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53 views83 pages

5 Steps To A 5 Ap Calculus BC 2024 Elite Student Edition William Ma Instant Download

The document is a promotional overview for the '5 Steps To A 5 AP Calculus BC 2024 Elite Student Edition' by William Ma, which includes a link for download and information about other related editions. It outlines a personalized study program that includes online resources, diagnostic exams, and strategies for success in preparing for the AP Calculus BC exam. Additionally, it provides details on the structure of the exam and study plans to help students achieve high scores.

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CONTENTS

Dedication and Acknowledgments xii


Preface xiii
About the Authors xiv
Introduction: The Five-Step Program xv

STEP 1 Set Up Your Study Plan


1 What You Need to Know About the AP Calculus BC Exam 3
1.1 What Is Covered on the AP Calculus BC Exam? 4
1.2 What Is the Format of the AP Calculus BC Exam? 4
1.3 What Are the Advanced Placement Exam Grades? 5
How Is the AP Calculus BC Exam Grade Calculated? 5
1.4 Which Graphing Calculators Are Allowed for the Exam? 6
Calculators and Other Devices Not Allowed for the AP Calculus BC Exam 7
Other Restrictions on Calculators 7
2 How to Plan Your Time 8
2.1 Three Approaches to Preparing for the AP Calculus BC Exam 8
Overview of the Three Plans 8
2.2 Calendar for Each Plan 10
Summary of the Three Study Plans 13

STEP 2 Determine Your Test Readiness


3 Take a Diagnostic Exam 17
3.1 Getting Started! 21
3.2 Diagnostic Test 21
3.3 Answers to Diagnostic Test 27
3.4 Solutions to Diagnostic Test 28
3.5 Calculate Your Score 38
Short-Answer Questions 38
AP Calculus BC Diagnostic Exam 38

STEP 3 Develop Strategies for Success


4 How to Approach Each Question Type 41
4.1 The Multiple-Choice Questions 42
4.2 The Free-Response Questions 42
4.3 Using a Graphing Calculator 43
4.4 Taking the Exam 44
What Do I Need to Bring to the Exam? 44
Tips for Taking the Exam 45

v
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

vi Contents

STEP 4 Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High


Big Idea 1: Limits
5 Limits and Continuity 49
5.1 The Limit of a Function 50
Definition and Properties of Limits 50
Evaluating Limits 50
One-Sided Limits 52
Squeeze Theorem 55
5.2 Limits Involving Infinities 57
Infinite Limits (as x → a ) 57
Limits at Infinity (as x → ±∞) 59
Horizontal and Vertical Asymptotes 61
5.3 Continuity of a Function 65
Continuity of a Function at a Number 65
Continuity of a Function over an Interval 65
Theorems on Continuity 65
5.4 Rapid Review 68
5.5 Practice Problems 69
5.6 Cumulative Review Problems 70
5.7 Solutions to Practice Problems 70
5.8 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 73
Big Idea 2: Derivatives
6 Differentiation 75
6.1 Derivatives of Algebraic Functions 76
Definition of the Derivative of a Function 76
Power Rule 79
The Sum, Difference, Product, and Quotient Rules 80
The Chain Rule 81
6.2 Derivatives of Trigonometric, Inverse Trigonometric,
Exponential, and Logarithmic Functions 82
Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions 82
Derivatives of Inverse Trigonometric Functions 84
Derivatives of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 85
6.3 Implicit Differentiation 87
Procedure for Implicit Differentiation 87
6.4 Approximating a Derivative 90
6.5 Derivatives of Inverse Functions 92
6.6 Higher Order Derivatives 94
L’Hôpital’s Rule for Indeterminate Forms 95
6.7 Rapid Review 95
6.8 Practice Problems 97
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Contents vii

6.9 Cumulative Review Problems 98


6.10 Solutions to Practice Problems 98
6.11 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 101
7 Graphs of Functions and Derivatives 103
7.1 Rolle’s Theorem, Mean Value Theorem, and Extreme Value Theorem 103
Rolle’s Theorem 104
Mean Value Theorem 104
Extreme Value Theorem 107
7.2 Determining the Behavior of Functions 108
Test for Increasing and Decreasing Functions 108
First Derivative Test and Second Derivative Test for Relative Extrema 111
Test for Concavity and Points of Inflection 114
7.3 Sketching the Graphs of Functions 120
Graphing without Calculators 120
Graphing with Calculators 121
7.4 Graphs of Derivatives 123
7.5 Parametric, Polar, and Vector Representations 128
Parametric Curves 128
Polar Equations 129
Types of Polar Graphs 129
Symmetry of Polar Graphs 130
Vectors 131
Vector Arithmetic 132
7.6 Rapid Review 133
7.7 Practice Problems 137
7.8 Cumulative Review Problems 139
7.9 Solutions to Practice Problems 140
7.10 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 147
8 Applications of Derivatives 149
8.1 Related Rate 149
General Procedure for Solving Related Rate Problems 149
Common Related Rate Problems 150
Inverted Cone (Water Tank) Problem 151
Shadow Problem 152
Angle of Elevation Problem 153
8.2 Applied Maximum and Minimum Problems 155
General Procedure for Solving Applied Maximum
and Minimum Problems 155
Distance Problem 155
Area and Volume Problem 156
Business Problems 159
8.3 Rapid Review 160
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

viii Contents

8.4 Practice Problems 161


8.5 Cumulative Review Problems 163
8.6 Solutions to Practice Problems 164
8.7 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 171
9 More Applications of Derivatives 174
9.1 Tangent and Normal Lines 174
Tangent Lines 174
Normal Lines 180
9.2 Linear Approximations 183
Tangent Line Approximation (or Linear Approximation) 183
Estimating the nth Root of a Number 185
Estimating the Value of a Trigonometric Function of an Angle 185
9.3 Motion Along a Line 186
Instantaneous Velocity and Acceleration 186
Vertical Motion 188
Horizontal Motion 188
9.4 Parametric, Polar, and Vector Derivatives 190
Derivatives of Parametric Equations 190
Position, Speed, and Acceleration 191
Derivatives of Polar Equations 191
Velocity and Acceleration of Vector Functions 192
9.5 Rapid Review 195
9.6 Practice Problems 196
9.7 Cumulative Review Problems 198
9.8 Solutions to Practice Problems 199
9.9 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 204
Big Idea 3: Integrals and the Fundamental Theorems of Calculus
10 Integration 207
10.1 Evaluating Basic Integrals 208
Antiderivatives and Integration Formulas 208
Evaluating Integrals 210
10.2 Integration by U-Substitution 213
The U-Substitution Method 213
U-Substitution and Algebraic Functions 213
U-Substitution and Trigonometric Functions 215
U-Substitution and Inverse Trigonometric Functions 216
U-Substitution and Logarithmic and Exponential Functions 218
10.3 Techniques of Integration 221
Integration by Parts 221
Integration by Partial Fractions 222
10.4 Rapid Review 223
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Contents ix

10.5 Practice Problems 224


10.6 Cumulative Review Problems 225
10.7 Solutions to Practice Problems 226
10.8 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 229
11 Definite Integrals 231
11.1 Riemann Sums and Definite Integrals 232
Sigma Notation or Summation Notation 232
Definition of a Riemann Sum 233
Definition of a Definite Integral 234
Properties of Definite Integrals 235
11.2 Fundamental Theorems of Calculus 237
First Fundamental Theorem of Calculus 237
Second Fundamental Theorem of Calculus 238
11.3 Evaluating Definite Integrals 241
Definite Integrals Involving Algebraic Functions 241
Definite Integrals Involving Absolute Value 242
Definite Integrals Involving Trigonometric, Logarithmic,
and Exponential Functions 243
Definite Integrals Involving Odd and Even Functions 245
11.4 Improper Integrals 246
Infinite Intervals of Integration 246
Infinite Discontinuities 247
11.5 Rapid Review 248
11.6 Practice Problems 249
11.7 Cumulative Review Problems 250
11.8 Solutions to Practice Problems 251
11.9 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 254
12 Areas, Volumes, and Arc Lengths 257
x
12.1 The Function F (x ) = a f (t)d t 258
12.2 Approximating the Area Under a Curve 262
Rectangular Approximations 262
Trapezoidal Approximations 266
12.3 Area and Definite Integrals 267
Area Under a Curve 267
Area Between Two Curves 272
12.4 Volumes and Definite Integrals 276
Solids with Known Cross Sections 276
The Disc Method 280
The Washer Method 285
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

x Contents

12.5 Integration of Parametric, Polar, and Vector Curves 289


Area, Arc Length, and Surface Area for Parametric Curves 289
Area and Arc Length for Polar Curves 290
Integration of a Vector-Valued Function 291
12.6 Rapid Review 292
12.7 Practice Problems 295
12.8 Cumulative Review Problems 296
12.9 Solutions to Practice Problems 297
12.10 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 305
13 More Applications of Definite Integrals 309
13.1 Average Value of a Function 310
Mean Value Theorem for Integrals 310
Average Value of a Function on [a, b] 311
13.2 Distance Traveled Problems 313
13.3 Definite Integral as Accumulated Change 316
Business Problems 316
Temperature Problem 317
Leakage Problem 318
Growth Problem 318
13.4 Differential Equations 319
Exponential Growth/Decay Problems 319
Separable Differential Equations 321
13.5 Slope Fields 324
13.6 Logistic Differential Equations 328
13.7 Euler’s Method 330
Approximating Solutions of Differential Equations by Euler’s Method 330
13.8 Rapid Review 332
13.9 Practice Problems 334
13.10 Cumulative Review Problems 336
13.11 Solutions to Practice Problems 337
13.12 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 343
Big Idea 4: Series
14 Series 346
14.1 Sequences and Series 347
Convergence 347
14.2 Types of Series 348
p-Series 348
Harmonic Series 348
Geometric Series 348
Decimal Expansion 349
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Contents xi

14.3 Convergence Tests 350


Divergence Test 350
Integral Test 350
Ratio Test 351
Comparison Test 352
Limit Comparison Test 352
Informal Principle 353
14.4 Alternating Series 354
Error Bound 354
Absolute and Conditional Convergence 355
14.5 Power Series 357
Radius and Interval of Convergence 357
14.6 Taylor Series 358
Taylor Series and MacLaurin Series 358
Common MacLaurin Series 359
14.7 Operations on Series 359
Substitution 359
Differentiation and Integration 360
Error Bounds 361
14.8 Rapid Review 362
14.9 Practice Problems 364
14.10 Cumulative Review Problems 365
14.11 Solutions to Practice Problems 365
14.12 Solutions to Cumulative Review Problems 369

STEP 5 Build Your Test-Taking Confidence


AP Calculus BC Practice Exam 1 373
AP Calculus BC Practice Exam 2 403

ELITE 5 Minutes to a 5
STUDENT 180 Activities and Questions in 5 Minutes a Day 433
EDITION

Formulas and Theorems 687


Bibliography 695
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

DEDICATION AND
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To
My wife, Mary
My daughters, Janet and Karen

I could not have written this book without the help of the following people:

My high school calculus teacher, Michael Cantor, who taught me calculus.


Professor Leslie Beebe, who taught me how to write.
David Pickman, who fixed my computer and taught me Equation Editor.
Jennifer Tobin, who tirelessly edited many parts of the manuscript and with whom I look forward to coauthor a
math book in the future.
Robert Teseo and his calculus students who field-tested many of the problems.
Allison Litvack, Rich Peck, and Liz Spiegel, who proofread sections of the Practice Tests. And a special thanks
to Trisha Ho, who edited Chapters 9 and 10.
Mark Reynolds, who proofread part of the manuscript.
Maxine Lifshitz, who offered many helpful comments and suggestions.
Grace Freedson, Del Franz, Vasundhara Sawhney, and Charles Wall for all their assistance.
Sam Lee and Derek Ma, who were on 24-hour call for technical support.
My older daughter, Janet, for not killing me for missing one of her concerts.
My younger daughter, Karen, who helped me with many of the computer graphics.
My wife, Mary, who gave me many ideas for the book and who often has more confidence in me than I have in
myself.

xii
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

PREFACE

Congratulations! You are an AP Calculus student. Not too shabby! As you know, AP Cal-
culus is one of the most challenging subjects in high school. You are studying mathematical
ideas that helped change the world. Not that long ago, calculus was taught at the graduate
level. Today, smart young people like yourself study calculus in high school. Most colleges
will give you credit if you score a 3 or more on the AP Calculus BC Exam.
So how do you do well on the AP Calculus BC Exam? How do you get a 5? Well, you’ve
already taken the first step. You’re reading this book. The next thing you need to do is to
make sure that you understand the materials and do the practice problems. In recent years,
the AP Calculus exams have gone through many changes. For example, today the questions
no longer stress long and tedious algebraic manipulations. Instead, you are expected to be
able to solve a broad range of problems including problems presented to you in the form of
a graph, a chart, or a word problem. For many of the questions, you are also expected to use
your calculator to find the solutions.
After having taught AP Calculus for many years and having spoken to students and other
calculus teachers, we understand some of the difficulties that students might encounter with
the AP Calculus exams. For example, some students have complained about not being able
to visualize what the question was asking and other students said that even when the solu-
tion was given, they could not follow the steps. Under these circumstances, who wouldn’t
be frustrated? In this book, we have addressed these issues. Whenever possible, problems
are accompanied by diagrams, and solutions are presented in a step-by-step manner. The
graphing calculator is used extensively whenever it is permitted. The book also begins with a
chapter on limits and continuity. These topics are normally taught in a pre-calculus course.
If you’re familiar with these concepts, you might skip this chapter and begin with Chapter 6.

So how do you get a 5 on the AP Calculus BC Exam?

Step 1: Set up your study program by selecting one of the three study plans in Chapter 2 of
this book.
Step 2: Determine your test readiness by taking the Diagnostic Exam in Chapter 3.
Step 3: Develop strategies for success by learning the test-taking techniques offered in
Chapter 4.
Step 4: Review the knowledge you need to score high by studying the subject materials in
Chapter 5 through Chapter 14.
Step 5: Build your test-taking confidence by taking the Practice Exams provided in this
book.

As an old martial artist once said, “First you must understand. Then you must practice.”
Have fun and good luck!

xiii
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

WILLIAM MA has taught calculus for many years. He received his BA and MA from
Columbia University. He was the chairman of the Math Department at the Herricks School
District on Long Island, New York, for many years before retiring. He also taught as adjunct
instructor at Baruch College, Fordham University, and Columbia University. He is the
author of several books, including test preparation books for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, and
AP Calculus AB. He is currently a math consultant.

CAROLYN WHEATER teaches Middle School and Upper School Mathematics at The
Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City. Educated at Marymount Manhattan
College and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, she has taught math and computer
technology for thirty years to students from preschool through college.

EMILY PILLAR has taught calculus since 2014. She received her BS from Tulane University,
earned a MS in Applied Mathematics and Engineering Sciences from Northwestern
University and a MS in Mathematics Education from Fordham University. She taught
at Schrieber High School in Port Washington and is currently teaching at Plainvew-Old
Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School on Long Island.

xiv
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

INTRODUCTION: THE
FIVE-STEP PROGRAM

How Is This Book Organized?


This book begins with an introduction to the Five-Step Program followed by 14 chapters
reflecting the 5 steps.
• Step 1 provides an overview of the AP Calculus BC Exam, and offers three study plans
for preparing for the Exam.
• Step 2 contains a diagnostic test with answers and explanations.
• Step 3 offers test-taking strategies for answering both multiple-choice and free-response
questions, and for using a graphing calculator.
• Step 4 consists of 10 chapters providing a comprehensive review of all topics covered on
the AP Calculus BC Exam. At the end of each chapter (beginning with Chapter 5), you
will find a set of practice problems with solutions, a set of cumulative review problems
with solutions, and a Rapid Review section giving you the highlights of the chapter.
• Step 5 provides three full practice AP Calculus BC Exams with answers, explanations,
and worksheets to compute your score.
The book concludes with a summary of math formulas and theorems needed for the AP
Calculus BC Exam. (Please note that the exercises in this book are done with the TI-89 Graphing
Calculator.)

Introducing the Five-Step Preparation Program


This book is organized as a five-step program to prepare you to succeed in the AP Calcu-
lus BC Exam. These steps are designed to provide you with vital skills, strategies, and the
practice that can lead you to that perfect 5. Here are the 5 steps.

Step 1: Set Up Your Study Plan


In this step you will read an overview of the AP Calculus BC Exam, including a summary of
topics covered in the exam and a description of the format of the exam. You will also follow
a process to help determine which of the following preparation programs is right for you:
• Full school year: September through May.
• One semester: January through May.
• Six weeks: Basic training for the exam.

Step 2: Determine Your Test Readiness


In this step you will take a diagnostic multiple-choice exam in calculus. This pre-test should
give you an idea of how prepared you are to take the real exam before beginning to study
for the actual AP Calculus BC Exam.

xv
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xvi Introduction: The Five-Step Program

Step 3: Develop Strategies for Success


In this step you will learn strategies that will help you do your best on the exam. These
strategies cover both the multiple-choice and free-response sections of the exam.

• Learn to read multiple-choice questions.


• Lean how to answer multiple-choice questions.
• Learn how to plan and write answers to the free-response questions.

Step 4: Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High


In this step you will learn or review the material you need to know for the test. This review
section takes up the bulk of this book. It contains:

• A comprehensive review of AP Calculus BC.


• A set of practice problems.
• A set of cumulative review problems beginning with Chapter 5.
• A rapid review summarizing the highlights of the chapter.

Step 5: Build Your Test-Taking Confidence


In this step you will complete your preparation by testing yourself on practice exams. We
have provided you with three complete practice exams in AP Calculus BC with solutions
and scoring guides. Although these practice exams are not reproduced questions from the
actual AP calculus exam, they mirror both the material tested by AP and the way in which
it is tested.
Finally, at the back of this book you will find additional resources to aid your
preparation. These include:

• A brief bibliography.
• A list of websites related to the AP Calculus BC exam.
• A summary of formulas and theorems related to the AP Calculus BC exam.

Introduction to the Graphics Used in This Book


To emphasize particular skills and strategies, we use several icons throughout this book.
An icon in the margin will alert you that you should pay particular attention to the
accompanying text. We use these icons:

KEY IDEA This icon points out a very important concept or fact that you should not pass over.

STRATEGY This icon calls your attention to a strategy that you may want to try.

TIP This icon indicates a tip that you might find useful.
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

5
TM
ELITE STUDENT
EDITION

5 STEPS TO A

AP Calculus BC
2024
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STEP 1
Set Up Your Study Plan
CHAPTER 1 What You Need to Know About the AP
Calculus BC Exam
CHAPTER 2 How to Plan Your Time
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CHAPTER 1
What You Need to Know
About the AP Calculus
BC Exam
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Learn what topics are tested in the exam, what the format is, which
calculators are allowed, and how the exam is graded.

Key Ideas
KEY IDEA
! The AP Calculus BC exam covers all of the topics in the AB exam as well as
additional topics including Euler’s Method, logistic differential equations, series,
and more.
! The AP Calculus BC exam has 45 multiple-choice questions and 6 free-response
questions. Each of the two types of questions makes up 50% of the grade.
! Many graphing calculators are permitted on the exam, including the TI-98.
! You may bring up to two approved calculators for the exam.
! You may store programs in your calculator and you are not required to clear the
memories in your calculator for the exam.

3
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4 STEP 1. Set Up Your Study Plan

1.1 What Is Covered on the AP Calculus BC Exam?


The AP Calculus AB and BC exams both cover the following topics:
• Functions, limits, and graphs of functions, continuity
• Definition and computation of derivatives, second derivatives, relationship between the
graphs of functions and their derivatives, applications of derivatives, L’Hoˆpital ’s Rule
• Finding antiderivatives, definite integrals, applications of integrals, fundamental theo-
rem of calculus, numerical approximations of definite integrals, separable differential
equations, and slope fields
The BC exam covers all of these topics as well as parametric, polar, and vector functions,
Euler’s Method, antiderivatives by parts and by partial fractions, improper integrals, logistic
differential equations, and series.
Students are expected to be able to solve problems that are expressed graphically, numer-
ically, analytically, and verbally. For a more detailed description of the topics covered in the
AP Calculus exams, visit the College Board AP website at: exploreap.org.

1.2 What Is the Format of the AP Calculus BC Exam?


The AP Calculus BC exam has 2 sections:
Section I contains 45 multiple-choice questions for which you are given 105 minutes to
complete.
Section II contains 6 free-response questions for which you are given 90 minutes to
complete.
The total time allotted for both sections is 3 hours and 15 minutes. Below is a summary
of the different parts of each section.

Section I Part A 30 questions No Calculator 60 Minutes


Multiple-Choice Part B 15 questions Calculator 45 Minutes

Section II Part A 2 questions Calculator 30 Minutes


Free-Response Part B 4 questions No Calculator 60 Minutes

During the time allotted for Part B of Section II, students may continue to work
on questions from Part A of Section II. However, they may not use a calculator at that
time. Please note that you are not expected to be able to answer all the questions in
order to receive a grade of 5. If you wish to see the specific instructions for each part of
the test, visit the College Board website at: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/
ap-calculus-bc/calculator-policy.
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

What You Need to Know About the AP Calculus BC Exam 5

1.3 What Are the Advanced Placement Exam Grades?


Advanced Placement Exam grades are given on a 5-point scale with 5 being the highest
grade. The grades are described below:

5 Extremely Well Qualified


4 Well Qualified
3 Qualified
2 Possibly Qualified
1 No Recommendation

How Is the AP Calculus BC Exam Grade Calculated?


• The exam has a total raw score of 108 points: 54 points for the multiple-choice questions
in Section I and 54 points for the free-response questions for Section II.
• Each correct answer in Section I is worth 1.2 points; there is no point deduction for incor-
rect answers and no points are given for unanswered questions. For example, suppose
your result in Section I is as follows:
Correct Incorrect Unanswered
40 5 0
Your raw score for Section I would be:
40 × 1.2 = 48. Not a bad score!

• Each complete and correct solution for questions in Section II is worth 9 points.
• The total raw score for both Section I and II is converted to a 5-point scale. The cutoff
points for each grade (1–5) vary from year to year. Visit the College Board website at:
https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/exploreap/the-rewards/exam-scores for more infor-
mation. Below is a rough estimate of the conversion scale:

Total Raw Score Approximate AP Grade


80–108 5
65–79 4
50–64 3
36–49 2
0–35 1

Remember, these are approximate cutoff points.


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6 STEP 1. Set Up Your Study Plan

1.4 Which Graphing Calculators Are Allowed for the Exam?


The following calculators are allowed:

CASIO HEWLETT-PACKARD TEXAS INSTRUMENTS


FX-6000 series HP-9G TI-73
FX-6200 series HP-28 series TI-80
FX-6300 series HP-38G series TI-81
FX-6500 series HP-39 series TI-82
FX-7000 series HP-40G TI-83
FX-7300 series HP-48 series TI-83 Plus
FX-7400 series HP-49 series TI-83 Plus Silver
FX-7500 series HP-50 series TI-84 Plus
FX-7700 series HP Prime TI-84 Plus SE
FX-7800 series TI-84 Plus Silver
FX-8000 series RADIO SHACK TI-84 Plus C Silver
FX-8500 series EC-4033 TI-84 Plus T
FX-8700 series EC-4034 TI-84 Plus CE-T
FX-8800 series EC-4037 TI-84 Plus CE Python
FX-9700 series TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Ed.
FX-9750 series SHARP TI-85
FX-9860 series EL-5200 TI-86
CFX-9800 series EL-9200 series TI-89
CFX-9850 series EL-9300 series TI-89 Titanium
CFX-9950 series EL-9600 series (no stylus) TI-Nspire
CFX-9970 series EL-9900 series TI-Nspire CX
FX 1.0 series TI-Nspire CAS
Algebra FX 2.0 series OTHER TI-Nspire CX CAS
FX-CG-10 (PRIZM) Datexx DS-883 TI-Nspire CM-C
FX-CG-20 Micronta TI-Nspire CAS CX-C
FX-CG 500 (no stylus) NumWorks TI-Nspire CX-II CAS
FX-CG-50 Smart TI-Nspire CX-T
Graph25 series
Graph35 series TI-Nspire CX-II
Graph75 series TI-Nspire CX-T CAS
Graph85 series TI-Nspire CX II-C CAS
Graph100 series
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

What You Need to Know About the AP Calculus BC Exam 7

For a more complete list, visit the College Board website at: https://apstudent.collegeboard
.org/apcourse/ap-calculus-bc/calculator-policy. If you wish to use a graphing calculator that
is not on the approved list, your teacher must obtain written permission from the ETS before
April 1 of the testing year.

Calculators and Other Devices Not Allowed for the AP Calculus


BC Exam
• TI-92 Plus, Voyage 200, HP-95, and devices with QWERTY keyboards
• Non-graphing scientific calculators
• Laptop computers
• Pocket organizers, electronic writing pads, or pen-input devices
• Cellular phone calculators

Other Restrictions on Calculators


• You may bring up to 2 (but no more than 2) approved graphing calculators to the exam.
• You may not share calculators with another student.
• You may store programs in your calculator.
• You are not required to clear the memories in your calculator for the exam.
• You may not use the memories of your calculator to store secured questions and take
them out of the testing room.
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

CHAPTER 2
How to Plan Your Time
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: The right preparation plan for you depends on your study habits and the
amount of time you have before the test.

Key Idea
KEY IDEA
! Choose the study plan that is right for you.

2.1 Three Approaches to Preparing


for the AP Calculus BC Exam
Overview of the Three Plans
No one knows your study habits, likes, and dislikes better than you. So, you are the only one
who can decide which approach you want and/or need to adopt to prepare for the Advanced
Placement Calculus BC exam. Look at the brief profiles below. These may help you to place
yourself in a particular prep mode.

You are a full-year prep student (Plan A) if:

1. You are the kind of person who likes to plan for everything far in advance . . . and I mean
far . . . ;
2. You arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight because “you never know when these
planes might leave early . . . ”;
3. You like detailed planning and everything in its place;
4. You feel you must be thoroughly prepared;
5. You hate surprises.

8
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How to Plan Your Time 9

You are a one-semester prep student (Plan B) if:

1. You get to the airport 1 hour before your flight is scheduled to leave;
2. You are willing to plan ahead to feel comfortable in stressful situations, but are okay
with skipping some details;
3. You feel more comfortable when you know what to expect, but a surprise or two is cool;
4. You’re always on time for appointments.

You are a six-week prep student (Plan C) if:

1. You get to the airport just as your plane is announcing its final boarding;
2. You work best under pressure and tight deadlines;
3. You feel very confident with the skills and background you’ve learned in your AP
Calculus class;
4. You decided late in the year to take the exam;
5. You like surprises;
6. You feel okay if you arrive 10–15 minutes late for an appointment.
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10 STEP 1. Set Up Your Study Plan

2.2 Calendar for Each Plan

Plan A: You Have a Full School Year to Prepare

Although its primary purpose is to prepare you for the AP Calculus BC Exam you will take in May, this
book can enrich your study of calculus, your analytical skills, and your problem-solving techniques.

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER (Check off the activities as JANUARY (20 weeks have now elapsed.)
you complete them.)
Read and study Chapter 11 Definite
Determine into which student mode you Integrals.
would place yourself. Review Chapters 8–10.
Carefully read Steps 1 and 2.
Get on the Web and take a look at the AP FEBRUARY
website(s).
Skim the Comprehensive Review section. Read and study Chapter 12 Areas and
(These areas will be part of your year-long Volumes.
preparation.) Read and study Chapter 13 More
Buy a few highlighters. Applications of Definite Integrals.
Flip through the entire book. Break the Take the Diagnostic Test.
book in. Write in it. Toss it around a little Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
bit . . . highlight it. Study appropriate chapters to correct
Get a clear picture of what your own school’s weaknesses.
AP Calculus curriculum is.
Begin to use the book as a resource to sup- MARCH (30 weeks have now elapsed.)
plement the classroom learning.
Read and study Chapter 14 Series.
Read and study Chapter 5 Limits and Con-
Review Chapters 11–13.
tinuity.
Read and study Chapter 6 Differentiation.
APRIL
Read and study Chapter 7 Graphs of Func-
tions and Derivatives. Take Practice Exam 1 in first week of
April.
NOVEMBER (The first 10 weeks have elapsed.)
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
Study appropriate chapters to correct
Read and study Chapter 8 Applications of
weaknesses.
Derivatives.
Review Chapters 5–14.
Read and study Chapter 9 More Applica-
tions of Derivatives.
MAY First Two Weeks (THIS IS IT!)
DECEMBER
Take Practice Exam 2.
Score yourself.
Read and study Chapter 10 Integration.
Study appropriate chapters to correct
Review Chapters 5–7.
weaknesses.
Get a good night’s sleep the night before
the exam. Fall asleep knowing you are
well prepared.

GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!


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How to Plan Your Time 11

Plan B: You Have One Semester to Prepare

Working under the assumption that you’ve completed one semester of calcu-
lus studies, the following calendar will use those skills you’ve been practicing
to prepare you for the May exam.

JANUARY Read and study Chapter 13 More


Applications of Definite Integrals.
Carefully read Steps 1 and 2. Read and study Chapter 14 Series.
Read and study Chapter 5 Limits and Review Chapters 9–11.
Continuity.
Read and study Chapter 6 Differentiation. APRIL
Read and study Chapter 7 Graphs of Func-
tions and Derivatives. Take Practice Exam 1 in first week of
Read and Study Chapter 8 Applications of April.
Derivatives. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
Study appropriate chapters to correct
FEBRUARY weaknesses.
Review Chapters 5–14.
Read and study Chapter 9 More
Applications of Derivatives. MAY First Two Weeks (THIS IS IT!)
Read and study Chapter 10 Integration.
Read and study Chapter 11 Definite Take Practice Exam 2.
Integrals. Score yourself.
Take the Diagnostic Test. Study appropriate chapters to correct
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. weaknesses.
Study appropriate chapters to correct Get a good night’s sleep the night before
weaknesses. the exam. Fall asleep knowing you are
Review Chapters 5–8. well prepared.

MARCH (10 weeks to go.)

Read and study Chapter 12 Areas and


Volumes.

GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!


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12 STEP 1. Set Up Your Study Plan

Plan C: You Have Six Weeks to Prepare

At this point, we are going to assume that you have been building your calculus
knowledge base for more than six months. You will, therefore, use this book primarily
as a specific guide to the AP Calculus BC Exam.
Given the time constraints, now is not the time to try to expand your AP Calculus
curriculum. Rather, it is the time to limit and refine what you already do know.

APRIL 1st –15th Take Practice Exam 1.


Score yourself and analyze your errors.
Skim Steps 1 and 2. Study appropriate chapters to correct
Skim Chapters 5–9. weaknesses.
Carefully go over the “Rapid Review”
sections of Chapters 5–9. MAY First Two Weeks (THIS IS IT!)
Take the Diagnostic Test.
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Take Practice Exam 2.
Study appropriate chapters to correct weak- Score yourself and analyze your errors.
nesses. Study appropriate chapters to correct
weaknesses.
APRIL 16th–May 1st Get a good night’s sleep. Fall asleep
knowing you are well prepared.
Skim Chapters 10–14.
Carefully go over the “Rapid Review”
sections of Chapters 10–14.

GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!


MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

How to Plan Your Time 13

Summary of the Three Study Plans


MONTH PLAN A: PLAN B: PLAN C:
September–
October Chapters 5–7
November Chapters 8 & 9
December Chapter 10
Review Chapters 5–7
January Chapter 11
Review Chapters 8–10 Chapters 5–8
February Chapters 12 & 13 Chapters 9–11
Diagnostic Test Diagnostic Test
Review Chapters 5–8
March Chapter 14 Chapters 12–14
Review Chapters 11–13 Review Chapters 9–11
April Practice Exam 1 Practice Exam 1 Diagnostic Test
Review Chapters 5–14 Review Chapters 5–14 Review Chapters 5–9
Practice Exam 1
Review Chapters 10–14
May Practice Exam 2 Practice Exam 2 Practice Exam 2
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STEP 2
Determine Your Test
Readiness
CHAPTER 3 Take a Diagnostic Exam
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CHAPTER 3
Take a Diagnostic Exam
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Get started on your review by working out the problems in the diagnostic
exam. Use the answer sheet to record your answers. After you have finished working
the problems, check your answers with the answer key. The problems in the
diagnostic exam are presented in small groups matching the order of the review
chapters. Your results should give you a good idea of how well you are prepared for
the AP Calculus BC exam at this time. Note those chapters that you need to study
the most, and spend more time on them. Good luck. You can do it.

Key Ideas
KEY IDEA
! Work out the problems in the diagnostic exam carefully.
! Check your work against the given answers.
! Determine your areas of strength and weakness.
! Identify and mark the pages that you must give special attention.

17
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Take a Diagnostic Exam 19

DIAGNOSTIC TEST ANSWER SHEET

1. 21. 41.
2. 22. 42.
3. 23. 43.
4. 24. 44.
5. 25. 45.
6. 26. 46.
7. 27. 47.
8. 28. 48.
9. 29. 49.
10. 30. 50.
11. 31. 51.
12. 32. 52.
13. 33. 53.
14. 34. 54.
15. 35. 55.
16. 36. 56.
17. 37. 57.
18. 38. 58.
19. 39. 59.
20. 40. 60.
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Take a Diagnostic Exam 21

3.1 Getting Started!


Taking the Diagnostic Test helps you assess your strengths and weaknesses as you begin
preparing for the AP Calculus BC exam. The questions in the Diagnostic Test contain both
multiple-choice and open-ended questions. They are arranged by topic and designed to
review concepts tested on the AP Calculus BC exam. All questions in the diagnostic test can
be done without the use of a graphing calculator, except in a few cases where you need to
find the numerical value of a logarithmic or exponential function.

3.2 Diagnostic Test


Chapter 5 ex − eπ
8. Evaluate lim .
1. A function f is continuous on [−2, 0] and x →π xe − πe
some of the values of f are shown below. Chapter 7
9. The graph of f is shown in Figure D-1. Draw
x −2 −1 0 a possible graph of f  on (a , b).

f 4 b 4 y

f
If f (x ) = 2 has no solution on [−2, 0], then
b could be
(A) 3 a c 0 d e f b x
(B) 2
(C) 0
(D) −2

x2 − 4 Figure D-1
2. Evaluate lim .
x →−∞ 2x
10. The graph of the function g is shown in
3. If √ Figure D-2. Which of the following is true for
x if x > 4 g on (a , b)?
h(x ) = find lim h(x ).
x − 12
2
if x ≤ 4 x →4 I. g is monotonic on (a , b).
II. g  is continuous on (a , b).
4. If f (x ) = |2x e x |, what is the value of III. g  >0 on (a , b).
lim+ f  (x )?
x →0
y
Chapter 6
 
π g
5. If f (x ) = −2 csc (5x ), find f  .
6

6. Given the equation y = (x + 1)(x − 3)2 , what is 0 x


a b
the instantaneous rate of change of y at x = −1?
   
π π
tan + Δ x − tan
4 4
7. What is lim ?
Δ x →0 Δx Figure D-2
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22 STEP 2. Determine Your Test Readiness

 x
11. The graph of f is shown in Figure D-3 and f
14. If g (x ) = f (t)d t and the graph of f is
is twice differentiable. Which of the following a
statements is true? shown in Figure D-5, which of the graphs in
Figure D-6 on the next page is a possible
graph of g ?
y
y
f

f(t)

t
a 0 b
0 10 x

Figure D-3 Figure D-5

(A) f (10) < f  (10) < f  (10) 15. The graphs of f  , g  , p  , and q  are shown in
(B) f  (10) < f  (10) < f (10) Figure D-7 on the next page. Which of the
functions f, g, p, or q have a point of
(C) f  (10) < f (10) < f  (10) inflection on (a , b)?
(D) f  (10) < f  (10) < f (10) 16. Find the rectangular equation of the curve
defined by x = 1 + e −t and y = 1 + e t .
12. The graph of f  , the derivative of f , is shown
in Figure D-4. At what value(s) of x is the
graph of f concave up? Chapter 8
17. When the area of a square is increasing four
times as fast as the diagonals, what is the
y length of a side of the square?

18. If g (x ) = |x 2 − 4x − 12|, which of the
following statements about g is/are true?

I. g has a relative maximum at x = 2.


II. g is differentiable at x = 6.
x1 0 x2 x3 x4 x
III. g has a point of inflection at x = −2.

Chapter 9

19. Given the equation y = x − 1, what is an
Figure D-4 equation of the normal line to the graph at
x = 5?

13. How many points of inflection does the graph 20. What is the slope of the tangent to the curve
of y = sin(x 2 ) have on the interval [−π, π ]? y = cos(x y ) at x = 0?
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Take a Diagnostic Exam 23

y y
(A) (B)

a b
0 x 0 x
a b

y
(C) y (D)

a 0 b x a 0 b x

Figure D-6

y y
f'

g'

a 0 b x a 0 b x

y y
p'
q'

a 0 b x a 0 b x

Figure D-7
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24 STEP 2. Determine Your Test Readiness

21. The velocity function of a moving particle Chapter 11


on the x -axis is given as v (t) = t 2 − t, t ≥ 0.  4
1
For what values of t is the particle’s speed 33. Evaluate √ dx.
1 x
decreasing?
 k
22. The velocity function of a moving particle is
34. If (2x − 3) d x = 6, find k.
t3 −1
v (t) = − 2t 2 + 5 for 0 ≤ t ≤ 6. What is the
3  x 
maximum acceleration of the particle on the 35. If h(x ) = sin t d t, find h  (π ).
interval 0 ≤ t ≤ 6? π/2

23. Write an equation of the normal line to the 36. If f  (x ) = g (x ) and g is a continuous function
 2
graph of f (x ) = x 3 for x ≥ 0 at the point
where f  (x ) = 12. for all real values of x , then g (3x ) d x is
0
24. At what value(s) of x do the graphs of 1 1
ln x (A) f (6) − f (0)
f (x ) = and y = −x 2 have perpendicular 3 3
x
tangent lines? (B) f (2) − f (0)
25. Given
 a differentiable
function
 f with (C) f (6) − f (0)
π π 1 1
f = 3 and f  = −1. Using a (D) f (0) − f (6)
2 2 3 3
π
tangent line to the graph at x = , find an  x
 2 
π π 37. Evaluate sin (2t) d t.
approximate value of f + . π
2 180
38. If a function f is continuous for all values of
26. An object moves in√the plane on a path given
x , which of the following statements is/are
by x = 4t and y = t. Find the acceleration
2
always true?
vector when t = 4.  c  b
27. Find the equation of the tangent line to the I. f (x )d x = f (x )d x
curve defined by x = 2t + 3, y = t 2 + 2t a a

at t = 1.
 c
+ f (x )d x
Chapter 10 b
  
1 − x2 b c
28. Evaluate dx. II. f (x )d x = f (x )d x
x2
a a
ex 
29. If f (x ) is an antiderivative of and b
ex + 1 − f (x )d x
f (0) = ln (2), find f (ln 2). c
 c  a
30. Find the volume of the solid generated by
revolving about the x -axis the region III. f (x )d x = f (x )d x
b b
bounded by the graph of y = sin 2x for  a
1
0 ≤ x ≤ π and the line y = . − f (x )d x
2 c
 5   
1 x
π 5π
31. Evaluate dx. 39. If g (x ) = 2 sin t d t on , , find
2 x + 2x − 3
2
2 2
 π/2
the value(s) of x , where g has a local
32. Evaluate x 2 cos x d x . minimum.
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Take a Diagnostic Exam 25


 ∞
42. The graph of f consists of four line segments,
40. Evaluate e −x d x .
for −1 ≤ x ≤ 5 as shown in Figure D-9.
0  5
What is the value of f (x ) d x ?
−1
Chapter 12 y
41. The graph of the velocity function of a
moving particle is shown in Figure D-8. What
is the total distance traveled by the particle f
during 0 ≤ t ≤ 6? 1

v(t) x
–1 0 1 2 3 4 5
(feet/second)

–1
20
v
10
Figure D-9
t
0 2 4 6 8
(seconds) 43. Find the area of the region enclosed by the
–10 graph of y = x 2 − x and the x -axis.
 k
44. If f (x ) d x = 0 for all real values of k, then
−k
Figure D-8 which of the graphs in Figure D-10 could be
the graph of f ?

(A) y (B) y

0 x 0 x

(C) y (D) y

0 x 0 x

Figure D-10
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

26 STEP 2. Determine Your Test Readiness

√ dy
45. The area under the curve y = x from x = 1 decays according to the equation = ky ,
dt
to x = k is 8. Find the value of k. where k is a constant and t is measured in
years, find the value of k.
46. For 0 ≤ x ≤ 3π , find the area of the region
bounded by the graphs of y = sin x and 53. What is the volume of the solid whose base is
y = cos x . the region enclosed by the graphs of y = x 2
and y = x + 2 and whose cross sections are
perpendicular to the x -axis are squares?
47. Let f be a continuous function on [0, 6] that
has selected values as shown below: 54. The growth of a colony of bacteria in a
controlled environment
 is modeled by
x 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 dP P
= .35P 1 − . If the initial
f (x ) 1 2 5 10 17 26 37 dt 4000
population is 100, find the population when
t = 5.
Using three midpoint rectangles of equal
widths, find an approximate value of d y −y
 6 55. If = and y = 3 when x = 2,
dx x2
f (x )d x . approximate y when x = 3 using Euler’s
0 Method with a step size of 0.5.
48. Find the area of the region in the first
quadrant bounded by the curves r = 2 cos θ
and r = 2 sin θ . Chapter 14
∞ (−1)n
49. Determine the length of the curve defined 56. If S is the sum of the series and s n ,
by x = 3t − t 3 and y = 3t 2 from t = 0 to n =1 2n

t = 2. its nth partial sum, what is the maximum


value of |S − s 5 |?
∞ 3
Chapter 13
57. Determine whether the series
n =0 (n + 1)
4
dy
50. If = 2 sin x and at x = π, y = 2, find a converges or diverges.
dx
solution to the differential equation.
58. For what values of x does the series
51. Water is leaking from a tank at the rate of x2 x3 x4
f (t)=10 ln(t +1) gallons per hour x− + − + · · · converge absolutely?
2 3 4
for 0 ≤ t ≤ 10, where t is measured in hours.
How many gallons of water have leaked from 1
the tank after exactly 5 hours? 59. Find the Taylor series expansion of f (x ) =
x
about the point x = 2.
52. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. If y is
60. Find the MacLaurin series for e −x .
2
the amount of Carbon-14 present and y
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Take a Diagnostic Exam 27

3.3 Answers to Diagnostic Test

1
1. A 21. <t <1 41. 50 feet
2
1
2. − 22. 12 42. 2
2
−1 49 1
3. Does not exist 23. y = x+ 43.
12 6 6
4. 2 24. 1.370 44. D

5. −20 3 25. 2.983 45. 132/3
1
6. 16 26. 8, − 46. 5.657
32
7. 2 27. y = 2x − 7 47. 76
e π −1 −1 π
8. 28. −x +C 48. −1
π e −1 x 2
9. See Figure DS-2 in solution 29. ln 3 49. 14
10. II & III 30. 1.503 50. y = −2 cos x
 
1 5
11. C 31. ln 51. 57.506
4 2
− ln 2
12. x < x 2 32. x 2 sin x + 2x cos x − 2 sin x + C 52.
5730
81
13. 8 33. 2 53.
10
14. A 34. −2, 5 54. 514.325

15. q 35. 0 55. 2.415


x 1
16. y = 36. A 56.
x −1 12
 −1 1
17. 2 2 37. cos (2x ) + 57. Converges
2 2
18. I 38. I & III 58. −1 < x < 1


(−1)
n
19. y = −4x + 22 (x − 2)
n
39. 2π 59.
2n+1
n=0
 
∞ n
(−1) x 2n
20. 0 40. 1 60.
n!
n=0
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

28 STEP 2. Determine Your Test Readiness

3.4 Solutions to Diagnostic Test


Chapter 5 lim f  (x ) = lim+ (2e x + 2x e x ) =
x →0+ x →0
1. See Figure DS-1. 2e + 0 = 2
0
If b = 2, then x = −1 would be a solution for
f (x ) = 2. Chapter 6
If b = 0 or −2, f (x ) = 2 would have two 5. f (x ) = −2 csc (5x )
solutions.
f  (x ) = −2(−csc 5x ) [cot (5x )] (5)
Thus, b = 3, choice (A).
= 10 csc (5x ) cot (5x )
y      
(–2,4) 4 (0,4) π 5π 5π
f 
= 10 csc cot
6 6 6
3
 
= 10(2)(− 3) = −20 3
2 y=2

1 6. y = (x + 1)(x − 3)2 ;
dy
= (1)(x − 3)2 + 2(x − 3)(x + 1)
–2 –1 0 x dx
= (x − 3) + 2(x − 3)(x + 1)
2
–1
d y 
= (−1 − 3)2 + 2(−1 − 3)(−1 + 1)
d x x =−1
–2

= (−4)2 + 0 = 16
Figure DS-1
   √ f (x 1 + Δ x ) − f (x 1 )
7. f  (x 1 ) = lim
x2 − 4 x 2 − 4 (− x 2 ) Δ x →0 Δx
2. lim = lim  √    
x →−∞ 2x x →−∞ 2x (− x 2 ) π π
√ tan + Δ x − tan
(Note: as x → −∞, x = − x 2 .) 4 4
 Thus, lim
 Δ x →0 Δx
− (x 2 − 4) x 2 d π
= lim = (tan x ) at x =
x →−∞ 2 dx 4
  
− 1 − (4/x 2 ) π 
= sec = ( 2)2 = 2
2
= lim
x →−∞ 2 4
 ex − eπ ex
1 1 8. By L’Hoˆpital ’s Rule, lim e = lim
=− =− x →π x − π e x →π e x e −1
2 2 x −1 π −1
√ e e
x if x > 4 = lim e −1 = e −1 .
3. h (x ) = x →π x π
x 2 − 12 if x ≤ 4
√  Chapter 7
lim+ h(x ) = lim+ x = 4 = 2
x →4 x →4 9. See Figure DS-2 on the next page.
lim h(x ) = lim− (x − 12) =(4 − 12) = 4
2 2
x →4− x →4 10. I. Since the graph of g is decreasing and
Since lim+ h(x ) =
/ lim− h(x ) , thus lim h(x ) then increasing, it is not monotonic.
x →4 x →4 x →4
does not exist. II. Since the graph of g is a smooth curve,
 g  is continuous.
 x 2x e x if x ≥ 0
 
4. f (x ) = 2x e =
−2x e x if x < 0 III. Since the graph of g is concave upward,
If x ≥ 0, f  (x ) = 2e x + e x (2x ) = g  > 0.
2e x + 2x e x Thus, only statements II and III are true.
MA 2727-MA-Book May 23, 2023, 2023 14:28

Take a Diagnostic Exam 29

Based on the graph of f: 13. See Figure DS-4.


Enter y 1 = sin(x 2 ). Using the [Inflection]
f incr. decr. incr. function of your calculator, you obtain four
[ points of inflection on [0, π ]. The points of
[ inflection occur at x = 0.81, 1.81, 2.52, and
a 0 e b
3.07. Since y 1 = sin (x 2 ) is an even function,
f' + 0 – 0 +
there is a total of eight points of inflection on
[−π, π ]. An alternate solution is to enter
Concave d2
f Concave downward upward
y 2 = 2 (y 1 (x ), x , 2). The graph of y 2 crosses
[ dx
[ the x -axis eight times, thus eight zeros on
a d b [−π, π ].
f" – +

f' decr. incr.

A possible graph of f ′
Figure DS-4
y
 x
14. Since g (x ) = f (t)d t, g  (x ) = f (x ).
a

See Figure DS-5.


a 0 d e b x
The only graph that satisfies the behavior of g
is choice (A).
g′(x)=f (x) + 0 –

[ [
a 0 b
Figure DS-2 g(x) incr. decr.

11. The graph indicates that (1) f (10) = 0, rel. max.


(2) f  (10) < 0, since f is decreasing; and
(3) f  (10) > 0, since f is concave upward. Figure DS-5
Thus, f  (10) < f (10) < f  (10), choice (C).
15. See Figure DS-6.
12. See Figure DS-3.
A change of concavity occurs at x = 0 for q .
The graph of f is concave upward for
Thus, q has a point of inflection at x = 0.
x < x2.
None of the other functions has a point of
inflection.
f′ incr. decr. q′ incr decr

[ [
x2 a 0 b
f″ + – + –
q″

f Concave Concave q Concave Concave


upward downward upward downward

Figure DS-3 Figure DS-6


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to the share of any of the corresponding class in the sixteenth
century. The King keeps a more splendid court. The establishments
of the nobles are more magnificent. The esquires are richer; the
merchants are richer; the shopkeepers are richer. The serving-man,
the artisan, and the husbandman, have a more copious and
palatable supply of food, better clothing, and better furniture. This is
no reason for tolerating abuses, or for neglecting any means of
ameliorating the condition of our poorer countrymen. But it is a
reason against telling them, as some of our philosophers are
constantly telling them, that they are the most wretched people who
ever existed on the face of the earth.
“We have already adverted to Mr. Southey’s amusing doctrine
about national wealth. A state, says he, cannot be too rich; but a
people may be too rich. His reason for thinking this is extremely
curious.
“A people may be too rich, because it is the tendency of the
commercial, and more especially of the manufacturing system, to
collect wealth rather than to diffuse it. Where wealth is necessarily
employed in any of the speculations of trade, its increase is in
proportion to its amount. Great capitalists become like pikes in a
fish-pond, who devour the weaker fish; and it is but too certain. that
the poverty of one part of the people seems to increase in the same
ratio as the riches of another. There are examples of this in history.
In Portugal, when the high tide of wealth flowed in from the
conquests in Africa and the East, the effect of that great influx was
not more visible in the augmented splendour of the court, and the
luxury of the higher ranks, than in the distress of the people.”
Mr. Southey’s instance is not a very fortunate one. The wealth
which did so little for the Portuguese was not the fruit either of
manufactures or of commerce carried on by private individuals. It
was the wealth, not of the people, but of the government and its
creatures, of those who, as Mr. Southey thinks, can never be too
rich. The fact is that Mr. Southey’s proposition is opposed to all
history, and to the phænomena which surround us on every side.
England is the richest country in Europe, the most commercial
country, and the country in which manufactures flourish most.
Russia and Poland are the poorest countries in Europe. They have
scarcely any trade, and none but the rudest manufactures. Is wealth
more diffused in Russia and Poland than in England? There are
individuals in Russia and Poland whose incomes are probably equal
to those of our richest countrymen. It may be doubted whether
there are not, in those countries, as many fortunes of eighty
thousand a year as here. But are there as many fortunes of two
thousand a year, or of one thousand a year? There are parishes in
England which contain more people of between three hundred and
three thousand pounds a year than could be found in all the
dominions of the Emperor Nicholas. The neat and commodious
houses which have been built in London and its vicinity, for people of
this class, within the last thirty years would of themselves form a city
larger than the capitals of some European kingdoms. And this is the
state of society in which the great proprietors have devoured a
smaller!
The cure which Mr. Southey thinks that he has discovered is
worthy of the sagacity which he has shown in detecting the evil. The
calamities arising from the collection of wealth in the hands of a few
capitalists are to be remedied by collecting it in the hands of one
great capitalist, who has no conceivable motive to use it better than
other capitalists, the all-devouring state.
It is not strange that, differing so widely from Mr. Southey as to
the past progress of society, we should differ from him also as to its
probable destiny. He thinks, that to all outward appearance, the
country is hastening to destruction; but he relies firmly on the
goodness of God. We do not see either the piety or the rationality of
thus confidently expecting that the Supreme Being will interfere to
disturb the common succession of causes and effects. We, too, rely
on his goodness, on his goodness as manifested, not in
extraordinary interpositions, but in those general laws which it has
pleased him to establish in the physical and in the moral world. We
rely on the natural tendency of the human intellect to truth, and on
the natural tendency of society to improvement. We know no well
authenticated instance of a people which has decidedly retrograded
in civilisation and prosperity, except from the influence of violent and
terrible calamities, such as those which laid the Roman empire in
ruins, or those which, about the beginning of the sixteenth century,
desolated Italy. We know of no country which, at the end of fifty
years of peace, and tolerably good government, has been less
prosperous than at the beginning of that period. The political
importance of a state may decline, as the balance of power is
disturbed by the introduction of new forces. Thus the influence of
Holland and of Spain is much diminished. But are Holland and Spain
poorer than formerly? We doubt it. Other countries have outrun
them. But we suspect that they have been positively, though not
relatively, advancing. We suspect that Holland is richer than when
she sent her navies up the Thames, that Spain is richer than when a
French king was brought captive to the footstool of Charles the Fifth.
History is full of the signs of this natural progress of society. We
see in almost every part of the annals of mankind how the industry
of individuals, struggling up against wars, taxes, famines,
conflagrations, mischievous prohibitions, and more mischievous
protections, creates faster than governments can squander, and
repairs whatever invaders can destroy. We see the wealth of nations
increasing, and all the arts of life approaching nearer and nearer to
perfection, in spite of the grossest corruption and the wildest
profusion on the part of rulers.
The present moment is one of great distress. But how small will
that distress appear when we think over the history of the last forty
years; a war, compared with which all other wars sink into
insignificance; taxation, such as the most heavily taxed people of
former times could not have conceived; a debt larger than all the
public debts that ever existed in the world added together; the food
of the people studiously rendered dear; the currency imprudently
debased, and imprudently restored. Yet is the country poorer than in
1790? We firmly believe that, in spite of all the mis-government of
her rulers, she has been almost constantly becoming richer and
richer. Now and then there has been a stoppage, now and then a
short retrogression; but as to the general tendency there can be no
doubt. A single breaker may recede; but the tide is evidently coming
in.
If we were to prophesy that in the year 1980 a population of fifty
millions, better fed, clad, and lodged than the English of our time,
will cover these islands, that Sussex and Huntingdonshire will be
wealthier than the wealthiest parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire
now are, that cultivation, rich as that of a flower-garden, will be
carried up to the very tops of Ben Nevis and Helvellyn, that
machines constructed on principles yet undiscovered will be in every
house, that there will be no highways but railroads, no travelling but
by steam, that our debt, vast as it seems to us, will appear to our
great-grandchildren a trifling encumbrance, which might easily be
paid off in a year or two, many people would think us insane. We
prophesy nothing; but this we say: If any person had told the
Parliament which met in perplexity and terror after the crash in 1720
that in 1880 the wealth of England would surpass all their wildest
dreams, that the annual revenue would equal the principal of that
debt which they considered as an intolerable burden, that for one
man of ten thousand pounds then living there would be five men of
fifty thousand pounds, that London would be twice as large and
twice as populous, and that nevertheless the rate of mortality would
have diminished to one half of what it then was, that the post-office
would bring more into the exchequer than the excise and customs
had brought in together under Charles the Second, that stage-
coaches would run from London to York in twenty-four hours, that
men would be in the habit of sailing without wind, and would be
beginning to ride without horses, our ancestors would have given as
much credit to the prediction as they gave to Gulliver’s Travels. Yet
the prediction would have been true; and they would have perceived
that it was not altogether absurd, if they had considered that the
country was then raising every year a sum which would have
purchased the fee-simple of the revenue of the Plantagenets, ten
times what supported the government of Elizabeth, three times
what, in the time of Oliver Cromwell, had been thought intolerably
oppressive. To almost all men the state of things under which they
have been used to live seems to be the necessary state of things.
We have heard it said that five per cent, is the natural interest of
money, that twelve is the natural number of a jury, that forty
shillings is the natural qualification of a county voter. Hence it is that,
though in every age everybody knows that up to his own time
progressive improvement has been taking place, nobody seems to
reckon on any improvement during the next generation. We cannot
absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has
reached a turning point, that we have seen our best days. But so
said all who came before us, and with just as much apparent reason.
“A million a year will beggar us,” said the patriots of 1640. “Two
millions a year will grind the country to powder,” was the cry in
1660, “Six millions a year, and a debt of fifty millions!” exclaimed
Swift; “the high allies have been the ruin of us.”
“A hundred and forty millions of debt!” said Junius; “well may we
say that we owe Lord Chatham more than we shall ever pay, if we
owe him such a load as this.”
“Two hundred and forty millions of debt!” cried all the statesmen
of 1783 in chorus; “what abilities, or what economy on the part of a
minister, can save a country so burdened?” We know that if, since
1783, no fresh debt had been incurred, the increased resources of
the country would have enabled us to defray that debt at which Pitt,
Fox, and Burke stood aghast, nay, to defray it over and over again,
and that with much lighter taxation than what we have actually
borne. On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but
improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration
before us?
It is not by the intermeddling of Mr. Southey’s idol, the omniscient
and omnipotent State, but by the prudence and energy of the
people, that England has hitherto been carried forward in civilisation;
and it is to the same prudence and the same energy that we now
look with comfort and good hope. Our rulers will best promote the
improvement of the nation by strictly confining themselves to their
own legitimate duties, by leaving capital to find its most lucrative
course, commodities their fair price, industry and intelligence their
natural reward, idleness and folly their natural punishment, by
maintaining peace, by defending property, by diminishing the price
of law, and by observing strict economy in every department of the
state. Let the Government do this: the People will assuredly do the
rest.
MR. ROBERT MONTGOMERY. (1)
(Edinburgh Review, April 1830.)

T
he wise men of antiquity loved to convey instruction under the
covering of apologue; and though this practice is generally
thought childish, we shall make no apology for adopting it on
the present occasion. A generation which has bought eleven editions
of a poem by Mr. Robert Montgomery may well condescend to listen
to a fable of Pilpay. (2)
A pious Brahmin, it is written, made a vow that on a certain day
he would sacrifice a sheep, and on the appointed morning he went
forth to buy one. There lived in his neighbourhood three rogues who
knew of his vow, and laid a scheme for profiting by it. The first met
him and said, “Oh Brahmin, wilt thou buy a sheep? I have one fit for
sacrifice.”
“It is for that very purpose,” said the holy man, “that I came forth
this day.” Then the impostor opened a bag, and brought out of it an
unclean beast, an ugly dog, lame and blind. Thereon the Brahmin
cried out, “Wretch, who touchest things impure, and utterest things
untrue, callest thou that cur a sheep?” “Truly,” answered the other,
“it is a sheep of the finest fleece, and of the

(1). The Omnipresence of the Deity: a Poem. By Robert


Montgomery. Eleventh Edition. London: 1830.

(2). Satan: a Poem. By Robert Montgomery. Second Edition.


London: 1830.

sweetest flesh. Oh Brahmin, it will be an offering most acceptable


to the gods.”
“Friend,” said the Brahmin, “either thou or I must be blind.”
Just then one of the accomplice’s came up. “Praised be the gods,”
said this second rogue, “that I have been saved the trouble of going
to the market for a sheep! This is such a sheep as I wanted. For how
much wilt thou sell it?” When the Brahmin heard this, his mind
waved to and fro, like one swinging in the air at a holy festival. “Sir,”
said he to the new comer, “take heed what thou dost; this is no
sheep, but an unclean cur.”
“Oh Brahmin,” said the new comer, “thou art drunk or mad!”
At this time the third confederate drew near. “Let us ask this man,”
said the Brahmin, “what the creature is, and I will stand by what he
shall say.” To this the others agreed; and the Brahmin called out, “Oh
stranger, what dost thou call this beast?”
“Surely, oh Brahmin,” said the knave, “it is a fine sheep.” Then the
Brahmin said, “Surely the gods have taken away my senses;” and he
asked pardon of him who carried the dog, and bought it for a
measure of rice and a pot of ghee, and offered it up to the gods,
who, being wroth at this unclean sacrifice, smote him with a sore
disease in all his joints.
Thus, or nearly thus, if we remember rightly, runs the story of the
Sanscrit Æsop. The moral, like the moral of every fable that is worth
the telling, lies on the surface. The writer evidently means to caution
us against the practices of puffers, a class of people who have more
than once talked the public into the most absurd errors, but who
surely never played a more curious or a more difficult trick than
when they passed Mr. Robert Montgomery off upon the world as a
great poet. In an age in which there are so few readers that a writer
cannot subsist on the sum arising from the sale of his works, no man
who has not an independent fortune can devote himself to literary
pursuits, unless he is assisted by patronage. In such an age,
accordingly, men of letters too often pass their lives in dangling at
the heels of the wealthy and powerful; and all the faults which
dependence tends to produce, pass into their character. They
become the parasites and slaves of the great. It is melancholy to
think how many of the highest and most exquisitely formed of
human intellects have been condemned to the ignominious labour of
disposing the commonplaces of adulation in new forms and
brightening them into new splendour. Horace invoking Augustus in
the most enthusiastic language of religious veneration, Statius
flattering a tyrant, and the minion of a tyrant, for a morsel of bread,
Ariosto versifying the whole genealogy of a niggardly patron, Tasso
extolling the heroic virtues of the wretched creature who locked him
up in a mad-house, these are but a few of the instances which might
easily be given of the degradation to which those must submit who,
not possessing a competent fortune, are resolved to write when
there are scarcely any who read.
This evil the progress of the human mind tends to remove. As a
taste for books becomes more and more common, the patronage of
individuals becomes less and less necessary. In the middle of the last
century a marked change took place. The tone of literary men, both
in this country and in France, became higher and more independent.
Pope boasted that he was the “one poet” who had “pleased by
manly ways;” he derided the soft dedications with which Halifax had
been fed, asserted his own superiority over the pensioned Boileau,
and gloried in being not the follower, but the friend, of nobles and
princes. The explanation of all this is very simple. Pope was the first
Englishman who, by the mere sale of his writings, realised a sum
which enabled him to live in comfort and in perfect independence.
Johnson extols him for the magnanimity which he showed in
inscribing his Iliad not to a minister or a peer, but to Congreve. In
our time this would scarcely be a subject for praise. Nobody is
astonished when Mr. Moore pays a compliment of this kind to Sir
Walter Scott, or Sir Walter Scott to Mr. Moore. The idea of either of
those gentlemen looking out for some lord who would be likely to
give him a few guineas in return for a fulsome dedication seems
laughably incongruous. Yet this is exactly what Dryden or Otway
would have done; and it would be hard to blame them for it. Otway
is said to have been choked with a piece of bread which he
devoured in the rage of hunger; and, whether this story be true or
false, he was beyond all question miserably poor. Dryden, at near
seventy, when at the head of the literary men of England, without
equal or second, received three hundred pounds for his Fables, a
collection of ten thousand verses, and of such verses as no man
then living, except himself, could have produced. Pope, at thirty, had
laid up between six and seven thousand pounds, the fruits of his
poetry. It was not, we suspect, because he had a higher spirit or a
more scrupulous conscience than his predecessors, but because he
had a larger income, that he kept up the dignity of the literary
character so much better than they had done.
From the time of Pope to the present day the readers have been
constantly becoming more and more numerous, and the writers,
consequently, more and more independent. It is assuredly a great
evil that men, fitted by their talents and acquirements to enlighten
and charm the world, should be reduced to the necessity of
flattering wicked and foolish patrons in return for the sustenance of
life. But, though we heartily rejoice that this evil is removed, we
cannot but see with concern that another evil has succeeded to it.
The public is now the patron, and a most liberal patron. All that the
rich and powerful bestowed on authors from the the time of
Mæcenas to that of Harley would not, we apprehend, make up a
sum equal to that which has been paid by English booksellers to
authors during the last fifty years. Men of letters have accordingly
ceased to court individuals, and have begun to court the public.
They formerly used flattery. They now use puffing.
Whether the old or the new vice be the worse, whether those who
formerly lavished insincere praise on others, or those who now
contrive by every art of beggary and bribery to stun the public with
praises of themselves, disgrace their vocation the more deeply, we
shall not attempt to decide. But of this we are sure, that it is high
time to make a stand against the new trickery. The puffing of books
is now so shamefully and so successfully carried on that it is the
duty of all who are anxious for the purity of the national taste, or for
the honour of the literary character, to join in discountenancing the
practice. All the pens that ever were employed in magnifying Bish’s
lucky office, Romanis’s fleecy hosiery, Packwood’s razor strops, and
Rowland’s Kalydor, all the placard-bearers of Dr. Eady, all the wall-
chalkers of Day and Martin, seem to have taken service with the
poets and novelists of this generation. Devices which in the lowest
trades are considered as disreputable are adopted without scruple,
and improved upon with a despicable ingenuity, by people engaged
in a pursuit which never was and never will be considered as a mere
trade by any man of honour and virtue. A butcher of the higher class
disdains to ticket his meat. A mercer of the higher class would be
ashamed to hang up papers in his window inviting the passers-by to
look at the stock of a bankrupt, all of the first quality, and going for
half the value. We expect some reserve, some decent pride, in our
hatter and our bootmaker. But no artifice by which notoriety can be
obtained is thought too abject for a man of letters.
It is amusing to think over the history of most of the publications
which have had a run during the last few years. The publisher is
often the publisher of some periodical work. In this periodical work
the first flourish of trumpets is sounded. The peal is then echoed
and re-echoed by all the other periodical works over which the
publisher, or the author, or the author’s coterie, may have any
influence. The newspapers are for a fortnight filled with puffs of all
the various kinds which Sheridan enumerated, direct, oblique, and
collusive. Sometimes the praise is laid on thick for simple-minded
people. “Pathetic,” “sublime,” “splendid,” “graceful,” “brilliant wit,”
“exquisite humour,” and other phrases equally flattering, fall, in a
shower as thick and as sweet as the sugar-plums at a Roman
carnival. Sometimes greater art is used. A sinecure has been offered
to the writer if he would suppress his work, or if he would even
soften down a few of his incomparable portraits. A distinguished
military and political character has challenged the inimitable satirist
of the vices of the great; and the puffer is glad to learn that the
parties have been bound over to keep the peace. Sometimes it is
thought expedient that the puffer should put on a grave face, and
utter his panegyric in the form of admonition. “Such attacks on
private character cannot be too much condemned. Even the
exuberant wit of our author, and the irresistible power of his
withering sarcasm, are no excuses for that utter disregard which he
manifests for the feelings of others. We cannot but wonder that a
winter of such transcendent talents, a writer who is evidently no
stranger to the kindly charities and sensibilities of our nature, should
show so little tenderness to the foibles of noble and distinguished
individuals, with whom it is clear, from every page of his work, that
he must have been constantly mingling in society.” These are but
tame and feeble imitations of the paragraphs with which the daily
papers are filled whenever an attorney’s clerk or an apothecary’s
assistant undertakes to tell the public in bad English and worse
French, how people tie their neckcloths and eat their dinners in
Grosvenor Square. The editors of the higher and more respectable
newspapers usually prefix the words “Advertisement,” or “From a
Correspondent,” to such paragraphs. But this makes little difference.
The panegyric is extracted, and the significant heading omitted. The
fulsome eulogy makes its appearance on the covers of all the
Reviews and Magazines, with “Times” or “Globe” affixed, though the
editors of the Times and the Globe have no more to do with it than
with Mr. Goss’s way of making old rakes young again.
That people who live by personal slander should practise these
arts is not surprising. Those who stoop to write calumnious books
may well stoop to puff them; and that the basest of all trades should
be carried on in the basest of all manners is quite proper and as it
should be. But how any man who has the least self-respect, the least
regard for his own personal dignity, can condescend to persecute the
public with this Rag-fair importunity, we do not understand. Extreme
poverty may, indeed, in some degree, be an excuse for employing
these shifts, as it may be an excuse for stealing a leg of mutton. But
we really think that a man of spirit and delicacy would quite as soon
satisfy his wants in the one way as in the other.
It is no excuse for an author that the praises of journalists are
procured by the money or influence of his publishers, and not by his
own. It is his business to take such precautions as may prevent
others from doing what must degrade him. It is for his honour as a
gentleman, and, if he is really a man of talents, it will eventually be
for his honour and interest as a writer, that his works should come
before the public recommended by their own merits alone, and
should be discussed with perfect freedom. If his objects be really
such as he may own without shame, he will find that they will, in the
long run, be better attained by suffering the voice of criticism to be
fairly heard. At present, we too often see a writer attempting to
obtain literary fame as Shakspeare’s usurper obtains sovereignty.
The publisher plays Buckingham to the author’s Richard. Some few
creatures of the conspiracy are dexterously disposed here and there
in the crowd. It is the business of these hirelings to throw up their
caps, and clap their hands, and utter their vivas. The rabble at first
stare and wonder, and at last join in shouting for shouting’s sake;
and thus a crown is placed on a head which has no right to it, by the
huzzas of a few servile dependents. The opinion of the great body of
the reading public is very materially influenced even by the
unsupported assertions of those who assume a right to criticize. Nor
is the public altogether to blame on this account. Most even of those
who have really a great enjoyment in reading are in the same state,
with respect to a book, in which a man who has never given
particular attention to the art of painting is with respect to a picture.
Every man who has the least sensibility or imagination derives a
certain pleasure from pictures. Yet a man of the highest and finest
intellect might, unless he had formed his taste by contemplating the
best pictures, be easily persuaded by a knot of connoisseurs that the
worst daub in Somerset House was a miracle of art. If he deserves
to be laughed at, it is not for his ignorance of pictures, but for his
ignorance of men. He knows that there is a delicacy of taste in
painting which he does not possess, that he cannot distinguish
hands, as practised judges distinguish them, that he is not familiar
with the finest models, that he has never looked at them with close
attention, and that, when the general effect of a piece has pleased
him or displeased him, he has never troubled himself to ascertain
why. When, therefore, people, whom he thinks more competent to
judge than himself, and of whose sincerity he entertains no doubt,
assure him that a particular work is exquisitely beautiful, he takes it
for granted that they must be in the right. He returns to the
examination, resolved to find or imagine beauties; and, if he can
work himself up into something like admiration, he exults in his own
proficiency.
Just such is the manner in which nine readers out of ten judge of
a book. They are ashamed to dislike what men who speak as having
authority declare to be good. At present, however contemptible a
poem or a novel may be, there is not the least difficulty in procuring
favourable notices of it from all sorts of publications, daily, weekly,
and monthly. In the mean time, little or nothing is said on the other
side. The author and the publisher are interested in crying up the
book. Nobody has any very strong interest in crying it down. Those
who are best fitted to guide the public opinion think it beneath them
to expose mere nonsense, and comfort themselves by reflecting that
such popularity cannot last. This contemptuous lenity has been
carried too far. It is perfectly true that reputations which have been
forced into an unnatural bloom fade almost as soon as they have
expanded; nor have we any apprehensions that puffing will ever
raise any scribbler to the rank of a classic. It is indeed amusing to
turn over some late volumes of periodical works, and to see how
many immortal productions have, within a few months, been
gathered to the Poems of Blackmore and the novels of Mrs. Behn;
how many “profound views of human nature,” and “exquisite
delineations of fashionable manners,” and “vernal, and sunny, and
refreshing thoughts,” and “high imaginings,” and “young breathings,”
and “embody-ings,” and “pinings,” and “minglings with the beauty of
the universe,” and “harmonies which dissolve the soul in a
passionate sense of loveliness and divinity,” the world has contrived
to forget. The names of the books and of the writers are buried in as
deep an oblivion as the name of the builder of Stonehenge. Some of
the well puffed fashionable novels of eighteen hundred and twenty-
nine hold the pastry of eighteen hundred and thirty; and others,
which are now extolled in language almost too high-flown for the
merits of Don Quixote, will, we have no doubt, line the trunks of
eighteen hundred and thirty-one. But, though we have no
apprehensions that puffing will ever confer permanent reputation on
the undeserving, we still think its influence most pernicious. Men of
real merit will, if they persevere, at last reach the station to which
they are entitled, and intruders will be ejected with contempt and
derision. But it is no small evil that the avenues to fame should be
blocked up by a swarm of noisy, pushing, elbowing pretenders, who,
though they will not ultimately be able to make good their own
entrance, hinder, in the mean time, those who have a right to enter.
All who will not disgrace themselves by joining in the unseemly
scuffle must expect to be at first hustled and shouldered back. Some
men of talents, accordingly, turn away in dejection from pursuits in
which success appears to bear no proportion to desert. Others
employ in self-defence the means by which competitors, far inferior
to themselves, appear for a time to obtain a decided advantage.
There are few who have sufficient confidence in their own powers
and sufficient elevation of mind to wait with secure and
contemptuous patience, while dunce after dunce presses before
them. Those who will not stoop to the baseness of the modern
fashion are too often discouraged. Those who stoop to it are always
degraded.
We have of late observed with great pleasure some symptoms
which lead us to hope that respectable literary men of all parties are
beginning to be impatient of this insufferable nuisance. And we
purpose to do what in us lies for the abating of it. We do not think
that we can more usefully assist in this good work than by showing
our honest countrymen what that sort of poetry is which puffing can
drive through eleven editions, and how easy any bellman might, if a
bellman would stoop to the necessary degree of meanness, become
a “master-spirit of the age.” We have no enmity to Mr. Robert
Montgomery. We know nothing whatever about him, except what we
have learned from his books, and from the portrait prefixed to one of
them, in which he appears to be doing his very best to look like a
man of genius and sensibility, though with less success than his
strenuous exertions deserve. We select him, because his works have
received more enthusiastic praise, and have deserved more unmixed
contempt, than any which, as far as our knowledge extends, have
appeared within the last three or four years. His writing bears the
same relation to poetry which a Turkey carpet bears to a picture.
There are colours in a Turkey carpet out of which a picture might be
made. There are words in Mr. Montgomery’s writing which, when
disposed in certain orders and combinations, have made, and will
again make, good poetry. But, as they now stand, they seem to be
put together on principle in such a manner as to give no image of
any thing “in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the
waters under the earth.”
The poem on the Omnipresence of the Deity commences with a
description of the creation, in which we can find only one thought
which has the least pretension to ingenuity, and that one thought is
stolen from Dryden, and marred in the stealing;

"Last, softly beautiful as music’s close,


Angelic woman into being rose.”

The all-pervading influence of the Supreme Being is then


described in a few tolerable lines borrowed from Pope, and a great
many intolerable lines of Mr. Robert Montgomery’s own. The
following may stand as a specimen:

"But who could trace Thine unrestricted course,


Though Fancy follow’d with immortal force?
There’s not a blossom fondled by the breeze,
There’s not a fruit that beautifies the trees,
There’s not a particle in sea or air,
But nature owns thy plastic influence there!
With fearful gaze, still be it mine to see
How all is fill’d and vivified by Thee;
Upon thy mirror, earth’s majestic view,
To paint Thy Presence, and to feel it too.”

The last two lines contain an excellent specimen of Mr. Robert


Montgomery’s Turkey-carpet style of writing. The majestic view of
earth is the mirror of God’s presence; and on this mirror Mr. Robert
Montgomery paints God’s presence. The use of a mirror, we submit,
is not to be painted upon.
A few more lines, as bad as those which we have quoted, bring us
to one of the most amusing instances of literary pilfering which we
remember. It might be of use to plagiarists to know, as a general
rule, that what they steal is, to employ a phrase common in
advertisements, of no use to any but the right owner. We never fell
in, however, with any plunderer who so little understood how to turn
his booty to good account as Mr. Montgomery. Lord Byron, in a
passage which every body knows by heart, has said, addressing the
sea,

"Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow.”

Mr. Robert Montgomery very coolly appropriates the image and


reproduces the stolen goods in the following form:

"And thou, vast Ocean, on whose awful face


Time’s iron feet can print no ruin-trace.”

So may such ill got gains ever prosper! The effect which the
Ocean produces on Atheists is then described in the following: lofty
lines:
Ov
"Oh! never did the dark-soul’d Atheist stand,
And watch the breakers boiling on the strand,
And, while Creation stagger’d at his nod,
Mock the dread presence of the mighty God!
We hear Him in the wind-heaved ocean’s roar,
Hurling her billowy crags upon the shore;
We hear Him in the riot of the blast,
And shake, while rush the raving whirlwinds past!”

If Mr. Robert Montgomery’s genius were not far too free and
aspiring to be shackled by the rules of syntax, we should suppose
that it is at the nod of the Atheist that creation staggers. But Mr.
Robert Montgomery’s readers must take such grammar as they can
get, and be thankful.
A few more lines bring us to another instance of unprofitable
theft. Sir Walter Scott has these lines in the Lord of the Isles:

"The dew that on the violet lie?


Mocks the dark lustre of thine eyes.”
This is pretty taken separately, and, as is always the case with the
good things of good writers, much prettier in its place than can even
be conceived by those who see it only detached from the context.
Now for Mr. Montgomery:

"And the bright dew-bead on the bramble lies,


Like liquid rapture upon beauty’s eyes.”

The comparison of a violet, bright with the dew, to a woman’s


eyes, is as perfect as a comparison can be. Sir Walter’s lines are part
of a song addressed to a woman at daybreak, when the violets are
bathed in dew; and the comparison is therefore peculiarly natural
and graceful. Dew on a bramble is no more like a woman’s eyes than
dew anywhere else. There is a very pretty Eastern tale of which the
fate of plagiarists often reminds us. The slave of a magician saw his
master wave his wand, and heard him give orders to the spirits who
arose at the summons. The slave stole the wand, and waved it
himself in the air; but he had not observed that his master used the
left hand for that purpose. The spirits thus irregularly summoned
tore the thief to pieces instead of obeying his orders. There are very
few who can safely venture to conjure with the rod of Sir Walter;
and Mr. Robert Montgomery is not one of them.
Mr. Campbell, in one of his most pleasing pieces, has this line,

"The sentinel stars set their watch in the sky.”

The thought is good, and has a very striking propriety where Mr.
Campbell has placed it, in the mouth of a soldier telling his dream.
But, though Shakspeare assures us that “every true man’s apparel
fits your thief,” it is by no means the case, as we have already seen,
that every true poet’s similitude fits your plagiarist. Let us see how
Mr. Robert Montgomery uses the image:

Ye quenchless stars! so eloquently bright,


Untroubled sentries of the shadowy night,
While half the world is lapp’d in downy dreams,
And round the lattice creep your midnight beams,
How sweet to gaze upon your placid eyes,
In lambent beauty looking from the skies.”

Certainly the ideas of eloquence, of untroubled repose, of placid


eyes, on the lambent beauty of which it is sweet to gaze, harmonize
admirably with the idea of a sentry.
We would not be understood, however, to say, that Mr. Robert
Montgomery cannot make similitudes for himself. A very few lines
further on, we find one which has every mark of originality, and on
which, we will be bound, none of the poets whom he has plundered
will ever think of making reprisals:

"The soul, aspiring, pants its source to mount,


As streams meander level with their fount.”

We take this to be, on the whole, the worst similitude in the world.
In the first place, no stream meanders, or can possibly meander,
level with its fount. In the next place, if streams did meander level
with their founts, no two motions can be less like each other than
that of meandering level and that of mounting upwards.
We have then an apostrophe to the Deity, couched in terms which,
in any writer who dealt in meanings, we should call profane, but to
which we suppose Mr. Robert Montgomery attaches no idea
whatever.

"Yes! pause and think, within one fleeting hour,


How vast a universe obeys Thy power;
Unseen, but felt, Thine interfused control
Works in each atom, and pervades the whole;
Expands the blossom, and erects the tree,
Conducts each vapour, and commands each sea,
Beams in each ray, bids whirlwinds be unfurl’d,
Unrolls the thunder, and upheaves a world!”

No field-preacher surely ever carried his irreverent familiarity so


far as to bid the Supreme Being stop and think on the importance of
the interests which are under his care. The grotesque indecency of
such an address throws into shade the subordinate absurdities of the
passage, the unfurling of whirlwinds, the unrolling of thunder, and
the upheaving of worlds.
Then comes a curious specimen of our poet’s English:

"Yet not alone created realms engage


Thy faultless wisdom, grand, primeval sage!
For all the thronging woes to life allied
Thy mercy tempers, and Thy cares provide.”

We should be glad to know what the word “For” means here. If it


is a preposition, it makes nonsense of the words, “Thy mercy
tempers.” If it is an adverb, it makes nonsense of the words, “Thy
cares provide.”
These beauties we have taken, almost at random, from the first
part of the poem. The second part is a series of descriptions of
various events, a battle, a murder, an execution, a marriage, a
funeral, and so forth. Mr. Robert Montgomery terminates each of
these descriptions by assuring us that the Deity was present at the
battle, murder, execution, marriage, or funeral in question. And this
proposition, which might be safely predicated of every event that
ever happened or ever will happen, forms the only link which
connects these descriptions with the subject or with each other.
How the descriptions are executed our readers are probably by
this time able to conjecture. The battle is made up of the battles of
all ages and nations: “red-mouthed cannons, uproaring to the
clouds,” and “hands grasping firm the glittering shield.” The only
military operations of which this part of the poem reminds us, are
those which reduced the Abbey of Quedlinburgh to submission, the
Templar with his cross, the Austrian and Prussian grenadiers in full
uniform, and Curtius and Dentatus with their battering-ram. We
ought not to pass unnoticed the slain war-horse, who will no more
"Roll his red eye, and rally for the fight;”

or the slain warrior who, while “lying on his bleeding breast,”


contrives to “stare ghastly and grimly on the skies.” As to this last
exploit, we can only say, as Dante did on a similar occasion,

"Forse per forza gia di’ parlasia


Si stravolse lost alenn del tutto:
Ma iô nol vidi, nè credo clie sia.”

The tempest is thus described:

"But lo! around the marsh’lling clouds unite,


Like thick battalions halting for the fight;
The sun sinks back, the tempest spirits sweep
Fierce through the air, and flutter on the deep.
Till from their caverns rush the maniac blasts,
Tear the loose sails, and split the creaking masts,
And the lash’d billows, rolling in a train,
Rear their white heads, and race along the main!”

What, we should like to know, is the difference between the two


operations which Mr. Robert Montgomery so accurately distinguishes
from each other, the fierce sweeping of the tempest-spirits through
the air, and the rushing of the maniac blasts from their caverns? And
why does the former operation end exactly when the latter
commences?
We cannot stop over each of Mr. Robert Montgomery’s
descriptions. We have a shipwrecked sailor, who “visions a viewless
temple in the air;” a murderer who stands on a heath, “with ashy
lips, in cold convulsion spread;” a pious man, to whom, as he lies in
bed at night,

"The panorama of past life appears,


Warms his pure mind, and melts it into tears;”

a traveller, who loses his way, owing to the thickness of the


“cloud-battalion,” and the want of “heaven-lamps, to beam their holy
light.” We have a description of a convicted felon, stolen from that
incomparable passage in Crabbe’s Borough, which has made many a
rough and cynical reader cry like a child. We can, however,
conscientiously declare that persons of the most excitable sensibility
may safely venture upon Mr. Robert Montgomery’s version. Then we
have the “poor, mindless, pale-faced maniac boy,” who

Rolls his vacant eye,


To greet the glowing fancies of the sky.”

What are the glowing fancies of the sky? And what is the meaning
of the two lines which almost immediately follow?

"A soulless thing, a spirit of the woods,


He loves to commune with the fields and floods.”

How can a soulless thing be a spirit? Then comes a panegyric on


the Sunday. A baptism follows; after that a marriage: and we then
proceed, in due course, to the visitation of the sick, and the burial of
the dead.
Often as Death has been personified, Mr. Montgomery has found
something new to say about him.
"O Death! though dreadless vanquisher of earth,
The Elements shrank blasted at thy birth!
Careering round the world like tempest wind,
Martyrs before, and victims strew’d behind;
Ages on ages cannot grapple thee,
Dragging the world into eternity!”

If there be any one line in this passage about which we are more
in the dark than about the rest, it is the fourth. What the difference
may be between the victims and the martyrs, and why the martyrs
are to lie before Death, and the victims behind him, are to us great
mysteries.
We now come to the third part, of which we may say with honest
Cassio, “Why, this is a more excellent song than the other.” Mr.
Robert Montgomery is very severe on the infidels, and undertakes to
prove, that, as he elegantly expresses it,

One great Enchanter helm’d the harmonious whole”

What an enchanter has to do with helming, or what a helm has to


do with harmony, he does not explain. He proceeds with his
argument thus:

"And dare men dream that dismal Chance has framed


All that the eye perceives, or tongue has named;
The spacious world, and all its wonders, born
Designless, sell-created, and forlorn;
Like to the flashing bubbles on a stream,
Fire from the cloud, or phantom in a dream?”
We should be sorry to stake our faith in a higher Power on Mr.
Robert Montgomery’s logic. He informs us that lightning is designless
and self-created. If he can believe this, we cannot conceive why he
may not believe that the whole universe is designless and self-
created. A few lines before, he tells us that it is the Deity who bids
“thunder rattle from the skiey deep.” His theory is therefore this, that
God made the thunder, but that the lightning made itself.
But Mr. Robert Montgomery’s metaphysics are not at present our
game. He proceeds to set forth the fearful effects of Atheism.

"Then, blood-stain’d Murder, bare thy hideous arm,


And thou, Rebellion, welter in thy storm:
Awake, ye spirits of avenging crime;
Burst from your bonds, and battle with the time!”

Mr. Robert Montgomery is fond of personification, and belongs, we


need not say, to that school of poets who hold that nothing more is
necessary to a personification in poetry than to begin a word with a
capital letter. Murder may, without impropriety, bare her arm, as she
did long ago, in Mr. Campbell’s Pleasures of Hope. But what possible
motive Rebellion can have for weltering in her storm, what avenging
crime may be, who its spirits may be, why they should burst from
their bonds, what their bonds may be, why they should battle with
the time, what the time may be, and what a battle between the time
and the spirits of avenging crime would resemble, we must confess
ourselves quite unable to understand.

"And here let Memory turn her tearful glance


On the dark horrors of tumultuous France,
When blood and blasphemy defiled her land,
And fierce Rebellion shook her savage hand.”
Whether Rebellion shakes her own hand, shakes the hand of
Memory, or shakes the hand of France, or what any one of these
three metaphors would mean, we know no more than we know what
is the sense of the following passage:

"Let the foul orgies of infuriate crime


Picture the raging havoc of that time,
When leagued Rebellion march’d to kindle man,
Fright in her rear, and Murder in her van.
And thou, sweet flower of Austria, slaughter’d Queen,
Who dropp’d no tear upon the dreadful scene,
When gush’d the life-blood from thine angel form,
And martyr’d beauty perish’d in the storm,
Once worshipp’d paragon of all who saw,
Thy look obedience, and thy smile a law.”

What is the distinction between the foul orgies and the raging
havoc which the foul orgies are to picture? Why does Fright go
behind Rebellion, and Murder before? Why should not Murder fall
behind Fright? Or why should not all the three walk abreast? We
have read of a hero who had

"Amazement in his van, with flight combined,


And Sorrow’s faded form, and Solitude behind.”

Gray, we suspect, could have given a reason for disposing the


allegorical attendants of Edward thus. But to proceed, “Flower of
Austria” is stolen from Byron. “Dropp’d” is false English. “Perish’d in
the storm” means nothing at all; and “thy look obedience’’ means
the very reverse of what Mr. Robert Montgomery intends to say. Our
poet then proceeds to demonstrate the immortality of the soul:

"And shall the soul, the fount of reason, die,


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