IB Mathematics AA HL: Combined Test
Functions, Polynomials, and Rational Functions
Date: _______________
Student Name: ________________________________
Duration: 120 minutes (Paper 1: 60 mins | Paper 2: 60 mins)
Paper 1: Without Calculator (No GDC)
Time: 60 minutes | Total Marks: 60
Question 1
[Maximum mark: 8]
Let and for all .
(a) State the domain of and simplify completely. [2]
(b) Find . [2]
(c) Find . [2]
(d) Find the value of such that . [2]
Question 2
[Maximum mark: 8]
A quadratic function has the form where .
The graph of passes through the points , , and .
(a) Set up a system of three equations and find the values of , , and . [4]
(b) Express in the form where and are the roots. [2]
(c) Find the coordinates of the vertex. [2]
Question 3
[Maximum mark: 9]
The cubic polynomial has a factor .
(a) Use polynomial division to find the quotient when is divided by . [3]
(b) Factorize completely over . [3]
(c) Hence solve . [2]
(d) State the coordinates of the -intercepts. [1]
Question 4
[Maximum mark: 7]
Simplify each rational expression:
(a) [2]
(b) Resolve into partial fractions. [3]
(c) Hence, or otherwise, solve . [2]
Question 5
[Maximum mark: 9]
For the rational function :
(a) Write down the equations of the vertical and horizontal asymptotes. [2]
(b) Find the - and -intercepts. [2]
(c) Determine whether the function is increasing or decreasing by finding . [3]
(d) Sketch the graph of , showing asymptotes and intercepts. [2]
Question 6
[Maximum mark: 10]
Let .
(a) Show that is a factor of . [1]
(b) Factorize completely. [3]
(c) Find the coordinates of the stationary points using calculus. [4]
(d) Sketch the graph of , indicating stationary points, intercepts, and behaviour as
. [2]
Question 7
[Maximum mark: 9]
(a) Solve the inequality . [3]
(b) Solve the inequality . [3]
(c) Find the values of for which both inequalities are satisfied simultaneously. [3]
Paper 1 Total: 60 marks
Paper 2: With GDC Permitted
Time: 60 minutes | Total Marks: 60
Question 1
[Maximum mark: 7]
Determine whether each function is even, odd, or neither. Show your working clearly.
(a) [2]
(b) [2]
(c) [3]
Question 2
[Maximum mark: 8]
The function for .
(a) Sketch the graph of , clearly showing the asymptotes and intercepts. [3]
(b) On the same diagram, sketch the graph of . [2]
(c) State the equation(s) of the asymptote(s) for . [1]
(d) Explain the transformation from to . [2]
Question 3
[Maximum mark: 11]
Let .
(a) Identify any holes (removable discontinuities) in the graph. [2]
(b) Find all vertical asymptotes. [2]
(c) Find the horizontal asymptote. [1]
(d) Find the - and -intercepts. [2]
(e) Sketch the graph, clearly labelling asymptotes, intercepts, and any holes. [4]
Question 4
[Maximum mark: 9]
Let for .
(a) Find and state its domain and range. [4]
(b) Solve . [3]
(c) Verify your answer by substitution. [2]
Question 5
[Maximum mark: 8]
(a) Express in the completed square form . [2]
(b) Hence find the minimum value of the function and the value of at which it occurs. [2]
(c) If the domain is restricted to , find the range of the function. [2]
(d) Explain how the graph changes if we consider instead. [2]
Question 6
[Maximum mark: 9]
The line has equation .
(a) Find the gradient and -intercept of . [2]
(b) Find the equation of the line perpendicular to passing through the point . [3]
(c) Find the coordinates of the point where these two lines intersect. [2]
(d) Find the perpendicular distance from the point to the line . [2]
Question 7
[Maximum mark: 8]
Consider the polynomial .
(a) Given that is a factor, use the Remainder Theorem to verify this. [2]
(b) By polynomial division, find where is a cubic. [3]
(c) If the roots of are , , , use Vieta's formulas to find . [2]
(d) Use your GDC to find all four roots of to 3 significant figures. [1]
Question 8
[Maximum mark: 10]
(a) Resolve into partial fractions. [3]
(b) Solve the inequality . [4]
(c) For what values of is ? [3]
Paper 2 Total: 60 marks
OVERALL TOTAL: 120 marks
Advice for Students
Paper 1: No calculator allowed. Focus on showing clear algebraic steps.
Paper 2: GDC permitted for verification and numerical solutions only. Always show
your reasoning.
Time Management: Aim for approximately 1 minute per mark on average.
Domain Restrictions: Always check for division by zero when working with rational
functions.
Factorization: Look for common factors and special forms (difference of squares,
sum/difference of cubes, etc.).
Inequalities: Remember to reverse the inequality sign when multiplying/dividing by
negative numbers.
