Multiple Choice Questions

There is no penalty for guessing. Three points per question, so a total of 48 points for this section.

1. What is the complete relationship between homogeneous linear systems of equations, and the zero solution
(all unknowns equal to zero)?

(a) If a solution to a homogeneous linear system exists at all, then the zero solution will be a solution
(b) The zero solution is always a solution to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous linear systems
(c) The zero solution can be a solution to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous linear systems, but
only if the equations are solvable
(d) The zero solution is never a solution to inhomogeneous linear systems, and may or may not be a
solution to homogeneous linear systems
(e) The zero solution is always a solution to homogeneous linear systems, and never a solution to
inhomogeneous linear systems

Solution: (e). This is covered in Section 2.5.

2. Let V be a vector space, and let W be a subset of V . What does it mean when we say that W is closed
under scalar multiplication?

(a) Whenever x is in W and c is a scalar, then cx is in V .

(b) Whenever x is in V and c is a scalar, then cx is in V .
(c) Whenever x is in V and c is a scalar, then cx is in W .
(d) Whenever x is in W and c is a scalar, then cx is in W .
(e) If cx is in W and c is a scalar, then x is in W .

Solution: (d)

3. Which of the following statements is not an axiom for vector spaces?

(a) For all x, y ∈ V we have x + y = y + x

(b) For all x, y, z ∈ V , we have (x + y) + z = x + (y + z)
(c) For all x, y, z ∈ V , we have (xy)z = x(yz)
(d) All of the above are axioms for vector spaces.
 Solution: (c) There is no such thing as multiplication of vectors in a general vector space.

4. What is the solution to the following system of equations?

2x + y = 3
3x − y = 7

(a) x = 4 and y = −5
(b) x = 2 and y = −1
1
(c) x = 2 and y = 2
(d) There are an infinite number of solutions to this system.
(e) There are no solutions to this system.

Solution: (b).

5. A system of 5 linear equations in 7 variables could not have exactly solutions.

(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) infinite
(d) More than one of these is impossible.
(e) All of these are possible numbers of solutions.

Solution: (b).

6. Which augmented matrix represents the following system of equations? (The augmented matrix is con-
structed with order of variables x, y.)
x + 2y = 3
4y + 5x = 6
 
0 2 3
(a)
4 5 6
 
1 2 3
(b)
4 5 6
 
1 2 3
(c)
5 4 6

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0 2 3
(d)
5 4 6

Solution: (c).

7. What is the solution to the system of equations represented with this augmented matrix? (Assume that
the variables are x, y, z, in that order.)
 
1 0 3 2
 0 1 2 3 
0 0 0 0

(a) x = 2, y = 3, z = 4
(b) x = −1, y = 1, z = 1
(c) There are infinitely many solutions.
(d) There is no solution.
(e) We can’t tell without having the system of equations.

Solution: (c). We see that the matrix is in reduced row echelon form and that z is a free variable.

         
0 1 3 0 6
8. If A is a 3 × 3 matrix such that A 1 = 0 and A 4 = 1, then the product A 7 is
2 0 5 0 8
 
0
(a) 0
1
 
−1
(b) 2
0
 
1
(c) −1
0
 
9
(d) 10
11
(e) Not uniquely determined by the information given

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 Solution: (b). Notice that      
3 0 6
2 · 4 − 1 · 1 = 7
    
5 2 8
and use the fact that matrix multiplication is a linear function.

  
0 −1 2 0
9. Calculate the matrix product
2 2 −3 1
 
3 −1
(a)
−2 2
 
0 −2
(b)
2 5
 
0 0
(c)
6 −2
(d) None of the above answers is correct.
(e) This matrix multiplication is not defined.

Solution: (a).


1 2
10. When we put a matrix A into reduced row echelon form, we get the matrix . This means that
0 0

(a) The matrix A has no inverse.

(b) The matrix we have found is the inverse of the matrix A.
(c) Matrix A has an inverse, but this isn’t it.
(d) This tells us nothing about whether A has an inverse.

Solution: (a). A matrix has an inverse iff its reduced row echelon form is the identity.

  !T  
1 0
T 1 1
11. Find a matrix A such that 2A + =
1 2 0 1
and give its first row

(a) (2, −1)

(b) (0, 0)

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 (c) (−1/2, 1/2)
(d) (0, 1/2)
(e) (1/2, 0)

Solution: (b). Use (A + B)T = AT + B T and (AT )T = A.

12. Which matrix product is defined?

  
1 2 1 2 1 2
(a) 2 1 2 1 2
   1
1 2 1 2 1 1
  
3 1 1
(b)
2 1 1
 
  1 2 1
1 3 
(c) 2 1 2
3 1
1 2 1
 
1
  2
(d) 1 2 3 4  
3
4

Solution: (d). This is a 1 × 4 matrix times a 4 × 1 matrix.

 
1 0 0 5
 0 1 1 −2 
13. If the augmented matrix [A|b] of a system Ax = b is row equivalent to 
 0
.
0 1 1 
0 0 0 0
Which of the following is true?
(a) The system is inconsistent.
 
5
(b) x = −2 − s is a solution for any value of s.
1
 
5
(c) x = −2 is the unique solution of the system.
1
 
5s
(d) x = −2s is a solution for any value of s.
s

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  
5
(e) x = −3 is the unique solution to the system.
1

Solution: (e). Notice that this matrix is not in reduced row echelon form.

 
1 0 1
0 1 1
14. If C is a n × 4 matrix and D = 
1
, then the second column of the matrix CD is
0 0
0 0 0

(a) The same as the second column of C

(b) The sum of the first and second columns of C
(c) The sum of the second and fourth columns of C
(d) The same as the third row of D
(e) The sum of the first and the third columns of C

Solution: (a). Note that the second column of CD is Cd2 , where d2 is the second column of D. Then
note that d2 = e2 , and Ce2 is the second column of C.

   
0 4
15. What is the dot product of the vectors 1 and 2 ?
  
−1 −3
 
0
(a) 2
3
(b) 5
(c) 0
(d) The dot product of this pair of vectors is not defined.

Solution: (b)

16. What can we say about two vectors whose dot product is negative?

(a) The vectors are orthogonal

(b) The angle between the two vectors is less than 90◦

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(c) The angle between the two vectors is greater than 90◦
(d) None of the above statements is correct.

Solution: (c). Use the formula u · v = ||u||||v|| cos(θ).

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