I think they may be asking about the parent function and how the parabola shifts.
The parent function is a basic parabola=y=x^2
To figure out how it shifts you rewrite the equation
y+1=2(x-3)^2
When written in this form, the parabola would shift -1 units along the y axis, and 2(3) or 6 units along the x axis. It's confusing. If the equation instead was y-1=(x-3)^2, the parabola would shift 1 unit on the y axis and 3 units on the x axis. Notice the difference? Since you have y+1 instead of y-1, you have to shift -1 on the y axis. Also, since you have a factor of 2 outside the parenthesis, you have to remember to distribute it to get the correct shift. Clear as mud, right?