PLS HELP ASAP I DONT HAVE TIME AND IT ALSO DETECTS IF ITS RIGHT OR WRONG

The parabola y = x² - 4 opens: a.) up b.) down c.) right d.) left

Triangle xyz has vertices x(1,3), y(0,0)

How do i start to solve? would appreciate a walk-thru! a bird sitting 16ft above the ground in an apple tree dislodges an apple. after how many seconds does the apple land on the ground? (assuming that no branches will interfere with it's fall)