The correct interpretation of the key features of the graph, considering that it is an upward-opening parabola that has been transformed from the parent function \(y = x^2\), would be:
This is a vertical stretch of the parent function \(y = x^2\) due to the changes in the y-coordinates of each point.
A vertical stretch means that the values of \(y\) are being multiplied by a factor greater than 1, which corresponds to an increase in the distance between the graph and the x-axis compared to the parent function. The transformation affects the y-coordinates, which reflects the value of the function at each corresponding x-coordinate.