1. The problem asks for the average rate of change of the function $f(x)$ on the interval $-2 \leq x \leq 0$. 2. The average rate of change of a function $f(x)$ over an interval $[a,b]$ is given by the formula: $$\text{Average Rate of Change} = \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}$$ This formula calculates the slope of the secant line connecting the points $(a, f(a))$ and $(b, f(b))$ on the graph. 3. From the problem, we have: $$a = -2, \quad b = 0$$ $$f(-2) = 16, \quad f(0) = 0$$ 4. Substitute these values into the formula: $$\frac{f(0) - f(-2)}{0 - (-2)} = \frac{0 - 16}{0 + 2} = \frac{-16}{2}$$ 5. Simplify the fraction: $$\frac{\cancel{-16}}{\cancel{2}} = -8$$ 6. Therefore, the average rate of change of $f(x)$ on the interval $-2 \leq x \leq 0$ is $-8$. This means that on average, the function decreases by 8 units in $y$ for every 1 unit increase in $x$ over this interval.