Question ID 1adb39f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 1adb39f0 2.1
The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, x and y. A
line of best fit for the data is also shown. Which of the following is closest to
the difference between the y-coordinate of the data point with and
the y-value predicted by the line of best fit at ?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 5
D. 12
ID: 1adb39f0 Answer
Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The data point with has a y-coordinate of 12. The y-value predicted by the line of
best fit at is approximately 11. The difference between the y-coordinate of the data point and the y-value
predicted by the line of best fit at is , or 1.
Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly reading the scatterplot. Choice D is incorrect.
This is the y-coordinate of the data point at .
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 2e74e403
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 2e74e403 2.2
In the given scatterplot, a line of best fit for the data is shown.
Which of the following is closest to the slope of this line of best fit?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 2e74e403 Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. A line of best fit is shown in the scatterplot such that as the value of increases, the value
of decreases. It follows that the slope of the line of best fit shown is negative. The slope of a line in the xy-
plane that passes through the points and can be calculated as . The line of best fit
shown passes approximately through the points and . Substituting for and
for in yields the slope of the line being approximately , which is equivalent to , or .
Therefore, of the given choices, is the closest to the slope of this line of best fit.
Choice A is incorrect. The line of best fit shown has a negative slope, not a positive slope.
Choice B is incorrect. The line of best fit shown has a negative slope, not a positive slope.
Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 9a144a01
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 9a144a01 2.3
Which of the following is true about the values of and
for ?
A. For all , it is true that .
B. For all , it is true that .
C. There is a constant c such that if , then , but if , then .
D. There is a constant c such that if , then , but if , then .
ID: 9a144a01 Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. At , the value of is less than the value of , which is equivalent
to . As the value of x increases, the value of remains less than the value of until , which is
when the two values are equal: , which is equivalent to . Then, for , the value of is
greater than the value of . So there is a constant, 3, such that when , then , but when
, then .
Choice A is incorrect because when . Choice B is incorrect because when
. Choice D is incorrect because when and when .
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 03a16790
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 03a16790 2.4
The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, and . A line of best fit is also shown.
Which of the following is closest to the slope of the line of best fit shown?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 03a16790 Answer
Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. A line of best fit is shown in the scatterplot such that as the value of increases, the value
of decreases. Thus, the slope of the line of best fit shown is negative. The slope of a line passing through two
points, and , can be calculated as . The line of best fit shown passes approximately
through the points and . Substituting and for and , respectively,
in gives , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, of the given choices, is closest to
the slope of the line of best fit shown.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Choice C is incorrect. The line of best fit shown has a negative slope, not a positive slope.
Choice D is incorrect. The line of best fit shown has a negative slope, not a positive slope.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 7ac5d686
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 7ac5d686 2.5
An inspector begins a day of work with a large sample of shirts that need to
be checked for defects. The inspector works at a constant rate throughout
the morning. What type of model is best to model the number of shirts
remaining to be checked for defects at any given time throughout the
morning?
A. A linear model with a positive slope
B. A linear model with a negative slope
C. An exponential growth model
D. An exponential decay model
ID: 7ac5d686 Answer
Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since the work is done at a constant rate, a linear model best models the situation. The
number of shirts remaining is dependent on the length of time the inspector has worked; therefore, if the
relationship were graphed, time would be the variable of the horizontal axis and the number of remaining
shirts would be the variable of the vertical axis. Since the number of shirts decreases as the time worked
increases, it follows that the slope of this graph is negative.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly reasoning about the slope. Choices C and D are incorrect
and may result from not identifying the constant rate of work as a characteristic of a linear model.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 7fd284ac
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 7fd284ac 2.6
The scatterplot above shows data for ten charities along with the line of best fit. For the charity with the greatest
percent of total expenses spent on programs, which of the following is closest to the difference of the actual
percent and the percent predicted by the line of best fit?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 7fd284ac Answer
Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The charity with the greatest percent of total expenses spent on programs is represented
by the highest point on the scatterplot; this is the point that has a vertical coordinate slightly less than
halfway between 90 and 95 and a horizontal coordinate slightly less than halfway between 3,000 and 4,000.
Thus, the charity represented by this point has a total income of about $3,400 million and spends about 92% of
its total expenses on programs. The percent predicted by the line of best fit is the vertical coordinate of the
point on the line of best fit with horizontal coordinate $3,400 million; this vertical coordinate is very slightly
more than 85. Thus, the line of best fit predicts that the charity with the greatest percent of total expenses
spent on programs will spend slightly more than 85% on programs. Therefore, the difference between the
actual percent (92%) and the prediction (slightly more than 85%) is slightly less than 7%.
Choice A is incorrect. There is no charity represented in the scatterplot for which the difference between the
actual percent of total expenses spent on programs and the percent predicted by the line of best fit is as much
as 10%. Choices C and D are incorrect. These choices may result from misidentifying in the scatterplot the
point that represents the charity with the greatest percent of total expenses spent on programs.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 3d985614
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 3d985614 2.7
Each dot in the scatterplot above represents the height x, in feet, in the high
jump, and the distance y, in feet, in the long jump, made by each student in
a group of twenty students. The graph of which of the following equations
is a line that most closely fits the data?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 3d985614 Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. A line that most closely fits the data is a line with an approximately balanced number of
data points above and below the line. Fitting a line to the data shown results in a line with an approximate
slope of 3 and a y-intercept near the point . An equation for the line can be written in slope-intercept
form, , where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. The equation
in choice C fits the data most closely.
Choices A and B are incorrect because the slope of the lines of these equations is 0.82, which is a value that is
too small to be the slope of the line that fits the data shown. Choice D is incorrect. The graph of this equation
has a y-intercept at , not . This line would lie below all of the data points, and therefore
would not closely fit the data.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 3c5b19ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 3c5b19ef 2.8
The scatterplot above shows the number of visitors to a railroad museum in
Pennsylvania each year from 1968 to 1980, where t is the number of years
since 1968 and n is the number of visitors. A line of best fit is also shown.
Which of the following could be an equation of the line of best fit shown?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 3c5b19ef Answer
Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. An equation of a line of best fit can be written in the form , where a is the y-
intercept of the line and b is the slope. In the scatterplot shown, the line of best fit intersects the y-axis just
over halfway between 10,000 and 20,000, or approximately 16,000. The line of best fit also intersects the graph
at . Using the slope formula and two points that lie on the graph such as
and , the slope can be approximated as , or 4,800. Only choice A has a y-intercept
near the estimate of 16,000 and a slope near the estimate of 4,800. Therefore, an equation of the line of best fit
could be .
Choice B is incorrect because the values for the slope and the y-coordinate of the y-intercept are switched.
Choice C is incorrect because the value for the slope is approximately double the actual slope. Choice D is
incorrect because the values for the slope and the y-intercept are switched and because the slope is
approximately double the actual slope.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID ab7740a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: ab7740a8 2.9
In which of the following tables is the relationship between the values of x
and their corresponding y-values nonlinear?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: ab7740a8 Answer
Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The relationship between the values of x and their corresponding y-values is nonlinear if
the rate of change between these pairs of values isn’t constant. The table for choice D gives four pairs of
values: , , , and . Finding the rate of change, or slope, between and by using
the slope formula, , yields , or 6. Finding the rate of change between and yields
, or 12. Finding the rate of change between and yields , or 24. Since the rate of
change isn’t constant for these pairs of values, this table shows a nonlinear relationship.
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. The rate of change between the values of x and their corresponding y-values
in each of these tables is constant, being 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Therefore, each of these tables shows a linear
relationship.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 9eb896c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 9eb896c5 2.10
Which of the following could be the equation for a line of best fit for the
data shown in the scatterplot above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 9eb896c5 Answer
Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The data show a strong linear relationship between x and y. The line of best fit for a set of
data is a linear equation that minimizes the distances from the data points to the line. An equation for the line
of best fit can be written in slope-intercept form, , where m is the slope of the graph of the line and
b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph. Since, for the data shown, the y-values increase as the x-
values increase, the slope of a line of best fit must be positive. The data shown lie almost in a line, so the slope
can be roughly estimated using the formula for slope, . The leftmost and rightmost data points
have coordinates of about and , so the slope is approximately , which is a little
greater than 3. Extension of the line to the left would intersect the y-axis at about . Only choice A
represents a line with a slope close to 3 and a y-intercept close to .
Choice B is incorrect and may result from switching the slope and y-intercept. The line with a y-intercept of
and a slope of 0.8 is farther from the data points than the line with a slope of 3 and a y-intercept of
. Choices C and D are incorrect. They represent lines with negative slopes, not positive slopes.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID fdfc90e4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: fdfc90e4 2.11
The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, and . A line of best fit for the data is also shown.
At , which of the following is closest to the y-value predicted by the line of best fit?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: fdfc90e4 Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. At , the line of best fit has a y-value between and . The only choice with a value
between and is choice C.
Choice A is incorrect. This is the difference between the y-value predicted by the line of best fit and the actual
y-value at rather than the y-value predicted by the line of best fit at .
Choice B is incorrect. This is the y-value predicted by the line of best fit at rather than at .
Choice D is incorrect. This is the y-value predicted by the line of best fit at rather than at .
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 4cc05491
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 4cc05491
2.12
In the given scatterplot, a line of best fit for the data is shown.
Which of the following is closest to the slope of the line of best fit shown?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 4cc05491 Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
𝑦2 - 𝑦1
Choice C is correct. A line in the xy-plane that passes through points 𝑥1 , 𝑦1 and 𝑥2 , 𝑦2 has a slope of . The line of best fit
𝑥2 - 𝑥1
9.3 - 0.2
shown passes approximately through the points 0, 0.2 and 5, 9.3. It follows that the slope of this line is approximately ,
5-0
9.1
which is equivalent to , or 1.82. Therefore, of the given choices, 1.8 is closest to the slope of the line of best fit shown.
5
Choice A is incorrect. This value is closest to the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line of best fit shown.
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: Medium
Question ID e17babed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: e17babed
2.13
The scatterplot shows the relationship between two variables, and . A line of best fit for the data is also shown.
For how many of the data points is the actual y-value greater than the y-value predicted by the line of best fit?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: e17babed Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. Any data point that's located above the line of best fit has a y-value that's greater than the y-value
predicted by the line of best fit. For the scatterplot shown, 6 of the data points are above the line of best fit. Therefore, 6 of
the data points have an actual y-value that's greater than the y-value predicted by the line of best fit.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Choice B is incorrect. This is the number of data points that have an actual y-value that's less than the y-value predicted by
the line of best fit.
Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Question Difficulty: Medium
