Is this question on absolute minimum / maximum incorrectly posed? There is a calculus question that I read which doesn't seem meaningful, and it reads like this:

Find the absolute maximum and the absolute minimum of the function
$$f(x) = 9x^2 + 3x^3 + 40x$$

The question does not specify an interval on the real line to consider — is such a question meaningful?

If the answer assumes that the absolute maximum and the absolute minimum exist, then it is not meaningful. But if saying that there is no absolute maximum nor absolute minimum is an acceptable answer, then, yes, it is meaningful.
