(a) It's not possible to say without more information: for instance, the functions f(x)=e−x, f(x)=e−x, and f(x)=x2 are each always concave up, but only one of them has a global minimum. We can say for sure that by being always concave up, f cannot have a global maximum, and it also cannot have both a global maximum and a global minimum. It might have a global minimum, or it might have neither.
(b) By being twice differentiable, we know that g′(x)=0 any time x is a critical number of g. Thus, given the signs of g′(x) on the stated intervals, g is decreasing before x=a and decreasing on a<x<b, with a horizontal tangent line at x=a. In addition, g is increasing for x>b. Thus, we know that g has a global minimum at x=b.
(c) Since h is always decreasing for x<a, always increasing for a<x<b, and always decreasing for x>b, we know that h has a local minimum at x=a and a local maximum at x=b. Moreover, these local extremes are both global extremes since h(x)to0 as x→±∞. In particular, since h(x) decreases to 0 for x>b and increases on a<x<b, it follows that h(b) is the largest value of h(x) on (a,∞), and that h(b)>0. Similarly, since h(x) decreases on (−∞,a) and approaches 0 as x→−∞, and h(x) increases on a<x<b, it must be the case that h(a) is the least value of h(x) on (−∞,b) and that h(b)<0. Hence, h(x) is always negative on x<a and h(x) is always positive on x>b. From all of these observations, it follows that h has a global minimum at x=a and a global maximum at x=b.
(d) First, observe that p is defined for all real numbers by assumption, so p(a) has some finite value. However, p is not differentiable at x=a and p is concave up to the left of x=a and concave down to the right of x=a. This indicates that p has a relative maximum at x=a. Not enough information is provided, however, to determine if this relative maximum is a global maximum, nor if p happens to have a global minimum at some other point.