Introduction to Linear Polynomials — CBSE Class 9 Maths Important Questions
13 CBSE Class 9 Maths practice questions on Introduction to Linear Polynomials, each with a full model answer, covering 5 topics from the chapter in the question formats used in the exam.
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Reviewed by Classmate AI Team · 18 October 2026
Last updated 25 October 2026
- 13
- Questions
- 5
- Topics
- 4
- Key concepts
- ₹0
- With answers
Key Introduction to Polynomials questions ask you to identify the terms, coefficients and degree of a polynomial, classify polynomials, find the value and zero of a linear polynomial ax+b, model linear growth and decay, and read the slope and y-intercept of y=ax+b from its equation or graph.
About Introduction to Linear Polynomials
This chapter builds the language of polynomials, algebraic expressions in one variable with whole-number exponents, and focuses on linear ones (degree 1). You learn terms, coefficients and degree; how to classify and evaluate polynomials; and how a linear polynomial ax+b models linear growth and decay, with its slope and y-intercept read from the equation or a graph.
Key concepts & formulas
A polynomial in x is a sum of terms ax^n with whole-number powers. The degree is the highest power of the variable. E.g. 3x²-5x+7 has degree 2.
A polynomial of degree 1, written p(x)=ax+b with a≠0. It has exactly one zero, found from ax+b=0⇒ x=-b/a.
The value of p(x) at x=k is p(k), got by substitution. A zero is a value k for which p(k)=0.
In y=ax+b the slope a is the change in y for each increase of 1 in x, and the y-intercept b is the value of y when x=0. A positive slope models linear growth, a negative slope linear decay.
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Important questions with answers
Try each on paper first, then reveal the model answer to check your method.
Multiple-choice questions (1 mark)
The degree of the polynomial 5x³ - 4x² + 7x - 2 is:
- (a)
1
- (b)
2
- (c)
3
- (d)
0
Show model answer
Answer: (c) 3.
The degree is the highest power of the variable present. Here the largest exponent is 3 (in the term 5x³), so the degree is 3.
Which of the following is a linear polynomial?
- (a)
x² + 1
- (b)
3x - 7
- (c)
5
- (d)
2x³ - x
Show model answer
Answer: (b) 3x - 7.
A linear polynomial has degree exactly 1. Only 3x-7 has highest power 1. Here x²+1 is quadratic, 5 is a constant (degree 0), and 2x³-x is cubic.
The zero of the linear polynomial p(x) = 2x + 6 is:
- (a)
3
- (b)
-3
- (c)
6
- (d)
-6
Show model answer
Answer: (b) -3.
Set p(x)=0: 2x+6=0 ⇒ 2x=-6 ⇒ x=-3.
If p(x) = x² - 3x + 2, then the value of p(1) + p(2) is:
- (a)
0
- (b)
1
- (c)
2
- (d)
-1
Show model answer
Answer: (a) 0.
p(1) = 1 - 3 + 2 = 0 and p(2) = 4 - 6 + 2 = 0. Hence p(1)+p(2) = 0+0 = 0.
Assertion–Reason questions (1 mark)
Assertion (A): The polynomial p(x) = 4x + 5 has exactly one zero.
Reason (R): A linear polynomial ax+b with a≠0 always has exactly one zero.
- (a)
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b)
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c)
A is true but R is false
- (d)
A is false but R is true
Show model answer
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. Since 4x+5 is linear with a=4≠0, it has a single zero x=-5/4, exactly as the general rule states.
Very short answer questions (2 marks)
For the polynomial p(x) = 3x - 4, find p(2) and p(-1).
Show model answer
p(2) = 3(2) - 4 = 6 - 4 = 2.
p(-1) = 3(-1) - 4 = -3 - 4 = -7.
Write the coefficient of x and the constant term in p(x) = 7 - 5x. Also state its degree.
Show model answer
Rewriting in standard form: p(x) = -5x + 7.
Coefficient of x is -5; constant term is 7. The highest power of x is 1, so the degree is 1 (it is a linear polynomial).
Short answer questions (3 marks)
Find the value of k for which x = 2 is a zero of the polynomial p(x) = kx + 3x - 10.
Show model answer
Since x=2 is a zero, p(2)=0.
p(2) = k(2) + 3(2) - 10 = 2k + 6 - 10 = 2k - 4.
Setting p(2)=0: 2k - 4 = 0 ⇒ 2k = 4 ⇒ k = 2.
So k = 2.
For the line y=-3x+6: (i) state its slope and y-intercept, (ii) find y when x=-1, (iii) find the point where it crosses the x-axis.
Show model answer
(i) Comparing with y=ax+b: slope a=-3 and y-intercept b=6. The negative slope means y falls by 3 for every increase of 1 in x.
(ii) y=-3(-1)+6=3+6=9.
(iii) On the x-axis y=0: -3x+6=0⇒ x=2. The line crosses the x-axis at (2,0).
Classify each of the following by degree, and state which are polynomials: (a) √x + 3, (b) 2x² - 5x + 1, (c) x + 3/x, (d) -7.
Show model answer
(a) √x + 3 = x^1/2 + 3: the power 1/2 is not a whole number, so this is not a polynomial.
(b) 2x² - 5x + 1: all powers are whole numbers; highest power 2, so a quadratic polynomial (degree 2).
(c) x + 3/x = x + 3x^-1: the power -1 is negative, so this is not a polynomial.
(d) -7: a non-zero constant, a constant polynomial of degree 0.
Long answer questions (5 marks)
Make a table of values of y=2x+1 for x=0,1,2,3 and draw its graph. From the graph, find the y-intercept and the slope, and check whether the point (4,9) lies on the line.
Show model answer
| x | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| y=2x+1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
Plot the points and join them with a straight line:
y-intercept: the line meets the y-axis at (0,1), so the y-intercept is 1.
Slope: for every increase of 1 in x, y increases by 2, so the slope is 2 (the coefficient of x).
Point (4,9): 2(4)+1=9, so (4,9) lies on the line.
A candle is 20 cm tall and burns down by 2.5 cm every hour.
(i) Write its height h (in cm) after t hours as a linear polynomial in t.
(ii) Is this linear growth or linear decay? Why?
(iii) Find the height after 3 hours.
(iv) After how many hours does the candle burn out?
(v) What do the slope and the intercept mean here?
Show model answer
(i) h=20-2.5t.
(ii) Linear decay: the height falls by the same amount, 2.5 cm, every hour (the coefficient of t is negative).
(iii) h=20-2.5(3)=20-7.5=12.5 cm.
(iv) 20-2.5t=0⇒ t=8 hours.
(v) The slope -2.5 is the rate of burning, 2.5 cm lost per hour; the intercept 20 is the starting height at t=0.
Case-based questions (4 marks)
A mobile-recharge plan charges a fixed monthly rental of ₹100 plus ₹2 per GB of data used. Let x be the number of GB used in a month and C the total monthly cost in rupees.
(i) Write C as a polynomial in x and state its degree.
(ii) Find the cost when x = 15 GB.
(iii) If the total bill is ₹150, how many GB were used?
(iv) In C=2x+100, what do the numbers 2 and 100 represent?
Show model answer
(i) Fixed rental 100 plus 2 per GB gives C = 2x + 100. The highest power of x is 1, so it is a linear polynomial of degree 1.
(ii) At x = 15: C = 2(15) + 100 = 30 + 100 = 130, that is ₹130.
(iii) Set C = 150: 2x + 100 = 150 ⇒ 2x = 50 ⇒ x = 25 GB.
(iv) 2 is the slope: the cost goes up by ₹2 for every extra GB. 100 is the intercept: the fixed rental, the cost when no data is used (x=0).
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Frequently asked questions
What are the important questions for Introduction to Linear Polynomials, Class 9?
Most important questions ask you to find the zero of a linear polynomial (solve p(x) = 0 for x), verify whether a given value is a zero, and identify the degree and coefficients of a polynomial. A smaller but common set of questions covers classifying an expression as a polynomial or not (no negative/fractional powers of the variable) and evaluating p(x) at a given value of x.How do you find the zero of a linear polynomial?
Set the polynomial equal to zero and solve. For p(x)=2x+6: 2x+6=0, so x=-3. A linear polynomial ax+b always has exactly one zero, x=-b/a, which is where its graph crosses the x-axis.What do the slope and y-intercept mean in y = ax + b?
The slope a is how much y changes when x goes up by 1; the y-intercept b is the value of y when x=0. For y=-3x+6, the slope is -3 (linear decay) and the line meets the y-axis at 6 and the x-axis at 2.How do you find k if x = 2 is a zero of a polynomial?
Substitute x=2 and set the result to zero. For p(x)=kx+3x-10: 2k+6-10=0, so k=2. Checking that p(2)=0 with this k confirms the answer. The same substitute-and-solve step works for any given zero, and it is a common 3-mark question in this chapter.Which chapters come before and after Linear Polynomials in Ganita Manjari?
Orienting Yourself: The Use of Coordinates (Chapter 1) comes before it and The World of Numbers (Chapter 3) after; Exploring Algebraic Identities is Chapter 4. You can open any of these from the Class 9 Maths chapter list on this site.How are linear polynomials used in real life?
Any quantity that changes by a fixed amount each step: a candle 20 cm tall burning 2.5 cm an hour has height 20-2.5t and burns out after 8 hours, and a phone plan of ₹100 plus ₹2 per GB costs 100+2x. This page has both as word problems.Can I download Introduction to Linear Polynomials questions?
Yes. Enter your email in the free PDF box on this page to open all 13 linear-polynomial questions, the graph of y=2x+1 included, as a printable worksheet with answers.Can an AI tutor help me graph a linear polynomial?
Yes. Press "Practise free" and Classmate AI's tutor helps you build a table of values, plot the points and read the slope and intercept, checking each step for this Class 9 chapter. The Free plan allows three such sessions a week.
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