The equation for this parabola is in standard form: y = ax² + bx + c a, b, and c stand for coefficients. In standard form, in order to find the x-coordinate of the vertex of the parabola, plug in the associated variables in the expression "-(b/2a)". Plugging in the values for a and b gives: -(2/2*1) -(2/2) -1 x = -1 From here, by plugging this value of x in for a corresponding answer, one can find the location of the vertex. y = (-1)² + 2(-1) - 3 y = 1 + -2 - 3 y = 1 - 2 - 3 y = -4 Vertex of the parabola: (-1,-4) Because y is negative, the answer is B) below the x-axis.