Final answer:
To find the exponential function passing through two points, one must substitute the points into the general form of the exponential function and solve for the constants.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked for help in determining which exponential function passes through the points (-1, 1.5) and (4, 48). To find this, we can substitute the points into the exponential function formula, y = abx, where a is the initial value and b is the base.
Substituting the first point (-1, 1.5) gives us 1.5 = a*b-1 and substituting the second point (4, 48) gives us 48 = a*b4. Solving this system of equations will help us determine the correct values of a and b. Then, we can match the resulting function to one of the provided choices.