Question ID 005e9982

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 005e9982

The given function models the number of advertisements a company sent to its clients each year, where
represents the number of years since , and . If is graphed in the xy-plane,
which of the following is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?
A. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years
was .

B. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years
was .

C. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

D. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

ID: 005e9982 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where . For the given function , the y-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of advertisements a
company sent to its clients each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of advertisements the company
sent to its clients each year. It's also given that represents the number of years since . Therefore,
represents years since , or . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of is that
the estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

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 54bf74ea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 54bf74ea

The given function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Which of the following
functions best models the population of Lowell months after the census?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 54bf74ea Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Since there are
months in a year, months after the census is equivalent to years after the census. Substituting for in the
equation yields . Therefore, the function that best models the
population of Lowell months after the census 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 536832c0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 536832c0

In the -plane, a line with equation intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola
has equation , where is a positive constant, what is the value of ?

ID: 536832c0 Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that a line with equation intersects a parabola with equation
, where is a positive constant, at exactly one point in the xy-plane. It follows that the system of
equations consisting of and has exactly one solution. Dividing both sides of the equation of
the line by yields . Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields . Adding
and subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . A quadratic equation in the form
of , where , , and are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, , is
equal to zero. Substituting for and for in the expression and setting this expression equal to yields
, or . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Taking the square root
of each side of this equation yields . It’s given that is positive, so the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9298a52e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 9298a52e

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 9298a52e Answer

Correct Answer: -10

Rationale

The correct answer is . Adding to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields .
Substituting for in the first equation in the given system yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields . Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields
, or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2833ad7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 2833ad7d

A model estimates that at the end of each year from to , the number of squirrels in a
population was more than the number of squirrels in the population at the end of the previous year.
The model estimates that at the end of , there were squirrels in the population. Which of the
following equations represents this model, where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population
years after the end of and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 2833ad7d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the model estimates that the number of squirrels in the population increased by a fixed
percentage, , each year, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the form ,
where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population at the end of , and the model estimates that at the
end of each year, the number is more than the number at the end of the previous year. Since the model estimates
that at the end of each year, the number was more than the number at the end of the previous year, .
Substituting for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . It’s given that the estimated number of squirrels at the end of was . This
means that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year, and the estimated number of
squirrels at the end of , not the end of , was .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a model where the estimated number of squirrels at the end of , not
the end of , was .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 81aa6aa9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 81aa6aa9

When the quadratic function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , its vertex is . One of
the x-intercepts of this graph is . What is the other x-intercept of the graph?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 81aa6aa9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the line of symmetry for the graph of a quadratic function contains the vertex of the graph, the
x-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the x-coordinate of the midpoint of its two x-intercepts. The
midpoint of two points with x-coordinates and has x-coordinate , where . It′s given that the vertex
is and one of the x-intercepts is . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Adding to
each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the other x-intercept 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 f5f840a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: f5f840a0

For the function , , and for each increase in by , the value of decreases by .
What is the value of ?

ID: f5f840a0 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases
by . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each -unit increase in the value of
, this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form , where represents the
initial value of the function and represents the rate of decay,
expressed as a decimal. Because , the value of must be . Because the value of decreases by
for each -unit increase in , the value of must be , or . Therefore, the function can be defined by
. Substituting for in this function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Either or may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases by .
Therefore, when , the value of is , or , of , which can be expressed as .
Since , the value of is . Similarly, when , the value of is of , which
can be expressed as . Since , the value of is . Either or may
be entered as the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3e4e3220
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 3e4e3220

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where and is a
quadratic function. What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 3e4e3220 Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an equation of
the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows three values of
and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting for in this equation yields
. This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and , where is either the
maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic relationships between and , the
maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between any two values of that have the same
corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and correspond to the same y-value, . Since is
halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at an x-value of . The table shows that when
, . It follows that and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
. The value of can be found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and ,
respectively, in this equation. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation
yields . The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is
the point on the graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to , so the y-intercept of the
graph of in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in
the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b939a904
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b939a904

In the given equation, is a constant. For which of the following values of will the equation have more
than one real solution?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b939a904 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has either no
real solutions, exactly one real solution, or exactly two real solutions. That is, for the given equation to have more than
one real solution, it must have exactly two real solutions. When the value of the discriminant, or , is greater than
0, the given equation has exactly two real solutions. In the given equation, , and .
Therefore, the given equation has exactly two real solutions when , or . Adding
to both sides of this inequality yields . Taking the square root of both sides of yields two
possible inequalities: or . Of the choices, only choice A satisfies or .

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 2d8f1f6a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2d8f1f6a

The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the -plane.
What is a possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2d8f1f6a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point
. Therefore, this intersection point is a solution to the given system. The solution can be found by isolating in
each equation. The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by subtracting from both sides of the
equation, which gives . The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by subtracting
from both sides of the equation, which gives . With each equation solved for , the value of from
one equation can be substituted into the other, which gives . Adding and to both sides of
this equation results in . Dividing both sides of this equation by results in .
This equation can be rewritten by factoring the left-hand side, which yields . By the zero-product
property, if , then , or . It follows that , or . Since
only is given as a choice, a possible value of 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 23923e5b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 23923e5b

A quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms of the time, in
seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. The model indicates the object has an initial
height of feet above the ground and reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground
seconds after being launched. Based on the model, what is the height, in feet, of the object above the
ground seconds after being launched?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 23923e5b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms
of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be defined by an
equation of the form , where is the height of the object seconds after it was launched,
and , , and are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, , when . Since the model
indicates the object reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched,
reaches its maximum value, , when . Therefore, and . Substituting for and for
in the function yields . Since the model indicates the object has an
initial height of feet above the ground, the value of is when . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore,
the model can be represented by the equation . Substituting for in this equation
yields , or . Therefore, based on the model, seconds after being
launched, the height of the object above the ground is feet.

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 960aabc0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 960aabc0

In the xy-plane, a line with equation for some constant intersects a parabola at exactly one
point. If the parabola has equation , what is the value of ?

ID: 960aabc0 Answer

Correct Answer: 20.25, 81/4

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given linear equation is . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields . Adding and to both sides of this
equation yields . Since it’s given that the line and the parabola intersect at exactly one point, the
equation must have exactly one solution. An equation of the form , where ,
, and are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, , is equal to . In the equation
, where , , and , the discriminant is . Setting the
discriminant equal to yields , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 81/4 and 20.25 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 59cf1dd3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 59cf1dd3

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 59cf1dd3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Any quantity that is positive or negative in value has a positive value when squared. Therefore, the
left-hand side of the given equation is either positive or zero for any value of . Since the right-hand side of the given
equation is negative, there is no value of for which the given equation is true. Thus, the number of distinct real
solutions for the given equation is zero.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 33cc7555
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 33cc7555

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

ID: 33cc7555 Answer

Correct Answer: 9

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten as . Dividing each side of this equation by
yields . By the definition of absolute value, if , then or . Subtracting
from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields .
Similarly, subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation
by yields . Therefore, since the two solutions to the given equation are and , the positive solution to the
given equation is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9f13fad1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations Hard

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 9f13fad1

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 9f13fad1 Answer

Correct Answer: -1

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, has
exactly one solution when its discriminant, , is equal to . In the given equation, ,
and . Substituting for and for in yields , or .
Since the given equation has exactly one solution, . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 49de5e98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 49de5e98

The given equation defines the function . For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 49de5e98 Answer

Correct Answer: 25/4, 6.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten in the form , where , , and are
constants. When , is the value of for which reaches its minimum. The given equation can be rewritten as
, which is equivalent to . This equation

can be rewritten as , or , which is

equivalent to . Therefore, , so the value of for which reaches its minimum is

. Note that 25/4 and 6.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 99b8a5c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 99b8a5c8

In the given quadratic function, and are constants. The graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola
that opens upward and has a vertex at the point , where and are constants. If and
, which of the following must be true?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 99b8a5c8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola with vertex . If
, then for the graph of , the point with an x-coordinate of and the point with an x-coordinate
of have the same y-coordinate. In the xy-plane, a parabola is a symmetric graph such that when two points have the
same y-coordinate, these points are equidistant from the vertex, and the x-coordinate of the vertex is halfway between
the x-coordinates of these two points. Therefore, for the graph of , the points with x-coordinates and are
equidistant from the vertex, , and is halfway between and . The value that is halfway between and is
, or . Therefore, . The equation defining can also be written in vertex form, .
Substituting for in this equation yields , or . This equation is
equivalent to , or . Since , it follows
that and . Dividing both sides of the equation by yields , or . Since ,
it's not true that . Therefore, statement II isn't true. Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . If , then
, or . Since could be any value less than , it's not necessarily true that . Therefore, statement I
isn't necessarily true. Thus, neither I nor II must be true.

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 98f7ab7a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: 98f7ab7a

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of
has a y-intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: 98f7ab7a Answer

Correct Answer: 20

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It’s
given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID da9efa2f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: da9efa2f

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: da9efa2f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as . Since

the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its minimum
value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum. For an equation
in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is . For the
equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the vertex is ,
or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-intercepts
of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the graph of
in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The midpoint
between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and is
, or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7f055bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions Hard

ID: b7f055bc

The function is defined by , where and are positive constants. The graph of
in the -plane passes through the points ( , ) and ( , ). What is the value of ?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b7f055bc Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function is defined by and that the graph of in the xy-
plane passes through the points and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of both sides of this
equation yields and , but because it’s given that is a positive constant, must equal . Because the
value of is and the value of is , the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of rather than the value of .

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

Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly finding the value of as , but multiplying it by the y-value in the first
ordered pair rather than by the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6baeb1d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages Hard

and Data Analysis

ID: 6baeb1d2

of the items in a box are green. Of those, are also rectangular. Of the green rectangular items,
are also metal. Which of the following is closest to the percentage of the items in the box that are
not rectangular green metal items?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6baeb1d2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that of the items in a box are green. Let represent the total number of items in the
box. It follows that , or , items in the box are green. It's also given that of those, are also rectangular.
Therefore, , or , items in the box are green rectangular items. It's also given that of the green
rectangular items, are also metal. Therefore, , or , items in the box are rectangular green
metal items. The number of the items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items is the total number of items
in the box minus the number of rectangular green metal items in the box. Therefore, the number of items in the box that
are not rectangular green metal items is , or . The percentage of items in the box that are not
rectangular green metal items is the percentage that is of . If represents this percentage, the value of
is , or . Of the given choices, is closest to the percentage of items in the box that are
not rectangular green metal items.

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 6a18e6b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data: Hard

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 6a18e6b3

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: 6a18e6b3 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 d783308c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages Hard

and Data Analysis

ID: d783308c

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

ID: d783308c 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 733b819d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data: Hard

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 733b819d

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: 733b819d 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 e03f95ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data: Hard

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: e03f95ad

Data set A consists of the heights of objects and has a mean of meters. Data set B consists of the
heights of objects and has a mean of meters. Data set C consists of the heights of the objects
from data sets A and B. What is the mean, in meters, of data set C?

ID: e03f95ad Answer

Correct Answer: 41

Rationale

The correct answer is . The mean of a data set is computed by dividing the sum of the values in the data set by the
number of values in the data set. It’s given that data set A consists of the heights of objects and has a mean of
meters. This can be represented by the equation , where represents the sum of the heights of the objects, in
meters, in data set A. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or meters. Therefore,
the sum of the heights of the objects in data set A is meters. It’s also given that data set B consists of the heights
of objects and has a mean of meters. This can be represented by the equation , where represents the
sum of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data set B. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
, or meters. Therefore, the sum of the heights of the objects in data set B is meters. Since
it’s given that data set C consists of the heights of the objects from data sets A and B, it follows that the mean of
data set C is the sum of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data sets A and B divided by the number of objects
represented in data sets A and B, or , which is equivalent to meters. Therefore, the mean, in meters, of data
set C is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d2da7c69
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages Hard

and Data Analysis

ID: d2da7c69

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

ID: d2da7c69 Answer

Correct Answer: 9.87, 987/100

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number is greater than the number . It follows that
, or . It’s also given that the number is less than . It follows that ,
or , which yields . Substituting for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5f6315e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data: Hard

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 5f6315e1

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: 5f6315e1 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 d683c482
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages Hard

and Data Analysis

ID: d683c482

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

ID: d683c482 Answer

Correct Answer: 189/4, 47.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number is greater than the number . It follows that
, or . It’s also given that the number is less than . It follows that
, or , which yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is . Note that 47.25 and 189/4 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7dfb73de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages Hard

and Data Analysis

ID: 7dfb73de

According to a set of standards, a certain type of substance can contain a maximum of

phosphorus by mass. If a sample of this substance has a mass of grams, what is the maximum
mass, in grams, of phosphorus the sample can contain to meet these standards?

ID: 7dfb73de Answer

Correct Answer: .0014

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that a certain type of substance can contain a maximum of phosphorus
by mass to meet a set of standards. If a sample of the substance has a mass of grams, it follows that the maximum
mass, in grams, of phosphorus the sample can contain to meet the standards is of , or , which is
equivalent to , or . Note that .0014 and 0.001 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6a61db85
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data: Hard

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 6a61db85

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: 6a61db85 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 559068d5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 559068d5

A rectangular poster has an area of square inches. A copy of the poster is made in which the length
and width of the original poster are each increased by . What is the area of the copy, in square
inches?

ID: 559068d5 Answer

Correct Answer: 2592/5, 518.4

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the area of the original poster is square inches. Let 𝓁 represent the
length, in inches, of the original poster, and let represent the width, in inches, of the original poster. Since the area of a
rectangle is equal to its length times its width, it follows that 𝓁 . It's also given that a copy of the poster is made
in which the length and width of the original poster are each increased by . It follows that the length of the copy is
the length of the original poster plus of the length of the original poster, which is equivalent to 𝓁 𝓁 inches.
This length can be rewritten as 𝓁 𝓁 inches, or 𝓁 inches. Similarly, the width of the copy is the width of the original
poster plus of the width of the original poster, which is equivalent to inches. This width can be rewritten
as inches, or inches. Since the area of a rectangle is equal to its length times its width, it follows that the
area, in square inches, of the copy is equal to 𝓁 , which can be rewritten as 𝓁 . Since 𝓁
, the area, in square inches, of the copy can be found by substituting for 𝓁 in the expression 𝓁 , which
yields , or . Therefore, the area of the copy, in square inches, is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c3f47bd8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and Hard

Trigonometry triangles

ID: c3f47bd8

In triangle , angle is a right angle, point lies on , point lies on , and is parallel to
. If the length of is units, the length of is units, and the area of triangle is
square units, what is the length of , in units?

ID: c3f47bd8 Answer

Correct Answer: 14.66, 14.67, 44/3

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that in triangle , angle is a right angle. The area of a right triangle can be
found using the formula 𝓁 𝓁 , where represents the area of the right triangle, 𝓁 represents the length of one
leg of the triangle, and 𝓁 represents the length of the other leg of the triangle. In triangle , the two legs are and
. Therefore, if the length of is and the area of triangle is , then , or
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the length of is . It's also
given that point lies on , point lies on , and is parallel to . It follows that angle is a right angle.
Since triangles and share angle and have right angles and , respectively, triangles and
are similar triangles. Therefore, the ratio of the length of to the length of is equal to the ratio of the length of
to the length of . If the length of is and the length of is , it follows that the ratio of the length of to
the length of is , or , so the ratio of the length of to the length of is . Therefore, . Multiplying
both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Since the length of , , is the sum of the length of , , and the length of , it follows that the length of is
, or . Note that 44/3, 14.66, and 14.67 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40789a56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 40789a56

Circle A in the xy-plane has the equation . Circle B has the same center as
circle A. The radius of circle B is two times the radius of circle A. The equation defining circle B in the xy-
plane is , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 40789a56 Answer

Correct Answer: 16

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equation of a circle in the xy-plane can be written as , where the
center of the circle is , the radius of the circle is , and where , , and are constants. It’s given that the equation
of circle A is , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the center of
circle A is and the radius of circle A is . It’s given that circle B has the same center as circle A and that the
radius of circle B is two times the radius of circle A. Therefore, the center of circle B is and the radius of circle B
is , or . Substituting for , for , and for into the equation yields
, which is equivalent to . It follows that the equation of circle B in
the xy-plane is . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9a3b790e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and Hard

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 9a3b790e

In the figure, parallel lines and are intersected by lines and . If and , what is the
value of ?

ID: 9a3b790e Answer

Correct Answer: 101/2, 50.5

Rationale

The correct answer is . In the figure, lines , , and form a triangle. One interior angle of this triangle is vertical to
the angle marked ; therefore, the interior angle also has measure . It's given that . Therefore, the interior
angle of the triangle has measure . A second interior angle of the triangle forms a straight line, , with the angle
marked . Therefore, the sum of the measures of these two angles is . It's given that . Therefore, the angle
marked has measure and the second interior angle of the triangle has measure , or . The sum
of the interior angles of a triangle is . Therefore, the measure of the third interior angle of the triangle is
, or . It's given that parallel lines and are intersected by line . It follows that the triangle's
interior angle with measure is congruent to the same side interior angle between lines and formed by lines and
. Since this angle is supplementary to the two angles marked , the sum of , , and is . It follows that
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 101/2 and 50.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 530b2e84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 530b2e84

What is the area, in square units, of the triangle formed by connecting the three points shown?

ID: 530b2e84 Answer

Correct Answer: 24.5, 49/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that a triangle is formed by connecting the three points shown, which are ,
, and . Let this triangle be triangle A. The area of triangle A can be found by calculating the area of the
rectangle that circumscribes it and subtracting the areas of the three triangles that are inside the rectangle but outside
triangle A. The rectangle formed by the points , , , and circumscribes triangle A. The
width, in units, of this rectangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points and . This
distance is , or . The length, in units, of this rectangle can be found by calculating the distance between the
points and . This distance is , or . It follows that the area, in square units, of the rectangle is
, or . One of the triangles that lies inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is formed by the points ,
, and . The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the
points and . This distance is , or . The corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by
calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . It follows that the area,
in square units, of this triangle is , or . A second triangle that lies inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is
formed by the points , , and . The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be found by
calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . The corresponding
height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points and . This
distance is , or . It follows that the area, in square units, of this triangle is , or . The third triangle that lies
inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is formed by the points , , and . The length, in units,
of a base of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points and . This
distance is , or . The corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance
between the points and . This distance is , or . It follows that the area, in square units, of
this triangle is , or . Thus, the area, in square units, of the triangle formed by connecting the three points
shown is , or . Note that 24.5 and 49/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b2aa5d73
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles Hard

Trigonometry

ID: b2aa5d73

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at and has a radius of . An equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: b2aa5d73 Answer

Correct Answer: -52

Rationale

The correct answer is . The equation of a circle in the xy-plane with its center at and a radius of can be
written in the form . It's given that a circle in the xy-plane has its center at and has a
radius of . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields
, or . It's also given that an equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. Therefore, can be rewritten
in the form . The equation , or
, can be rewritten as .
Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields , which is equivalent to
. This equation is in the form . Therefore, the
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aac770b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and Hard

Trigonometry triangles

ID: aac770b4

In triangles and , angles and each have measure , , and . Which

additional piece of information is sufficient to prove that triangle is similar to triangle ?
A. and

B. and

C. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

D. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

ID: aac770b4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Two triangles are similar if they have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles. It’s given that
angles and each measure , and so these corresponding angles are congruent. If angle is , then angle
must be so that the sum of the angles in triangle is . If angle is , then angle must be so
that the sum of the angles in triangle is . Therefore, if the measures of angles and are and ,
respectively, then corresponding angles and are both , and corresponding angles and are both . It
follows that triangles and have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles, and so the triangles are
similar. Therefore, the additional piece of information that is sufficient to prove that triangle is similar to triangle
is that the measures of angles and are and , respectively.

Choice A is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in another
triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the two sides given are not
proportional and the angle given is not included by the given sides.

Choice B is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in another
triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the angle given is not included
between the proportional sides.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9ca6e7b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 9ca6e7b4

A circle has center , and points and lie on the circle. The measure of arc is and the length
of arc is inches. What is the circumference, in inches, of the circle?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9ca6e7b4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the measure of arc is and the length of arc is . The arc measure
of the full circle is . If represents the circumference, in inches, of the circle, it follows that . This
equation is equivalent to , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or
. Therefore, the circumference of the circle is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of arc .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the length of arc by .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from squaring the length of arc .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 034aa7ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and Hard

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 034aa7ae

In the figure shown, points , , , and lie on line segment , and line segment intersects line
segment at point . The measure of is , the measure of is , the measure of
is , and the measure of is . What is the measure, in degrees, of ?

ID: 034aa7ae Answer

Correct Answer: 123

Rationale

The correct answer is . The triangle angle sum theorem states that the sum of the measures of the interior angles of
a triangle is degrees. It's given that the measure of is and the measure of is . Since points
, , and form a triangle, it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in degrees, of is
, or . It's also given that the measure of is . Since and are
supplementary angles, the sum of their measures is degrees. It follows that the measure, in degrees, of is
, or . Since points , , and form a triangle, and is the same angle as , it follows from
the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in degrees, of is , or . It's given that the
measure of is . Since and are supplementary angles, the sum of their measures is
degrees. It follows that the measure, in degrees, of is , or . Since points , , and form a
triangle, and is the same angle as , it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in
degrees, of is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8235af09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 8235af09

Triangles and are similar. Each side length of triangle is times the corresponding
side length of triangle . The area of triangle is square inches. What is the area, in square
inches, of triangle ?

ID: 8235af09 Answer

Correct Answer: 135/8, 16.87, 16.88

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that triangles and are similar and each side length of triangle is
times the corresponding side length of triangle . For two similar triangles, if each side length of the first triangle is
times the corresponding side length of the second triangle, then the area of the first triangle is times the area of the
second triangle. Therefore, the area of triangle is , or , times the area of triangle . It's given that the area
of triangle is square inches. Let represent the area, in square inches, of triangle . It follows that is
times , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , which is equivalent to .
Thus, the area, in square inches, of triangle is . Note that 135/8, 16.87, and 16.88 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 55b41004
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles Hard

Trigonometry

ID: 55b41004

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at . Line is tangent to this circle at the point .
What is the slope of line ?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 55b41004 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A line that's tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius of the circle at the point of tangency. It's
given that the circle has its center at and line is tangent to the circle at the point . The slope of a
radius defined by the points and can be calculated as . The points and define the
radius of the circle at the point of tangency. Therefore, the slope of this radius can be calculated as , or . If a
line and a radius are perpendicular, the slope of the line must be the negative reciprocal of the slope of the radius. The
negative reciprocal of is . Thus, the slope of line is .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This is the slope of the radius of the circle at the point of tangency, not the slope of line .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard