Question ID d6af3572
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: d6af3572 3.1
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 1e1027a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 1e1027a7 3.2
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 7b52985c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 7b52985c 3.3
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 d0430601
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: d0430601 3.4
Each dot in the scatterplot above represents the temperature and the
number of people who visited a beach in Lagos, Nigeria, on one of eleven
different days. The line of best fit for the data is also shown. The line of best
fit for the data has a slope of approximately 57. According to this estimate,
how many additional people per day are predicted to visit the beach for
each 5°C increase in average temperature?
ID: d0430601 Answer
Rationale
The correct answer is 285. The number of people predicted to visit the beach each day is represented by the y-
values of the line of best fit, and the average temperature, in degrees Celsius ( ), is represented by the x-
values. Since the slope of the line of best fit is approximately 57, the y-value, or the number of people predicted
to visit the beach each day, increases by 57 for every x-value increase of 1, or every increase in average
temperature. Therefore, an increase of in average temperature corresponds to a y-value increase of
additional people per day predicted to visit the beach.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID e821a26d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: e821a26d 3.5
The scatterplot below shows the amount of electric energy generated, in millions of megawatt-hours, by
nuclear sources over a 10‑year period.
Of the following equations, which best models the data in the scatterplot?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: e821a26d Answer
Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The data in the scatterplot roughly fall in the shape of a downward-opening parabola;
therefore, the coefficient for the term must be negative. Based on the location of the data points, the y-
intercept of the parabola should be somewhere between 740 and 760. Therefore, of the equations given, the
best model is .
Choices A and C are incorrect. The positive coefficient of the term means that these equations each define
upward-opening parabolas, whereas a parabola that fits the data in the scatterplot must open downward.
Choice B is incorrect because it defines a parabola with a y-intercept that has a negative y-coordinate, whereas
a parabola that fits the data in the scatterplot must have a y-intercept with a positive y-coordinate.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 79137c1b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 79137c1b 3.6
The scatterplot above shows the size x and the sale price y of 25 houses for
sale in Town H. Which of the following could be an equation for a line of
best fit for the data?
A.
B.
C.
D.
ID: 79137c1b Answer
Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. From the shape of the cluster of points, the line of best fit should pass roughly through the
points and . Therefore, these two points can be used to find an approximate equation for the
line of best fit. The slope of this line of best fit is therefore , or 100. The equation for the
line of best fit, in slope-intercept form, is for some value of b. Using the point , 1 can be
substituted for x and 200 can be substituted for y: , or . Substituting this value into
the slope-intercept form of the equation gives .
Choice A is incorrect. The line defined by passes through the points and , both
of which are well above the cluster of points, so it cannot be a line of best fit. Choice C is incorrect. The line
defined by passes through the points and , both of which lie at the bottom of the
cluster of points, so it cannot be a line of best fit. Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly
calculating the slope of a line of best fit but incorrectly assuming the y-intercept is at .
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID af142f8d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: af142f8d 3.7
Amount invested Balance increase
Account A $500 6% annual interest
Account B $1,000 $25 per year
Two investments were made as shown in the table above. The interest in
Account A is compounded once per year. Which of the following is true
about the investments?
A. Account A always earns more money per year than Account B.
B. Account A always earns less money per year than Account B.
C. Account A earns more money per year than Account B at first but eventually earns less money per year.
D. Account A earns less money per year than Account B at first but eventually earns more money per year.
ID: af142f8d Answer
Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. Account A starts with $500 and earns interest at 6% per year, so in the first year Account A
earns (500)(0.06) = $30, which is greater than the $25 that Account B earns that year. Compounding interest
can be modeled by an increasing exponential function, so each year Account A will earn more money than it
did the previous year. Therefore, each year Account A earns at least $30 in interest. Since Account B always
earns $25 each year, Account A always earns more money per year than Account B.
Choices B and D are incorrect. Account A earns $30 in the first year, which is greater than the $25 Account B
earns in the first year. Therefore, neither the statement that Account A always earns less money per year than
Account B nor the statement that Account A earns less money than Account B at first can be true. Choice C is
incorrect. Since compounding interest can be modeled by an increasing exponential function, each year
Account A will earn more money than it did the previous year. Therefore, Account A always earns at least $30
per year, which is more than the $25 per year that Account B earns.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 9d95e7ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:
and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots
ID: 9d95e7ad 3.8
The scatterplot above shows the numbers of grams of both total protein and total fat for eight sandwiches on a
restaurant menu. The line of best fit for the data is also shown. According to the line of best fit, which of the
following is closest to the predicted increase in total fat, in grams, for every increase of 1 gram in total protein?
A. 2.5
B. 2.0
C. 1.5
D. 1.0
ID: 9d95e7ad Answer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The predicted increase in total fat, in grams, for every increase of 1 gram in total protein is
represented by the slope of the line of best fit. Any two points on the line can be used to calculate the slope of
the line as the change in total fat over the change in total protein. For instance, it can be estimated that the
points and are on the line of best fit, and the slope of the line that passes through them is
, or 1.4. Of the choices given, 1.5 is the closest to the slope of the line of best fit.
Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly finding ordered pairs that lie on the line
of best fit or of incorrectly calculating the slope.
Question Difficulty: Hard
