Question ID 85939da5

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 85939da5

Texting Talks on cell Does not talk on

behavior phone daily cell phone daily Total

Light 110 146 256

Medium 139 164 303

Heavy 166 74 240

Total 415 384 799

In a study of cell phone use, 799 randomly selected US teens were asked how
often they talked on a cell phone and about their texting behavior. The data are
summarized in the table above. Based on the data from the study, an estimate of
the percent of US teens who are heavy texters is 30% and the associated margin of
error is 3%. Which of the following is a correct statement based on the given
margin of error?

A. Approximately 3% of the teens in the study who are classified as heavy texters are not really heavy texters.

B. It is not possible that the percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is less than 27%.

C. The percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is 33%.

D. It is doubtful that the percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is 35%.

ID: 85939da5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The given margin of error of 3% indicates that the actual percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is
likely within 3% of the estimate of 30%, or between 27% and 33%. Therefore, it is unlikely, or doubtful, that the percent of all
US teens who are heavy texters would be 35%.

Choice A is incorrect. The margin of error doesn’t provide any information about the accuracy of reporting in the study.
Choice B is incorrect. Based on the estimate and given margin of error, it is unlikely that the percent of all US teens who are
heavy texters would be less than 27%, but it is possible. Choice C is incorrect. While the percent of all US teens who are
heavy texters is likely between 27% and 33%, any value within this interval is equally likely. We can’t be certain that the value
is exactly 33%.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID e29586d5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: e29586d5

Number of Contestants by Score and Day

5 out 4 out 3 out 2 out 1 out 0 out
Total
of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5

Day
2 3 4 6 2 3 20
1

Day
2 3 5 5 4 1 20
2

Day
3 3 4 5 3 2 20
3

Total 7 9 13 16 9 6 60
The same 20 contestants, on each of 3 days, answered 5 questions in order to win a prize. Each contestant received 1 point
for each correct answer. The number of contestants receiving a given score on each day is shown in the table above.
No contestant received the same score on two different days. If a contestant is
selected at random, what is the probability that the selected contestant received a
score of 5 on Day 2 or Day 3, given that the contestant received a score of 5 on one
of the three days?

ID: e29586d5 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . It is given that no contestant received the same score on two different days, so each of the
contestants who received a score of 5 is represented in the “5 out of 5” column of the table exactly once. Therefore, the
probability of selecting a contestant who received a score of 5 on Day 2 or Day 3, given that the contestant received a score
of 5 on one of the three days, is found by dividing the total number of contestants who received a score of 5 on Day 2 or Day
3 by the total number of contestants who received a score of 5, which is given in the table as 7. So the probability

is . Note that 5/7, .7142, .7143, and 0.714 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 954943a4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 954943a4

Jennifer bought a box of Crunchy Grain cereal. The nutrition facts on the box state

that a serving size of the cereal is cup and provides 210 calories, 50 of which
are calories from fat. In addition, each serving of the cereal provides 180
milligrams of potassium, which is 5% of the daily allowance for adults. If p percent
of an adult’s daily allowance of potassium is provided by x servings of Crunchy
Grain cereal per day, which of the following expresses p in terms of x ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 954943a4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that each serving of Crunchy Grain cereal provides 5% of an adult’s daily allowance of
potassium, so x servings would provide x times 5%. The percentage of an adult’s daily allowance of potassium, p, is 5 times
the number of servings, x. Therefore, the percentage of an adult’s daily allowance of potassium can be expressed as .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly converting 5% to its decimal equivalent, which isn’t
necessary since p is expressed as a percentage. Additionally, choices C and D are incorrect because the context should be
represented by a linear relationship, not by an exponential relationship.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1baffbcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 1baffbcf

The expression represents the result of decreasing a positive quantity by what percent?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1baffbcf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Let represent the percent by which the positive quantity is decreased to result in . The value
of can be found by solving the equation . Since is a common factor of each of the terms on the
left-hand side of this equation, the equation can be rewritten as . Dividing each side of this equation
by yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Subtracting from
each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
expression represents the result of decreasing the positive quantity by .

Choice A is incorrect. Decreasing the quantity by yields , or , not .

Choice B is incorrect. Decreasing the quantity by yields , or , not .

Choice C is incorrect. Decreasing the quantity by yields , or , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c7e73ece
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: c7e73ece
Views on Nuclear Energy
Use
Response Frequency

Strongly favor 56

Somewhat
214
favor

Somewhat
104
oppose

Strongly
37
oppose

A researcher interviewed 411 randomly selected US residents and asked about their views on the use of nuclear energy. The
table above summarizes the responses of the interviewees. If the population of the United States was 300 million when the
survey was given, based on the sample data for the 411 US residents, what is the best estimate, in millions, of the difference
between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of nuclear energy and the number of
those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it? (Round your answer to the nearest whole number.)

ID: c7e73ece Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 94. Of those interviewed, “strongly favor” or “somewhat favor” the use of nuclear
energy, and interviewees “somewhat oppose” or “strongly oppose” the use of nuclear energy. The difference
between the sizes of the two surveyed groups is . The proportion of this difference among the entire group

of interviewees is . Because the sample of interviewees was selected at random from US residents, it is reasonable to
assume that the proportion of this difference is the same among all US residents as in the sample. Therefore, the best
estimate, in millions, of the difference between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of

nuclear energy and the number of those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it is , which to the nearest
million is 94.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d3b9c8d8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: d3b9c8d8

The box plots summarize the masses, in kilograms, of two groups of gazelles. Based on the box plots, which of the following
statements must be true?

A. The mean mass of group 1 is greater than the mean mass of group 2.

B. The mean mass of group 1 is less than the mean mass of group 2.

C. The median mass of group 1 is greater than the median mass of group 2.

D. The median mass of group 1 is less than the median mass of group 2.

ID: d3b9c8d8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The median of a data set represented in a box plot is represented by the vertical line within the box. It
follows that the median mass of the gazelles in group is kilograms, and the median mass of the gazelles in group is
kilograms. Since kilograms is greater than kilograms, the median mass of group is greater than the median mass
of group .

Choice A is incorrect. The mean mass of each of the two groups cannot be determined from the box plots.

Choice B is incorrect. The mean mass of each of the two groups cannot be determined from the box plots.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 65c49824
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 65c49824

A school district is forming a committee to discuss plans for the construction of a

new high school. Of those invited to join the committee, 15% are parents of
students, 45% are teachers from the current high school, 25% are school and
district administrators, and the remaining 6 individuals are students. How many
more teachers were invited to join the committee than school and district
administrators?

ID: 65c49824 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 8. The 6 students represent of those invited to join the committee. If

x people were invited to join the committee, then . Thus, there were people invited to join the
committee. It follows that there were teachers and school and district administrators invited
to join the committee. Therefore, there were 8 more teachers than school and district administrators invited to join the
committee.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ea09200
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 1ea09200

A sample of 40 fourth-grade students was selected at random from a certain

school. The 40 students completed a survey about the morning announcements,
and 32 thought the announcements were helpful. Which of the following is the
largest population to which the results of the survey can be applied?

A. The 40 students who were surveyed

B. All fourth-grade students at the school

C. All students at the school

D. All fourth-grade students in the county in which the school is located

ID: 1ea09200 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Selecting a sample of a reasonable size at random to use for a survey allows the results from that survey
to be applied to the population from which the sample was selected, but not beyond this population. In this case, the
population from which the sample was selected is all fourth-grade students at a certain school. Therefore, the results of the
survey can be applied to all fourth-grade students at the school.

Choice A is incorrect. The results of the survey can be applied to the 40 students who were surveyed. However, this isn’t the
largest group to which the results of the survey can be applied. Choices C and D are incorrect. Since the sample was
selected at random from among the fourth-grade students at a certain school, the results of the survey can’t be applied to
other students at the school or to other fourth-grade students who weren’t represented in the survey results. Students in
other grades in the school or other fourth-grade students in the country may feel differently about announcements than the
fourth-grade students at the school.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4aaa9c42
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 4aaa9c42

The positive number is of the sum of the positive numbers and , and is of . What percent of is ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4aaa9c42 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that is of the sum of and . This can be represented by the equation
, or . It’s also given that that is of . This can be represented by the equation
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or , which is equivalent to , or
. This equation is equivalent to ; therefore, is of .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fb866265
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: fb866265

The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, and . An equation for the exponential model shown can be
written as , where and are positive constants. Which of the following is closest to the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fb866265 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that an equation for the exponential model shown can be written as , where and
are positive constants. For an exponential model written in this form, if the value of is greater than but less than , the
model is decreasing. If the value of is greater than , the model is increasing. The exponential model shown is decreasing.
Therefore, the value of is greater than but less than . Of the given choices, only is a value greater than but less
than . Thus, is closest to the value of .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0ea56bb2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 0ea56bb2

Subscriptions
Year
sold

2012 5,600

2013 5,880

The manager of an online news service received the report above on the number of
subscriptions sold by the service. The manager estimated that the percent
increase from 2012 to 2013 would be double the percent increase from 2013 to
2014. How many subscriptions did the manager expect would be sold in 2014?

A. 6,020

B. 6,027

C. 6,440

D. 6,468

ID: 0ea56bb2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The percent increase from 2012 to 2013 was , or 5%. Since the percent increase
from 2012 to 2013 was estimated to be double the percent increase from 2013 to 2014, the percent increase from 2013 to
2014 was expected to be 2.5%.
Therefore, the number of subscriptions sold in 2014 is expected to be the number of subscriptions sold in 2013 multiplied by
, or .

Choice A is incorrect and is the result of adding half of the value of the increase from 2012 to 2013 to the 2013 result.
Choice C is incorrect and is the result adding twice the value of the increase from 2012 to 2013 to the 2013 result. Choice D
is incorrect and is the result of interpreting the percent increase from 2013 to 2014 as double the percent increase from
2012 to 2013.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0231050d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 0231050d

The line graph shows the total amount of snow, in inches, recorded each year in
Washington, DC, from 2003 to 2015. If is the percent decrease in the annual
snowfall from 2003 to 2007, what is the value of p ?

ID: 0231050d Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 75. The percent decrease between two values is found by dividing the difference between the two
values by the original value and multiplying by 100. The line graph shows that the annual snowfall in 2003 was 40 inches,
and the annual snowfall in 2007 was 10 inches. Therefore, the percent decrease in the annual snowfall from 2003 to 2007 is

, or 75. It’s given that this is equivalent to , so the value of p is 75.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d4413871
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: d4413871

Blood type

Rhesus factor A B AB O

33 9 3 37

7 2 1 x

Human blood can be classified into four common blood types—A, B, AB, and O. It is
also characterized by the presence or absence of the rhesus factor. The
table above shows the distribution of blood type and rhesus factor for a group of
people. If one of these people who is rhesus negative is chosen at random, the

probability that the person has blood type B is . What is the value of x ?

ID: d4413871 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. In this group, of the people who are rhesus negative have blood type B. The total number of
people who are rhesus negative in the group is , and there are 2 people who are rhesus negative with blood type

B. Therefore, . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of the equation yields .

Multiplying both sides of this equation by 9 yields , and multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields . Subtracting 10 from both sides of this equation yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 993000da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 993000da

The positive number is of the number , and is of the number . If is of , which of the following is
closest to the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 993000da Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that is of . It follows that . It's also given that is of . It follows that
. Since and , it follows that . Multiplying each side of this equation by
yields . If is of , then . It follows that . Multiplying each side of this equation by
yields . It follows that the value of is approximately . Therefore, of the given choices, is closest to the
value of .

Choice A is incorrect. This is closest to the value of if is of , rather than if is of , and if is of ,

rather than if is of .

Choice B is incorrect. This is closest to the value of if is greater than , rather than of .

Choice C is incorrect. This is closest to the value of if is greater than , rather than of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 190be2fc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 190be2fc

Data set A consists of positive integers less than . The list shown gives of the integers from data set A.
, , , , , , , ,
The mean of these integers is . If the mean of data set A is an integer that is greater than , what is the value of the
largest integer from data set A?

ID: 190be2fc Answer

Correct Answer: 52

Rationale
The correct answer is . The mean of a data set is calculated by dividing the sum of the data values by the number of
values. It’s given that data set A consists of values, of which are shown. Let represent the data value in data set
A, which isn’t shown. The mean of data set A can be found using the expression , or .
It’s given that the mean of the values shown is and that the mean of all numbers is greater than . Consequently,
the data value, , is larger than . It’s also given that the data values in data set A are positive integers less than .
Thus, . Finally, it’s given that the mean of data set A is an integer. This means that the sum of the data
values, , is divisible by . Thus, must have a ones digit of . It follows that must have a ones digit of .
Since and has a ones digit of , the only possible value of is . Since is larger than any of the integers
shown, the largest integer from data set A is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2e8027b0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 2e8027b0

The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, and , for data set E. A line of best fit is shown. Data set F is
created by multiplying the y-coordinate of each data point from data set E by . Which of the following could be an
equation of a line of best fit for data set F?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2e8027b0 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. An equation of a line of best fit for data set F can be written in the form , where is the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept of the line of best fit and is the slope. The line of best fit shown for data set E has a y-intercept
at approximately . It's given that data set F is created by multiplying the y-coordinate of each data point from data set
E by . It follows that a line of best fit for data set F has a y-intercept at approximately , or .
Therefore, the value of is approximately . The slope of a line that passes through points and can be
calculated as . Since the line of best fit shown for data set E passes approximately through the point , it
follows that a line of best fit for data set F passes approximately through the point , or . Substituting
and for and , respectively, in yields , which is equivalent to , or
. Therefore, the value of is approximately , or approximately . Thus, could be an equation of
a line of best fit for data set F.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This could be an equation of a line of best fit for data set E, not data set F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c178d4da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: c178d4da

Value Data set A frequency Data set B frequency

Data set A and data set B each consist of values. The table shows the frequencies of the values for each data set. Which
of the following statements best compares the means of the two data sets?

A. The mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set B.

B. The mean of data set A is less than the mean of data set B.

C. The mean of data set A is equal to the mean of data set B.

D. There is not enough information to compare the means of the data sets.

ID: c178d4da Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The mean value of a data set is the sum of the values of the data set divided by the number of values in
the data set. When a data set is represented in a frequency table, the sum of the values in the data set is the sum of the
products of each value and its frequency. For data set A, the sum of products of each value and its frequency is
, or . It's given that there are values in data set A. Therefore, the mean
of data set A is , or approximately . Similarly, the mean of data B is , or approximately . Therefore, the
mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set B.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 457d2f2c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 457d2f2c

A data set of 27 different numbers has a mean of 33 and a median of 33. A new
data set is created by adding 7 to each number in the original data set that is
greater than the median and subtracting 7 from each number in the original data
set that is less than the median. Which of the following measures does NOT have
the same value in both the original and new data sets?

A. Median

B. Mean

C. Sum of the numbers

D. Standard deviation

ID: 457d2f2c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. When a data set has an odd number of elements, the median can be found by ordering the values from
least to greatest and determining the middle value. Out of the 27 different numbers in this data set, 13 numbers are below
the median, one number is exactly 33, and 13 numbers are above the median. When 7 is subtracted from each number below
the median and added to each number above the median, the data spread out from the median. Since the median of this
data set, 33, is equivalent to the mean of the data set, the data also spread out from the mean. Since standard deviation is a
measure of how spread out the data are from the mean, a greater spread from the mean indicates an increased standard
deviation.

Choice A is incorrect. All the numbers less than the median decrease and all the numbers greater than the median increase,
but the median itself doesn’t change. Choices B and C are incorrect. The mean of a data set is found by dividing the sum of
the values by the number of values. The net change from subtracting 7 from 13 numbers and adding 7 to 13 numbers is
zero. Therefore, neither the mean nor the sum of the numbers changes.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c9fb15ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c9fb15ad

Species of Growth
tree factor

Red maple 4.5

River birch 3.5

Cottonwood 2.0

Black walnut 4.5

White birch 5.0

American elm 4.0

Pin oak 3.0

Shagbark
7.5
hickory

One method of calculating the approximate age, in years, of a tree of a particular

species is to multiply the diameter of the tree, in inches, by a constant called the
growth factor for that species. The table above gives the growth factors for eight
species of trees. If a white birch tree and a pin oak tree each now have a diameter
of 1 foot, which of the following will be closest to the difference, in inches, of their
diameters 10 years from now? (1 foot = 12 inches)

A. 1.0

B. 1.2

C. 1.3

D. 1.4

ID: c9fb15ad Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. According to the given information, multiplying a tree species’ growth factor by the tree’s diameter is a
method to approximate the age of the tree. A white birch with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a given growth factor of
5 and is approximately 60 years old. A pin oak with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a given growth factor of 3 and is
approximately 36 years old. The diameters of the two trees 10 years from now can be found by dividing each tree’s age in 10

years, 70 years, and 46 years, by its respective growth factor. This yields 14 inches and inches. The difference between

and 14 is , or approximately 1.3 inches.

Alternate approach: Since a white birch has a growth factor of 5, the age increases at a rate of 5 years per inch or,

equivalently, the diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Likewise, the pin oak has a growth factor of 3, so its

diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Thus, the pin oak grows of an inch per year more than the white

birch. In 10 years it will grow of an inch more, which is approximately 1.3 inches.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and a result of incorrectly calculating the diameters of the two trees in 10 years.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e438ec3f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: e438ec3f

A grove has rows of birch trees and rows of maple trees. Each row of birch trees has trees feet or taller and trees
shorter than feet. Each row of maple trees has trees feet or taller and trees shorter than feet. A tree from one
of these rows will be selected at random. What is the probability of selecting a maple tree, given that the tree is feet or
taller?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e438ec3f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. If a tree from one of these rows is selected at random, the probability of selecting a maple tree, given
that the tree is feet or taller, is equal to the number of maple trees that are feet or taller divided by the total number of
trees that are feet or taller. It's given that there are rows of birch trees, and each row of birch trees has trees that are
feet or taller. This means that there are a total of , or , birch trees that are feet or taller. It's given that there are
rows of maple trees, and each row of maple trees has trees that are feet or taller. This means that there are a total of
, or , maple trees that are feet or taller. It follows that there are a total of , or , trees that are feet or
taller. Therefore, the probability of selecting a maple tree, given that the tree is feet or taller, is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d6af3572
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: d6af3572

The scatterplot above shows the federal-mandated minimum wage every 10 years
between 1940 and 2010. A line of best fit is shown, and its equation is
. What does the line of best fit predict about the increase in the
minimum wage over the 70-year period?

A. Each year between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.096 dollars.

B. Each year between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.49 dollars.

C. Every 10 years between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.096 dollars.

D. Every 10 years between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.488 dollars.

ID: d6af3572 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The given equation is in slope-intercept form, or , where m is the value of the slope of the
line of best fit. Therefore, the slope of the line of best fit is 0.096. From the definition of slope, it follows that an increase of 1
in the x-value corresponds to an increase of 0.096 in the y-value. Therefore, the line of best fit predicts that for each year
between 1940 and 2010, the minimum wage will increase by 0.096 dollar per hour.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from using the y-coordinate of the y-intercept as the average increase, instead of the
slope. Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the 10-year increments given on the x-axis to incorrectly interpret the
slope of the line of best fit. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using the y-coordinate of the y-intercept as the average
increase, instead of the slope, and from using the 10-year increments given on the x-axis to incorrectly interpret the slope of
the line of best fit.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69f6717f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 69f6717f

A sample of oak has a density of kilograms per cubic meter. The sample is in the shape of a cube, where each edge has
a length of meters. To the nearest whole number, what is the mass, in kilograms, of this sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69f6717f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the sample is in the shape of a cube with edge lengths of meters. Therefore, the
volume of the sample is , or , cubic meters. It’s also given that the sample has a density of kilograms per
cubic meter. Therefore, the mass of this sample is , or kilograms. Rounding
this mass to the nearest whole number gives kilograms. Therefore, to the nearest whole number, the mass, in kilograms,
of this sample is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6c9444cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 6c9444cd

The two box plots show the distribution of number of books read over the summer by the students in two different English
classes. What is the positive difference between the ranges of number of books read over the summer for the two classes?

ID: 6c9444cd Answer

Correct Answer: 4

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the two boxplots show the distribution of number of books read over the summer by
the students in two different English classes. In a boxplot, the first vertical line represents the minimum value of the data set
and the last vertical line represents the maximum value of the data set. The range of a data set is the difference between its
maximum value and its minimum value. In class A, the maximum number of books read is and the minimum number of
books read is . The difference between those values is , or . Therefore, the range of the number of books read in
class A is . In class B, the maximum number of books read is and the minimum number of books read is . The
difference between those values is , or . Therefore, the range of the number of books read in class B is . To find the
positive difference between the ranges of the number of books read for the two classes, the smaller range must be
subtracted from the larger range. Therefore, the positive difference between the ranges of number of books read over the
summer for the two classes is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d65b9a87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: d65b9a87

The dot plots represent the distributions of values in data sets A and B.

Which of the following statements must be true?

The median of data set A is equal to the median of data set B.
The standard deviation of data set A is equal to the standard deviation of data set B.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: d65b9a87 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The median of a data set with an odd number of values that are in ascending or descending order is the
middle value of the data set. Since the distribution of the values of both data set A and data set B form symmetric dot plots,
and each data set has an odd number of values, it follows that the median is given by the middle value in each of the dot
plots. Thus, the median of data set A is , and the median of data set B is . Therefore, statement I is true. Data set A and
data set B have the same frequency for each of the values , , , and . Data set A has a frequency of for values
and , whereas data set B has a frequency of for values and . Standard deviation is a measure of the spread of a
data set; it is larger when there are more values further from the mean, and smaller when there are more values closer to the
mean. Since both distributions are symmetric with an odd number of values, the mean of each data set is equal to its
median. Thus, each data set has a mean of . Since more of the values in data set A are closer to than data set B, it
follows that data set A has a smaller standard deviation than data set B. Thus, statement II is false. Therefore, only
statement I must be true.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e7133228
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: e7133228

The speed of a vehicle is increasing at a rate of meters per second squared. What is this rate, in miles per minute
squared, rounded to the nearest tenth?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e7133228 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the speed of a vehicle is increasing at a rate of meters per second squared. It's given
to use . There are seconds in minute; therefore, or seconds squared is equal to
minute squared. It follows that the rate of meters per second squared is equivalent to
, or approximately . The rate,
, rounded to the nearest tenth is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 241f1db7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 241f1db7

Weight (pounds) Frequency

The frequency table summarizes a data set of the weights, rounded to the nearest pound, of tortoises. A weight of
pounds is added to the original data set, creating a new data set of the weights, rounded to the nearest pound, of
tortoises. Which statement best compares the mean and median of the new data set to the mean and median of the original
data set?

The mean of the new data set is greater than the mean of the original data set, and the median of the new data set is
A. greater than the median of the original data set.

The mean of the new data set is greater than the mean of the original data set, and the medians of the two data sets are
B. equal.

The mean of the new data set is less than the mean of the original data set, and the median of the new data set is less
C. than the median of the original data set.

The mean of the new data set is less than the mean of the original data set, and the medians of the two data sets are
D. equal.

ID: 241f1db7 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The mean of a data set is the sum of the values in the data set divided by the number of values in the
data set. The new data set consists of the weights of the tortoises in the original data set and one additional weight, .
Since the additional weight, , is greater than any of the values in the original data set, the mean of the new data set is
greater than the mean of the original data set. If a data set contains an odd number of data values, the median is
represented by the middle data value in the list when the data values are listed in ascending or descending order. Since the
original data set consists of the weights of tortoises and is in ascending order, the median of the original data set is
represented by the middle value, or the value. Based on the frequencies shown in the table, the value in this data
set is . If a data set contains an even number of data values, the median is between the two middle data values when the
values are listed in ascending or descending order. Since the new data set consists of the weights of tortoises, the
median of the new data set is between the and data values when the values are arranged in ascending order. To
keep the data in ascending order, the additional value of would be placed at the bottom of the frequency table with a
frequency of . Therefore, based on the frequencies in the table, the and values in the new data set are both . It
follows that the median of the new data set is , which is the same as the median of the original data set. Therefore, the
mean of the new data set is greater than the mean of the original data set, and the medians of the two data sets are equal.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fbd3b67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 1fbd3b67

The number is greater than the number . The number is less than . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1fbd3b67 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the number is less than . It follows that is equal to minus of , which
can be written as . This is equivalent to , or . It's also given that the number
is greater than the number . It follows that is equal to plus of . Since , this can be written as
. This is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This would be the value of if were of , not greater than .

Choice C is incorrect. This is of .

Choice D is incorrect. This would be the value of if were of , not less than , and were of , not
greater than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ecbdbe84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: ecbdbe84

The table shown summarizes the number of employees at each of the restaurants in a town.

Number of employees Number of restaurants

to

to

to

to

to
Which of the following could be the median number of employees for the restaurants in this town?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ecbdbe84 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. If a data set contains an odd number of data values, the median is represented by the middle data value
in the list when the data values are listed in ascending or descending order. Since the numbers of employees are given as
ranges of values rather than specific values, it's only possible to determine the range in which the median falls, rather than
the exact median. Since there are restaurants included in the data set and the numbers of employees are listed in
ascending order, it follows that the median number of employees will be represented by the ninth restaurant in the list. Since
the first restaurants each have to employees, numbers of employees in the to range would be represented by the
first and second restaurants in the list. The next restaurants each have to employees. Therefore, numbers of
employees in the to range will be represented by the third through sixth restaurants in the list. The next restaurants
each have to employees. Therefore, numbers of employees in the to range will be represented by the seventh
and eighth restaurants in the list. Since the next restaurants each have to employees, numbers of employees in the
to range will be represented by the ninth through fifteenth restaurants in the list. This means that the ninth restaurant
in the list, which has the median number of employees for the restaurants in this town, has a number of employees in the
to range. Of the given choices, the only number of employees in the to range is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the position of the median in the list, not the value of the median.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f8a322d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: f8a322d9

Two data sets of integers each are summarized in the histograms shown. For each of the histograms, the first interval
represents the frequency of integers greater than or equal to , but less than . The second interval represents the
frequency of integers greater than or equal to , but less than , and so on. What is the smallest possible difference
between the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f8a322d9 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The histograms shown have the same shape, but data set A contains values between and and
data set B contains values between and . Thus, the mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set B.
Therefore, the smallest possible difference between the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B is the difference
between the smallest possible mean of data set A and the greatest possible mean of data set B. In data set A, since there
are integers in the interval greater than or equal to but less than , integers greater than or equal to but less than
, integers greater than or equal to but less than , and integers greater than or equal to but less than , the
smallest possible mean for data set A is . In data set B, since there are integers greater than or
equal to but less than , integers greater than or equal to but less than , integers greater than or equal to
but less than , and integers greater than or equal to but less than , the largest possible mean for data set B is
. Therefore, the smallest possible difference between the mean of data set A and the mean of data
set B is , which is equivalent to
. This expression can be rewritten as
, or , which is equal to . Therefore, the smallest possible difference between the mean of data set A and the mean of
data set B is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the smallest possible difference between the ranges, not the means, of the data sets.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the difference between the greatest possible mean, not the smallest possible mean, of data set
A and the greatest possible mean of data set B.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the smallest possible difference between the sum of the values in data set A and the sum of the
values in data set B, not the smallest possible difference between the means.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3638f413
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3638f413

Jeremy deposited x dollars in his investment account on January 1, 2001. The

amount of money in the account doubled each year until Jeremy had 480 dollars in
his investment account on January 1, 2005. What is the value of x ?

ID: 3638f413 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The situation can be represented by the equation , where the 2 represents the fact
that the amount of money in the account doubled each year and the 4 represents the fact that there are 4 years between
January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2005. Simplifying gives . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1142af44
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 1142af44

Value Frequency

1 a

2 2a

3 3a

4 2a

5 a

The frequency distribution above summarizes a set of data, where a is a positive

integer. How much greater is the mean of the set of data than the median?

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. 3

ID: 1142af44 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Since the frequencies of values less than the middle value, 3, are the same as the frequencies of the
values greater than 3, the set of data has a symmetric distribution. When a set of data has a symmetric distribution, the
mean and median values are equal. Therefore, the mean is 0 greater than the median.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from misinterpreting the set of data.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 651d83bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 651d83bb
Two different teams consisting of 10 members each ran in a race. Each member’s completion time of the race was
recorded. The mean of the completion times for each team was calculated and is shown below.
Team A: 3.41 minutes
Team B: 3.79 minutes

Which of the following MUST be true?

Every member of team A completed the race in less time than any member of team B.
The median time it took the members of team B to complete the race is greater than the median time it took the
members of team A to complete the race.
There is at least one member of team B who took more time to complete the race than some member of team A.

A. III only

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

ID: 651d83bb Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Since the average time for the 10 members of team A is 3.41 minutes, the sum of the 10 times for team
A is equal to minutes. Since the average time for the 10 members of team B is 3.79 minutes, the sum of
the 10 times for team B is equal to minutes. Since the sum of the 10 times for team B is greater than the
sum of the 10 times for team A, it must be true that at least one of the times for team B must be greater than one of the
times for team A. Thus, statement III is true. However, it’s possible that at least some of the times for team A were greater
than some of the times for team B. For example, all of team A’s times could be 3.41 minutes, and team B could have 1 time
of 3.34 minutes and 9 times of 3.84 minutes. Thus, statement I need not be true. It’s also possible that the median of the
times for team B is less than the median of the times for team A. For example, all of team A’s times could be 3.41 minutes,
and team B could have 6 times of 3.37 minutes and 4 times of 4.42 minutes; then the median of team B’s times would be
3.37 minutes and the median of team A’s times would be 3.41 minutes. Thus, statement II need not be true.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because neither statement I nor statement II must be true.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 1e8ccffd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 1e8ccffd

The mean score of 8 players in a basketball game was 14.5 points. If the highest
individual score is removed, the mean score of the remaining 7 players becomes
12 points. What was the highest score?

A. 20

B. 24

C. 32

D. 36

ID: 1e8ccffd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. If the mean score of 8 players is 14.5, then the total of all 8 scores is . If the mean of 7
scores is 12, then the total of all 7 scores is . Since the set of 7 scores was made by removing the highest score
of the set of 8 scores, then the difference between the total of all 8 scores and the total of all 7 scores is equal to the
removed score: .

Choice A is incorrect because if 20 is removed from the group of 8 scores, then the mean score of the remaining 7 players is

is approximately 13.71, not 12. Choice B is incorrect because if 24 is removed from the group of 8 scores,

then the mean score of the remaining 7 players is is approximately 13.14, not 12. Choice D is incorrect

because if 36 is removed from the group of 8 scores, then the mean score of the remaining 7 players is or
approximately 11.43, not 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1e1027a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 1e1027a7

The scatterplot above shows a company’s ice cream sales d, in dollars, and the
high temperature t, in degrees Celsius (°C), on 12 different days. A line of best fit
for the data is also shown. Which of the following could be an equation of the line
of best fit?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e1027a7 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. On the line of best fit, d increases from approximately 480 to 880 between and . The slope

of the line of best fit is the difference in d-values divided by the difference in t-values, which gives , or
approximately 33. Writing the equation of the line of best fit in slope-intercept form gives , where b is the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept. This equation is satisfied by all points on the line, so when . Thus,
, which is equivalent to . Subtracting 396 from both sides of this equation gives .
Therefore, an equation for the line of best fit could be .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error in calculating the slope and misidentifying the y-coordinate of the y-
intercept of the graph as the value of d at rather than the value of d at . Choice B is incorrect and may result
from using the smallest value of t on the graph as the slope and misidentifying the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
graph as the value of d at rather than the value of d at . Choice C is incorrect and may result from misidentifying
the y-coordinate of the y-intercept as the smallest value of d on the graph.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e7d48c8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: e7d48c8a

The dot plot represents a data set of the number of bursts for eruptions of a steam vent. If an additional eruption with
bursts is added to this data set to create a new data set of eruptions, which of the following measures will be greater for
the new data set than for the original data set?
The median number of bursts The mean number of bursts

A. I and II

B. I only

C. II only

D. Neither I nor II

ID: e7d48c8a Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the dot plot represents a data set of the number of bursts for eruptions of a steam vent.
The median of a data set with an odd number of elements is the middle element when the elements are in numerical order.
For elements in numerical order, this is the element. For this data set, the first elements have a value of , and the
next elements have a value of . Thus, the element in the ordered data set is and the median number of bursts for
the original data set is . If an additional eruption with bursts is added to this data set to create a new data set of
eruptions, the median of the new data set will be between the and elements in the ordered set, which will also be .
Therefore, the median number of bursts for the new data set will be the same as the median number of bursts for the
original data set. The mean number of bursts for the original data set is found by adding the values of all elements and
dividing that sum by the number of elements, . Since the data is shown in a dot plot, the sum of the values of the elements
can be found by multiplying each element's value by its frequency: , or . Therefore,
the mean number of bursts for the original data set is . If an additional eruption with bursts is added to this data set to
create a new data set of bursts, the mean number of bursts for the new data set is , or . Since , the
mean number of bursts for the new data set is greater than the mean number of bursts for the original data set. Therefore, of
the median number of bursts and the mean number of bursts, only the mean number of bursts is greater for the new data set
than for the original data set.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f775bbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3f775bbf

Power capacity
State
Low Medium High Total

Texas 4 2 3 9

California 1 0 1 2

Oregon 1 0 1 2

Indiana 0 2 0 2

Colorado 1 1 0 2

Iowa 2 0 0 2

Oklahoma 1 0 0 1

Total 10 5 5 20

The table shows the distribution, by location and power capacity (maximum rate of
power generation) of the twenty largest wind projects in the United States in 2013.
The total power capacity of the nine wind projects located in Texas was 4,952
megawatts (MW), and the total power capacity of the twenty wind projects was
11,037 MW in 2013. The amount of energy produced in one hour at a rate of one
megawatt is one megawatt-hour. If each of the nine Texas wind projects in 2013
had operated continuously for 24 hours at the maximum rate of power generation,
approximately how many megawatt-hours of energy would the nine projects have
produced?

A. 200

B. 5,000

C. 11,000

D. 120,000

ID: 3f775bbf Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the total power capacity of the nine wind projects in Texas was 4,952 megawatts.
Therefore, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 1 hour, the amount of energy produced would be 4,952
megawatt-hours. It follows that, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 24 hours, the amount of energy
produced, in megawatt-hours, would be , which is closest to 120,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects divided by 24 hours. Choice
B is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects. Choice C is incorrect. This is
approximately the given amount of energy produced for all twenty projects in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8637294f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 8637294f

If and , what is the value of ?

ID: 8637294f Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that and . The equation can be rewritten as
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The equation can be rewritten as
. Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Multiplying both
sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the value of is . Note that .0625, 0.062, 0.063, and 1/16 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6626cac3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 6626cac3

Phone Email

Dinner
55% 80%
dance

Football
20% 10%
game

Picnic 20% 5%

Pool party 5% 5%

Total 100% 100%

An alumni association survey asked each high school graduate to select the one activity he or she preferred
for the association’s next event. Some of the people responded by phone, and the others responded by email.
The table above shows the distribution of preferred activity, in percent, for each response type used. For the
survey, the number of email responses was twice the number of phone responses. If a person who preferred
a picnic is selected at random, what is the probability that the person responded by email?

ID: 6626cac3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number of email responses is twice the number of phone responses. Therefore,
if the number of phone responses is p, then the number of email responses is . The table shows that 20% of people who
responded by phone preferred a picnic. It follows that the expression represents the number of these people. The
table also shows that 5% of the people who responded by email preferred a picnic. The expression , or ,
represents the number of these people. Therefore, a total of , or people preferred a picnic. Thus, the

probability of selecting at random a person who responded by email from the people who preferred a picnic is , or
. Note that 1/3, .3333, and 0.333 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 308084c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 308084c5

Sample Percent in favor Margin of error

A 52% 4.2%

B 48% 1.6%

The results of two random samples of votes for a proposition are shown above.
The samples were selected from the same population, and the margins of error
were calculated using the same method. Which of the following is the most
appropriate reason that the margin of error for sample A is greater than the margin
of error for sample B?

A. Sample A had a smaller number of votes that could not be recorded.

B. Sample A had a higher percent of favorable responses.

C. Sample A had a larger sample size.

D. Sample A had a smaller sample size.

ID: 308084c5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Sample size is an appropriate reason for the margin of error to change. In general, a smaller sample size
increases the margin of error because the sample may be less representative of the whole population.

Choice A is incorrect. The margin of error will depend on the size of the sample of recorded votes, not the number of votes
that could not be recorded. In any case, the smaller number of votes that could not be recorded for sample A would tend to
decrease, not increase, the comparative size of the margin of error. Choice B is incorrect. Since the percent in favor for
sample A is the same distance from 50% as the percent in favor for sample B, the percent of favorable responses doesn’t
affect the comparative size of the margin of error for the two samples. Choice C is incorrect. If sample A had a larger margin
of error than sample B, then sample A would tend to be less representative of the population. Therefore, sample A is not
likely to have a larger sample size.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e635aede
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: e635aede

In , Zinah earned more than in , and in Zinah earned more than in . If Zinah earned times as
much in as in , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e635aede Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that in Zinah earned more than in . Let represent the amount Zinah earned in
and let represent the amount that Zinah earned in . This situation can be represented by the equation
, or . It’s also given that in Zinah earned more than in . Let represent the
amount Zinah earned in . This situation can be represented by the equation , or .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or . If Zinah earned times as
much in as in , then the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d721177
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 7d721177

The density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter. A sample of this type of wood is in the shape of a
cube and has a mass of kilograms. To the nearest hundredth of a meter, what is the length of one edge of this sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7d721177 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter , and a
sample of this type of wood has a mass of . Let represent the volume, in , of the sample. It follows that the
relationship between the density, mass, and volume of this sample can be written
as , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Therefore, the volume of this sample is . Since it’s given that the sample of this
type of wood is a cube, it follows that the length of one edge of this sample can be found using the volume formula for a
cube, , where represents the volume, in , and represents the length, in m, of one edge of the cube.
Substituting for in this formula yields . Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation yields
, or . Therefore, the length of one edge of this sample to the nearest hundredth of a meter is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 67c0200a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 67c0200a

The number is less than the positive number . The number is greater than . The number is how many
times ?

ID: 67c0200a Answer

Correct Answer: .54, 27/50

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the number is less than the positive number . Therefore, ,
which is equivalent to , or . It's also given that the number is greater than . Therefore,
, which is equivalent to , or . Since , substituting for in the
equation yields , or . Thus, is times . Note that .54 and 27/50 are examples
of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40e7a1a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 40e7a1a9

is greater than . What is the value of ?

ID: 40e7a1a9 Answer

Correct Answer: 600

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that is greater than . It follows that . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Multiplying
both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bf47ad54
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: bf47ad54

Each of the following frequency tables represents a data set. Which data set has the greatest mean?

Value Frequency
A.

Value Frequency
B.

Value Frequency
C.

Value Frequency
D.
 ID: bf47ad54 Answer
Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The tables in choices B, C, and D each represent a data set where the values and have the same
frequency and the values and have the same frequency. It follows that each of these data sets is symmetric around
the value halfway between and , or . When a data set is symmetric around a value, that value is the mean of the data
set. Therefore, the data sets represented by the tables in choices B, C, and D each have a mean of . The table in choice A
represents a data set where the value has a greater frequency than the value and the value has a greater
frequency than the value . It follows that this data set has a mean greater than . Therefore, of the given choices, choice
A represents the data set with the greatest mean.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d68096f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 7d68096f

A trivia tournament organizer wanted to study the relationship between the number of points a team scores in a trivia round
and the number of hours that a team practices each week. For the study, the organizer selected teams at random from all
trivia teams in a certain tournament. The table displays the information for the teams in the sample that practiced for at
least hours per week.

Number of points per round

Hours practiced
6 to 13 points 14 or more points Total

3 to 5 hours

More than 5 hours

Total
Which of the following is the largest population to which the results of the study can be generalized?

A. All trivia teams in the tournament that scored or more points in the round

B. The trivia teams in the sample

C. The trivia teams in the sample that practiced for at least hours per week

D. All trivia teams in the tournament

ID: 7d68096f Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the organizer selected teams at random from all trivia teams in the tournament. A table
is also given displaying the information for the teams in the sample that practiced for at least hours per week. Selecting
a sample of a reasonable size at random to use for a survey allows the results from that survey to be applied to the
population from which the sample was selected, but not beyond this population. Thus, only the sampling method
information is necessary to determine the largest population to which the results of the study can be generalized. Since the
organizer selected the sample at random from all trivia teams in the tournament, the largest population to which the results
of the study can be generalized is all trivia teams in the tournament.

Choice A is incorrect. The sample was selected at random from all trivia teams in the tournament, not just from the teams
that scored an average of or more points per round.

Choice B is incorrect. If a study uses a sample selected at random from a population, the results of the study can be
generalized to the population, not just the sample.

Choice C is incorrect. If a study uses a sample selected at random from a population, the results of the study can be
generalized to the population, not just a subset of the sample.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 585de39a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 585de39a

On May 10, 2015, there were 83 million Internet subscribers in Nigeria. The major
Internet providers were MTN, Globacom, Airtel, Etisalat, and Visafone. By
September 30, 2015, the number of Internet subscribers in Nigeria had increased
to 97 million. If an Internet subscriber in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, is selected
at random, the probability that the person selected was an MTN subscriber is 0.43.
There were p million MTN subscribers in Nigeria on September 30, 2015. To the
nearest integer, what is the value of p ?

ID: 585de39a Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 42. It’s given that in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, the probability of selecting an MTN subscriber
from all Internet subscribers is 0.43, that there were p million, or , MTN subscribers, and that there were 97
million, or 97,000,000, Internet subscribers. The probability of selecting an MTN subscriber from all Internet subscribers can
be found by dividing the number of MTN subscribers by the total number of Internet subscribers. Therefore, the equation

can be used to solve for p. Dividing 1,000,000 from the numerator and denominator of the

expression on the left-hand side yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 97 yields
, which, to the nearest integer, is 42.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4ff597db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 4ff597db

The mean amount of time that the 20 employees of a construction company have
worked for the company is 6.7 years. After one of the employees leaves the
company, the mean amount of time that the remaining employees have worked for
the company is reduced to 6.25 years. How many years did the employee who left
the company work for the company?

A. 0.45

B. 2.30

C. 9.00

D. 15.25

ID: 4ff597db Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The mean amount of time that the 20 employees worked for the company is 6.7 years. This means that
the total number of years all 20 employees worked for the company is (6.7)(20) = 134 years. After the employee left, the
mean amount of time that the remaining 19 employees worked for the company is 6.25 years. Therefore, the total number of
years all 19 employees worked for the company is (6.25)(19) = 118.75 years. It follows that the number of years that the
employee who left had worked for the company is 134 – 118.75 = 15.25 years.

Choice A is incorrect; this is the change in the mean, which isn’t the same as the amount of time worked by the employee
who left. Choice B is incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20 employees, rather than
19, at the company after the employee left and then subtracting the original mean of 6.7 from that result. Choice C is
incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20 employees, rather than 19, at the company
after the employee left.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7b52985c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 7b52985c

The scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours, a certain bird spent in flight and the number of
days after January , .

What is the average rate of change, in hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to the length
of time the bird spent in flight on January ?

ID: 7b52985c Answer

Correct Answer: 4.5, 9/2
Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours, a
certain bird spent in flight and the number of days after January , . Since January is days after January , it
follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when , the corresponding
value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight. Since January is days after January , it
follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when , the corresponding
value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight. Therefore, the average rate of change, in
hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to the length of time the bird spent in flight on
January is the difference in the length of time, in hours, the bird spent in flight divided by the difference in the number of
days after January , or , which is equivalent to . Note that 9/2 and 4.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7ce2830a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 7ce2830a

A psychologist designed and conducted a study to determine whether playing a

certain educational game increases middle school students’ accuracy in adding
fractions. For the study, the psychologist chose a random sample of 35 students
from all of the students at one of the middle schools in a large city. The
psychologist found that students who played the game showed significant
improvement in accuracy when adding fractions. What is the largest group to
which the results of the study can be generalized?

A. The 35 students in the sample

B. All students at the school

C. All middle school students in the city

D. All students in the city

ID: 7ce2830a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The largest group to which the results of a study can be generalized is the population from which the
random sample was chosen. In this case, the psychologist chose a random sample from all students at one particular
middle school. Therefore, the largest group to which the results can be generalized is all the students at the school.

Choice A is incorrect because this isn’t the largest group the results can be generalized to. Choices C and D are incorrect
because these groups are larger than the population from which the random sample was chosen. Therefore, the sample isn’t
representative of these groups.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6a715bed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 6a715bed

The table summarizes the distribution of age and assigned group for participants in a study.

– years – years years Total

Group A

Group B

Group C

Total
One of these participants will be selected at random. What is the probability of selecting a participant from group A, given
that the participant is at least years of age? (Express your answer as a decimal or fraction, not as a percent.)

ID: 6a715bed Answer

Correct Answer: .3833, 23/60

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that one of the participants will be selected at random. The probability of selecting a
participant from group A given that the participant is at least years of age is the number of participants in group A who
are at least years of age divided by the total number of participants who are at least years of age. The table shows
that in group A, there are participants who are – years of age and participants who are years of age.
Therefore, there are , or , participants in group A who are at least years of age. The table also shows that there
are a total of participants who are – years of age and participants who are years of age. Therefore, there
are a total of , or , participants who are at least years of age. It follows that the probability of selecting a
participant from group A given that the participant is at least years of age is . Note that 23/60, .3833, and 0.383 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard