AP CALCULUS BC Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

1. NO CALCULATOR IS ALLOWED FOR THIS QUESTION.

Show all of your work, even though the question may not explicitly remind you to do so. Clearly label any
functions, graphs, tables, or other objects that you use. Justifications require that you give mathematical reasons,
and that you verify the needed conditions under which relevant theorems, properties, definitions, or tests are
applied. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your methods as well as your answers.
Answers without supporting work will usually not receive credit.

Unless otherwise specified, answers (numeric or algebraic) need not be simplified. If your answer is given as a
decimal approximation, it should be correct to three places after the decimal point.

Unless otherwise specified, the domain of a function is assumed to be the set of all real numbers for which
is a real number.

The graphs of the functions and are shown above on the interval .

(a) Write a difference quotient that best approximates the instantaneous rate of change of at .

(b) Let be the function defined by . Find the value of or explain why the limit does
not exist. Use correct limit notation in your answer.

(c) Let be the function defined by . Consider and . Determine whether

is continuous at each of these values. Justify your answers using correct limit notation.

(d) Values of at selected values of are given in the table below. What type of discontinuity does have
at ? Based on the values in the table, what is a reasonable estimate for ? Give a reason for your
answer.

Part A

AP Calculus BC Page 1 of 11
 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples to score the response.

0 1

The student response accurately includes a correct difference quotient.

Solution:

Part B

At most 2 out of 3 points if mathematical notation for any limit is missing or incorrect.

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1 2 3

The student response accurately includes all three of the criteria below.

limit notation
considers one-sided limits
answer

Solution:

As approaches 3 from the left and from the right, approaches 2 from above. Therefore, the limit of should be
evaluated as approaches 2 from the right, as shown.

Therefore,

Part C

At most 1 out of 2 points if mathematical notation for any limit is missing or incorrect.

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

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 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

0 1 2

The student response accurately includes two of the criteria below.

continuous at with justification

not continuous at with justification

Solution:

Because is continuous at

Because

does not exist and therefore is not continuous at

Part D

Any value between 2.784 and 2.787 earns the estimate point.

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples to score the response.

0 1 2 3

The student response accurately includes all three of the criteria below.

identifies removable discontinuity

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 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

estimate
reason

Solution:

The graph of indicates that has a removable discontinuity at The graph shows that is increasing near
so A reasonable estimate for would be determined by averaging the
function values on each side of 1.

The estimate is as follows.

Page 4 of 11 AP Calculus BC
 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

2. NO CALCULATOR IS ALLOWED FOR THIS QUESTION.

Show all of your work, even though the question may not explicitly remind you to do so. Clearly label any
functions, graphs, tables, or other objects that you use. Justifications require that you give mathematical reasons,
and that you verify the needed conditions under which relevant theorems, properties, definitions, or tests are
applied. Your work will be scored on the correctness and completeness of your methods as well as your answers.
Answers without supporting work will usually not receive credit.

Unless otherwise specified, answers (numeric or algebraic) need not be simplified. If your answer is given as a
decimal approximation, it should be correct to three places after the decimal point.

Unless otherwise specified, the domain of a function is assumed to be the set of all real numbers for which
is a real number.

The graphs of the functions and are shown above on the interval . The graphs consist of line
segments, except where on the interval .

(a) Write a difference quotient that best approximates the instantaneous rate of change of at .

(b) Let . Find . Use correct limit notation in your answer.

(c) Let . Consider , , and . At which one of these values does

have a jump discontinuity? Justify your answer for the jump discontinuity using correct limit notation.

(d) Values of at selected values of are given in the table below. What type of discontinuity does have
at ? Based on the values in the table, what is a reasonable estimate for ? Give a reason for your
answer.

AP Calculus BC Page 5 of 11
 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

Part A

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples to score the response.

0 1

The student response accurately includes a correct difference quotient.

Solution:

Part B

At most 2 out of 3 points if mathematical notation for any limit is missing or incorrect.

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1 2 3

The student response accurately includes all three of the criteria below.

limit notation
considers one-sided limits
answer

Solution:

As approaches 4 from the left and from the right, approaches 2 from below. Therefore, the limit of should
be evaluated as approaches 2 from the left, as shown.

Therefore,

Part C

At most 1 out of 2 points if mathematical notation for any limit is missing or incorrect OR if response includes jump
discontinuity at maximum of one incorrect value.

Page 6 of 11 AP Calculus BC
 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples and to score the response.

0 1 2

The student response accurately includes both of the criteria below.

jump discontinuity at
justification, using correct limit notation

Solution:

There is a jump discontinuity at because both one-sided limits exist at

and are finite but are not equal:

Note: does not have a jump discontinuity at and

Note: does not have a jump discontinuity at

and

Part D

Any value between 2.615 and 2.621 earns the estimate point.

Select a point value to view scoring criteria, solutions, and/or examples to score the response.

0 1 2 3

The student response accurately includes all three of the criteria below.

identifies removable discontinuity

estimate
reason

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 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

Solution:

The graph of indicates that has a removable discontinuity at

The graph shows that is decreasing near so Since the table of values reflects
approximate linear behavior, a reasonable estimate for would be determined by averaging the function values
on each side of 1.

The estimate is as follows.

Alternately,

a reasonable estimate can be found by observing that as increases by 0.001, decreases by 0.002 or 0.003. Since
2.618 is 0.003 from both 2.621 and 2.615, it is the best estimate.

3.

The size of a population of bacteria is modeled by the function , where gives the number of bacteria and
gives the number of hours after midnight for . The graph of the function and the line tangent to at
are shown above. Which of the following gives the best estimate for the instantaneous rate of change of at
?
(A)
(B) The slope of the line joining and
(C) The slope of the line joining and

(D) The slope of the line joining and

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1.1 MCQ+FRQ

4.

The size of a population of fish in a pond is modeled by the function , where gives the number of fish and
gives the number of years after the first year of introduction of the fish to the pond for . The graph of
the function and the line tangent to at are shown above. Which of the following gives the best estimate
for the instantaneous rate of change of at ?
(A)
(B) The slope of the line joining and
(C) The slope of the line joining and

(D) The slope of the line joining and

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 Scoring Guide

1.1 MCQ+FRQ

5.

A particle is moving on the -axis and the position of the particle at time is given by , whose graph is shown
above. Which of the following is the best estimate for the speed of the particle at time ?
(A) 0
(B) 5

(C)
(D) 10

6.

A particle is moving on the -axis, and the position of the particle at time is given by , whose graph is shown
above. Which of the following is the best estimate for the speed of the particle at time ?
(A) 0
(B)

(C)
(D)

7. A car is driven on a straight road, and the distance traveled by the car after time is given by a quadratic
function , where is measured in feet and is measured in seconds for . Of the following, which
gives the best estimate of the velocity of the car, in feet per second, at time seconds?

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(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)

8. An automobile is driven on a straight road, and the distance traveled by the automobile after time is given by
a quadratic function , where is measured in feet and is measured in seconds for . Of the
following, which gives the best estimate of the velocity of the automobile, in feet per second, at time
seconds?
(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)

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