To determine whether the function b(x) = -1 - 3x is increasing or decreasing, we can analyze its coefficient for the x term. In this case, the coefficient of x is -3.
If the coefficient of x is positive (greater than 0), the function is increasing. This means that as x increases, the value of the function also increases.
Conversely, if the coefficient of x is negative (less than 0), the function is decreasing. This means that as x increases, the value of the function decreases.
In our case, since the coefficient of x is -3 (negative), the function b(x) = -1 - 3x is decreasing. As x increases, the value of the function decreases.