Question

Which statement best explains whether y = 2x − 3 is a linear function or a nonlinear function?

It is a linear function because the graph contains the points (0, −3), (1, −1), (2, 1), which are on a straight line.
It is a nonlinear function because the graph contains the points (0, −3), (1, −1), (2, 1), which are not on a straight line.
It is a linear function because the graph contains the points (−3, 0), (−1, 1), (1, 2), which are on a straight line.
It is a nonlinear function because the graph contains the points (−3, 0), (−1, 1), (1, 2), which are not on a straight line.

Answer 1

y = 2x − 3  resembles Ax + By + C = 0, which is the "standard equation of a straight line."

Note that in y = 2x − 3, both x and y are to the power 1.  This is another indicator that   y = 2x − 3 represents a straight line.

Another check to determine whether or not y = 2x − 3 represents a straight line would be to determine whether the given points (such as   the points (0, −3), (1, −1), (2, 1)   ) satisfy theis equation   y = 2x - 3.  

Answer 2

It is a linear function because the graph contains the points (0, −3), (1, −1), (2, 1), which are on a straight line.