01 Which statement is correct about the graph of the quadratic polynomial (p(x)=x^2+4)?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. It does not cut the (x)-axis
Explanation: Direct answer: Option A. For an x-axis intersection, y=p(x) must equal 0. Here p(x)=x^2+4. For every real x, x^2 is at least 0, so x^2+4 is at least 4, which is strictly positive. Therefore p(x) can never be 0, and the graph has no real x-intercept. Option A is correct. Option B would require two real solutions of x^2+4=0, but that equation gives x^2=-4, impossible for real x. Option C would require one real solution, but even the smallest value of the polynomial is 4, not 0. Option D is false because the graph is the parabola y=x^2 shifted upward by 4; it is not the x-axis y=0. Complex solutions do not create real graph intersections. Memory cue: x^2+positive number stays above the x-axis.