The average rate of change is given by
[tex]rate=\frac{y2-y1}{x2-x1}[/tex]
Then, from x = 5 to x = 7, we have the points (x,y):
(5, -5) and (7, -1)
Therefore, the average rate of change:
[tex]\text{rate}=\frac{-1-(-5)}{7-5}=\frac{-1+5}{2}=\frac{4}{2}=2[/tex]
Answer: 2
