
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the function f(x) = a^x + b (a > 0, a ≠ 1), its graph passes through the points (0, -2) and (2, 0).

1. Find the values of a and b.
2. Find the maximum and minimum values of f(x) when x ∈ [-2, 4].

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user