annual interest compounded quarterly. If neither Amy nor Bob makes any
additional deposits or withdrawals, in 6 months how much more money will Bob have in his account than Amy?

(A) $40
(B) $8
(C) $4
(D) $0.40
(E) $0.04
40. The half-life of an isotope is the amount of time required for 50% of a sample of the isotope to undergo
radioactive decay. The half-life of the carbon-14 isotope is 5,730 years. How many years must pass until a
sample that starts out with 16,000 carbon-14 isotopes decays into a sample with only 500 carbon-14 isotopes?

(A) 180 years

(B) 1,146 years
(C) 5,730 years
(D) 28,650 years
(E) 183,360 years

41. and g(x) = 3x - 2. If f(g(x)) = 1, what is the value of x?

(A) -5/3
(B) -1/3
(C) 2/3
(D) 1
(E) 5/3

42. f(x) = 2x - 2 and . What is the value of 2f(g(2))?

(A) 0
(B) 4
(C) 6
(D) 8
(E) 12

43. In a particular competition, a skater’s score, s, is calculated by the formula where t is the
number of successful triple axels performed, f is the number of times the skater fell, and m is the length, in
minutes, of the performance. If Seiko received a score of 6 for a 5 minute performance in which she had twice
as many successful triple axels as she had falls, how many times did she fall?

(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 6

44. An investor doubles his money every 8 years. At 33 years old, he had 13 million dollars ($13m). How much
money will he have when he retires at 65 years old?

(A) $26m
(B) $104m
(C) $130m
(D) $208m
(E) $260m

45. a~b is defined as . What is the value of 1~((-1)~1)?

 (A) -9
(B) -1
(C) 1
(D) 2
(E) 5

46. An archer’s score is calculated by the formula where b is the number of bull’s-eyes hit, a is the
total number of arrows shot, and s is the time in seconds it took the archer to shoot. By how many points would
an archer who took 10 seconds to shoot 10 arrows and hit all bull’s-eyes beat an archer who shot twice as many
arrows and hit half as many bull’s-eyes in 15 seconds?

(A) 2
(B) 7
(C) 10
(D) 18
(E) 20

47. Each term of a certain sequence is calculated by adding a particular constant to the previous term. The second term
of this sequence is 27 and the fiftjh term is 84. What is the 1st term of this sequence?

(A) 20
(B) 15
(C) 13
(D) 12
(E) 8

48. If and a@b = 3a - 2b, what is the value of 1@2 - 3#4 ?

(A) -7/6
(B) -1
(C) -5/6
(D) 2/3
(E) 7/6

49. In a certain sequence, the term an is given by the formula an = an - 1 + 5 where a1 = 1. What is the sum of the first
75 terms of this sequence?

(A) 10,150
(B) 11,375
(C) 12,500
(D) 13,950
(E) 15,375

50. In a certain sequence, the term an is given by the formula an = 2 × an - 1 where a1 = 1. What is the positive
difference between the sum of the first 10 terms of the sequence and the sum of the 11th and 12th terms of the
same sequence?

(A) 1
(B) 1,024
(C) 1,025
 (D) 2,048
(E) 2,049

51.

An operation @ is defined by the equation a@b = (a - 1)(b - 2).

x@5 = 3@x

Quantity A Quantity B
The value of x 1

52. The wait time in hours, w, for a certain popular restaurant can be estimated by the formula where k
is a constant, n is the number of parties waiting ahead of you, and s is the size of your party. If a family of 4 has a
wait time of 30 minutes when 2 other parties are ahead of it, how long would a family of 6 expect to wait if there
are 8 parties ahead of it?

(A) 45.5 minutes

(B) 1 hour 15 minutes
(C) 1 hour 25 minutes
(D) 1 hour 45 minutes
(E) 2 hours

53. A sequence is defined as an = 5(an - 1) - 3 where a4 = 32. What is the first term of the sequence, a1?

(A) 1
(B) 7
(C) 16
(D) 128
(E) 157

54.

A certain sequence is defined by the formula an = an - 1 - 7.

a7 = 7

Quantity A Quantity B
The value of a1 -35

55. Monthly rent for units in a certain apartment building is determined by the formula where k is a
constant, r and t are the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the unit, respectively, and f is the floor number
of the unit. A 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom unit on the first floor is going for $800/month. How much is the monthly
rent on a 3-bedroom unit with 1 bathroom on the 3rd floor?

(A) $825
(B) $875
(C) $900
 (D) $925
(E) $1,000

56.

Quantity A Quantity B
The sum of all the multiples of 3
9,990
between 250 and 350

57. Town A has a population of 160,000 and is growing at a rate of 20% annually. Town B has a population of 80,000
and is growing at a rate of 50% annually.

Quantity A Quantity B
The number of years until Town
B’s population is larger than that 3
of Town A

58. If f(x) = x2, what is f(m + n) + f(m - n)?

(A) m2 + n2
(B) m2 - n2
(C) 2m2 + 2n2
(D) 2m2 - 2n2
(E) m2n2

59. Sn is a sequence such that Sn = (-1)n, where n 1. What is the sum of the first 20 terms in Sn?

60. If //x// means “the least integer greater than or equal to x,” what is //-2.5// + //3.6//?

61. If f(x, y) = x2y and f(a, b) = 6, what is f(2a, 4b)?

62.

f(x) = m where m is the number of distinct prime factors of x.

Quantity A Quantity B
 f(30) f(64)

63. In a particular sequence, Sn is equal to the units digit of 3n where n is a positive integer. If S1 = 3, how many of the
first 75 terms of the sequence are equal to 9?

64. The sequence a1, a2, a3, …, an is such that an = 9 + an - 1 for all n > 1. If a1 = 11, what is the value of a35?

65. In sequence Q, the first number is 3, and each subsequent number in the sequence is determined by doubling the
previous number and then adding 2. How many times does the digit 8 appear in the units digit of the first 10
terms of the sequence?

66. If g(2m) = 2g(m) and g(3) = 5.5, what is g(6)?

67. For which of the following functions f(x) is f(a + b) = f(a) + f(b)?

(A) f(x) = x2
(B) f(x) = 5x
(C) f(x) = 2x + 1
(D) f(x) =
(E) f(x) = x - 2

68.

Sam invests a principal of $10,000, which earns annually compounded interest over a period
of years.

Quantity A Quantity B
The final value of the The final value of the
investment after 2 years at 8% investment after 4 years at 4%
interest, compounded annually interest, compounded annually

69. The number of years it would take for the value of an investment to double, at 26% interest compounded annually,
is approximately
 (A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 6

70. The interest rate, compounded annually, that would bring a principal of $1,200 to a final value of $1,650 in 2 years
is closest to

(A) 17%
(B) 18%
(C) 19%
(D) 20%
(E) 21%

71. An investment is made at 12.5% annual simple interest. The number of years it will take for the cumulative value
of the interest to equal the original investment is

(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 6
(D) 7
(E) 8

72. If f(2a) = 2f(a) and f(6) = 11, what is f(24)?

(A) 22
(B) 24
(C) 44
(D) 66
(E) 88

73. , which is true for all values of f(x)?

(A) f(x) = 2x + 2
(B) f(x) = 13x
(C) f(x) = x2
(D) f(x) = x - 10
(E)