An alternate solution to Scottish Book 157 (Q1704523)

The Scottish Book Problem 157 posed by A. J. Ward in 1937 sounds as follows: \(f(x)\) is a real function of a real variable, which is approximately continuous. At each point \(x\), the upper right-hand approximate derivative of \(f(x)\) is positive. Is \(f(x)\) monotone increasing? [\textit{R. D. Mauldin}, The Scottish Book. Mathematics from the Scottish Café. With selected problems from the New Scottish Book. 2nd updated and enlarged edition. Cham: Birkhäuser/Springer (2015; Zbl 1331.01039)]. Mauldin's 2015 edition mentions a positive solution following from \textit{R. J. O'Malley}'s theorem on approximate extrema of approximately continuous functions [Fundam. Math. 94, 75--81 (1977; Zbl 0347.26004)]. However, as it is revealed in this note, a solution follows at once from a result published yet in 1971 by \textit{D. Ornstein} [Ill. J. Math. 15, 73--76 (1971; Zbl 0213.34403)]: Let \(f(x)\) be a real-valued function of a real variable that is approximately continuous and such that, at each \(x\), \[ \limsup_{h\searrow0}\frac{|f^{-1}([f(x),\infty))\cap(x,x+h)|}h>0. \] Then \(f(x)\) is monotone increasing. The note brings an alternative proof of this result, more straightforward than Ornstein's. In the same issue of the journal one can find another paper on Problem 157 in which O'Malley's proof is discussed [\textit{K. Beanland} et al., Real Anal. Exch. 41, No. 2, 331--346 (2016; Zbl 1384.26021)].