Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / ii / Paper 2 / 2I / i

A degree-$n$ Legendre polynomial $P_n$ is orthogonal, for integration on $[-1,1]$, to every polynomial of degree at most $n-1$, and has $n$ distinct roots in $(-1,1)$. Divide $p$ by $P_n$:The Orthogonality of Legendre polynomials gives $\int p=\int r$. At every quadrature node $x_j$, $p(x_j)=r(x_j)$. The assumed exactness for $r$ therefore proves exactness up to degree $2n-1$, the characteristic property of Gaussian quadrature.