A runner's distance from the starting line should behave as follows:
- From \(0\) to \(2\) minutes, the runner moves steadily away and reaches \(400\,\text{m}\).
- From \(2\) to \(3\) minutes, the runner rests at \(400\,\text{m}\).
- From \(3\) to \(5\) minutes, the runner moves steadily back and reaches the starting line at \(5\) minutes.
The displayed graph is a proposed graph for this story. Identify every time interval where the proposed graph does not match the story. For each mismatch, state what the graph should do instead, and give the correct key vertices.

Hints
- Compare the story and the proposed graph one time interval at a time rather than judging the graph only by its final point.
- A rest at a fixed distance must appear as a horizontal segment over the same time interval.
- A steady return must be one straight decreasing segment beginning when the return starts and ending when the runner reaches the starting line.
- After locating the mismatches, write the coordinates forced by the stated times and distances.
Solution
1. From \(0\) to \(2\) minutes, the proposed graph rises from \((0,0)\) to \((2,400)\), so that interval matches the story.
2. From \(2\) to \(3\) minutes, the story requires a horizontal segment at \(400\,\text{m}\), but the proposed graph rises from \(400\) to \(500\). The correct point at \(t=3\) is \((3,400)\).
3. From \(3\) to \(4\) minutes, the story says the runner should already be moving back, but the proposed graph is horizontal at \(500\,\text{m}\). The correct graph should be decreasing during this interval.
4. From \(4\) to \(5\) minutes, the proposed graph returns from \(500\,\text{m}\) to \(0\) in one minute. The story instead requires one steady return segment from \((3,400)\) to \((5,0)\), whose rate of change is \(\frac{0-400}{5-3}=-200\,\text{m/min}\).
5. The correct key vertices are \((0,0)\), \((2,400)\), \((3,400)\), and \((5,0)\).
Answer
The proposed graph is correct only from \(0\) to \(2\) minutes.
From \(2\) to \(3\), it should be constant at \(400\,\text{m}\), not increasing.
From \(3\) to \(5\), it should decrease steadily from \((3,400)\) to \((5,0)\); the proposed rest from \(3\) to \(4\) and one-minute return from \(4\) to \(5\) are both incorrect.
Correct vertices: \((0,0)\), \((2,400)\), \((3,400)\), \((5,0)\).