Answer
(a) maximums: $(-2,2)$ and $(2,1)$
minimum: $(0,-1)$
(b) increasing: $(-\infty,-2)$ and $(0,2)$
decreasing: $(-2,0)$ and $(2,\infty)$
Work Step by Step
(a) We see from the graph that the function has local maximums (peaks) at $(-2,2)$ and $(2,1)$ and a local minimum (trough) at $(0,-1)$.
(b) We see from the graph that the function is increasing for $x$ intervals $(-\infty,-2)$ and $(0,2)$ and decreasing for $x$ intervals $(-2,0)$ and $(2,\infty)$.
