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Question ID 3cdbf026
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 3cdbf026

The graph of the equation is a line in the xy-plane, where a and k

are constants. If the line contains the points and , what is the
value of k ?

A.

B.

C. 2

D. 3

ID: 3cdbf026 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value of k can be found using the slope-intercept form of a linear equation, ,
where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. The equation can be rewritten in the form

. One of the given points, , is the y-intercept. Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept must

be equal to . Multiplying both sides by k gives . Dividing both sides by gives .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made rewriting the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2937ef4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 2937ef4f

Hector used a tool called an auger to remove corn from a storage bin at a
constant rate. The bin contained 24,000 bushels of corn when Hector began to
use the auger. After 5 hours of using the auger, 19,350 bushels of corn
remained in the bin. If the auger continues to remove corn at this rate, what is
the total number of hours Hector will have been using the auger when
12,840 bushels of corn remain in the bin?

A. 3

B. 7

C. 8

D. 12

ID: 2937ef4f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. After using the auger for 5 hours, Hector had removed 24,000 – 19,350 = 4,650 bushels of corn
from the storage bin. During the 5-hour period, the auger removed corn from the bin at a constant rate of

bushels per hour. Assuming the auger continues to remove corn at this rate, after x hours it will have
removed 930x bushels of corn. Because the bin contained 24,000 bushels of corn when Hector started using the auger,
the equation 24,000 – 930x = 12,840 can be used to find the number of hours, x, Hector will have been using the auger
when 12,840 bushels of corn remain in the bin. Subtracting 12,840 from both sides of this equation and adding 930x to
both sides of the equation yields 11,160 = 930x. Dividing both sides of this equation by 930 yields x = 12. Therefore,
Hector will have been using the auger for 12 hours when 12,840 bushels of corn remain in the storage bin.

Choice A is incorrect. Three hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000 – 3(930) = 21,210 bushels of corn
remained, not 12,840. Choice B is incorrect. Seven hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000 – 7(930) = 17,490
bushels of corn will remain, not 12,840. Choice C is incorrect. Eight hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000 –
8(930) = 16,560 bushels of corn will remain, not 12,840.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2b15d65f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 2b15d65f

An economist modeled the demand Q for a certain product as a linear function

of the selling price P. The demand was 20,000 units when the selling price was
$40 per unit, and the demand was 15,000 units when the selling price was $60
per unit. Based on the model, what is the demand, in units, when the selling
price is $55 per unit?

A. 16,250

B. 16,500

C. 16,750

D. 17,500

ID: 2b15d65f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Let the economist’s model be the linear function , where Q is the demand, P is the
selling price, m is the slope of the line, and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line in the xy-plane, where
. Two pairs of the selling price P and the demand Q are given. Using the coordinate pairs , two points that
satisfy the function are and . The slope m of the function can be found using the formula

. Substituting the given values into this formula yields , or .

Therefore, . The value of b can be found by substituting one of the points into the function.
Substituting the values of P and Q from the point yields , or
. Adding 10,000 to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the linear
function the economist used as the model is . Substituting 55 for P yields
. It follows that when the selling price is $55 per unit, the demand is 16,250 units.

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

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID be9cb6a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: be9cb6a2

The cost of renting a backhoe for up to days is for the first day and for each additional day. Which of the
following equations gives the cost , in dollars, of renting the backhoe for days, where is a positive integer and
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: be9cb6a2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the cost of renting a backhoe for up to 10 days is $ 270 for the first day and $ 135 for
each additional day. Therefore, the cost 𝑦, in dollars, for 𝑥 days, where 𝑥 ≤ 10, is the sum of the cost for the first day,
$ 270, and the cost for the additional 𝑥 − 1 days, $ 135(𝑥 − 1). It follows that 𝑦 = 270 + 135(𝑥 − 1), which is equivalent
to 𝑦 = 270 + 135𝑥 − 135, or 𝑦 = 135𝑥 + 135.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the cost of renting a backhoe is $ 135 for the first day
and $ 270 for each additional day.

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

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Question ID 45cfb9de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 45cfb9de

Adam’s school is a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute bus ride away from his house.
The bus runs once every 30 minutes, and the number of minutes, w, that Adam
waits for the bus varies between 0 and 30. Which of the following inequalities
gives the values of w for which it would be faster for Adam to walk to school?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 45cfb9de Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It is given that w is the number of minutes that Adam waits for the bus. The total time it takes
Adam to get to school on a day he takes the bus is the sum of the minutes, w, he waits for the bus and the 5 minutes
the bus ride takes; thus, this time, in minutes, is w + 5. It is also given that the total amount of time it takes Adam to get
to school on a day that he walks is 20 minutes. Therefore, w + 5 > 20 gives the values of w for which it would be faster
for Adam to walk to school.

Choices A and B are incorrect because w – 5 is not the total length of time for Adam to wait for and then take the bus
to school. Choice C is incorrect because the inequality should be true when walking 20 minutes is faster than the time
it takes Adam to wait for and ride the bus, not less.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b7e6394d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: b7e6394d

Alan drives an average of 100 miles each week. His car can travel an average
of 25 miles per gallon of gasoline. Alan would like to reduce his weekly
expenditure on gasoline by $5. Assuming gasoline costs $4 per gallon, which
equation can Alan use to determine how many fewer average miles, m, he
should drive each week?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b7e6394d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. Since gasoline costs $4 per gallon, and since Alan’s car travels an average of 25 miles per gallon,

the expression gives the cost, in dollars per mile, to drive the car. Multiplying by m gives the cost for Alan to

drive m miles in his car. Alan wants to reduce his weekly spending by $5, so setting m equal to 5 gives the number
of miles, m, by which he must reduce his driving.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Choices A and B transpose the numerator and the denominator in the fraction. The

fraction would result in the unit miles per dollar, but the question requires a unit of dollars per mile. Choices A and
C set the expression equal to 95 instead of 5, a mistake that may result from a misconception that Alan wants to
reduce his driving by 5 miles each week; instead, the question says he wants to reduce his weekly expenditure by $5.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 95cad55f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 95cad55f

A laundry service is buying detergent and fabric softener from its supplier. The
supplier will deliver no more than 300 pounds in a shipment. Each container of
detergent weighs 7.35 pounds, and each container of fabric softener weighs
6.2 pounds. The service wants to buy at least twice as many containers of
detergent as containers of fabric softener. Let d represent the number of
containers of detergent, and let s represent the number of containers of fabric
softener, where d and s are nonnegative integers. Which of the following
systems of inequalities best represents this situation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 95cad55f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The number of containers in a shipment must have a weight less than or equal to 300 pounds. The

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total weight, in pounds, of detergent and fabric softener that the supplier delivers can be expressed as the weight of
each container multiplied by the number of each type of container, which is 7.35d for detergent and 6.2s for fabric
softener. Since this total cannot exceed 300 pounds, it follows that . Also, since the laundry
service wants to buy at least twice as many containers of detergent as containers of fabric softener, the number of
containers of detergent should be greater than or equal to two times the number of containers of fabric softener. This
can be expressed by the inequality .

Choice B is incorrect because it misrepresents the relationship between the numbers of each container that the laundry
service wants to buy. Choice C is incorrect because the first inequality of the system incorrectly doubles the weight per
container of detergent. The weight of each container of detergent is 7.35, not 14.7 pounds. Choice D is incorrect
because it doubles the weight per container of detergent and transposes the relationship between the numbers of
containers.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ee2f611f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: ee2f611f

A local transit company sells a monthly pass for $95 that allows an unlimited
number of trips of any length. Tickets for individual trips cost $1.50, $2.50, or
$3.50, depending on the length of the trip. What is the minimum number of
trips per month for which a monthly pass could cost less than purchasing
individual tickets for trips?

ID: ee2f611f Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 28. The minimum number of individual trips for which the cost of the monthly pass is less than
the cost of individual tickets can be found by assuming the maximum cost of the individual tickets, $3.50. If n tickets
costing $3.50 each are purchased in one month, the inequality 95 < 3.50n represents this situation. Dividing both sides
of the inequality by 3.50 yields 27.14 < n, which is equivalent to n > 27.14. Since only a whole number of tickets can be
purchased, it follows that 28 is the minimum number of trips.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID fdee0fbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: fdee0fbf

In the xy-plane, line k intersects the y-axis at the point and passes
through the point . If the point lies on line k, what is the value of w
?

ID: fdee0fbf Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 74. The y-intercept of a line in the xy-plane is the ordered pair of the point of intersection of

the line with the y-axis. Since line k intersects the y-axis at the point , it follows that is the y-intercept of
this line. An equation of any line in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where m is the slope of the line
and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, the equation of line k can be written as , or
. The value of m can be found by substituting the x- and y-coordinates from a point on the line, such as
, for x and y, respectively. This results in . Solving this equation for m gives . Therefore, an
equation of line k is . The value of w can be found by substituting the x-coordinate, 20, for x in the equation
of line k and solving this equation for y. This gives , or . Since w is the y-coordinate of this point,
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e6cb2402
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: e6cb2402

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

ID: e6cb2402 Answer

Correct Answer: .9411, .9412, 16/17

16 48
Rationale

. It's given that the equation 3(𝑘𝑥 + 13) = 𝑥 + 36 has no solution. A linear equation in the
17 17
The correct answer is
form 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 = 𝑐𝑥 + 𝑑, where 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are constants, has no solution only when the coefficients of 𝑥 on each side of
the equation are equal and the constant terms aren't equal. Dividing both sides of the given equation by 3 yields
48 36 16
𝑘𝑥 + 13 = 𝑥 + , or 𝑘𝑥 + 13 = 𝑥 + 12. Since the coefficients of 𝑥 on each side of the equation must be equal, it
51 3 17
16
follows that the value of 𝑘 is . Note that 16/17, .9411, .9412, and 0.941 are examples of ways to enter a correct
17
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b988eeec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: b988eeec

The functions and are defined as and . If the function is defined as

, what is the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: b988eeec Answer

Correct Answer: -12

1 3
Rationale

The correct answer is −12. It's given that the functions 𝑓 and 𝑔 are defined as 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 − 9 and 𝑔(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 21. If the
4 4
( ) ( ) ( ) 1 ( ) 3 ( )
function ℎ is defined as ℎ 𝑥 = 𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑔 𝑥 , then substituting 𝑥 − 9 for 𝑓 𝑥 and 𝑥 + 21 for 𝑔 𝑥 in this function yields
4 4
1 3 4
ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑥 − 9 + 𝑥 + 21. This can be rewritten as ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 12, or ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 12. The x-intercept of a graph in the xy-
4 4 4
plane is the point on the graph where 𝑦 = 0. The equation representing the graph of 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) is 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 12. Substituting
0 for 𝑦 in this equation yields 0 = 𝑥 + 12. Subtracting 12 from both sides of this equation yields − 12 = 𝑥, or 𝑥 = − 12.
Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) in the xy-plane is −12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 70feb725
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 70feb725

During a month, Morgan ran r miles at 5 miles per hour and biked b miles at
10 miles per hour. She ran and biked a total of 200 miles that month, and she
biked for twice as many hours as she ran. What is the total number of miles
that Morgan biked during the month?

A. 80

B. 100

C. 120

D. 160

ID: 70feb725 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. The number of hours Morgan spent running or biking can be calculated by dividing the distance
she traveled during that activity by her speed, in miles per hour, for that activity. So the number of hours she ran can be

represented by the expression , and the number of hours she biked can be represented by the expression . It’s

given that she biked for twice as many hours as she ran, so this can be represented by the equation ,
which can be rewritten as . It’s also given that she ran r miles and biked b miles, and that she ran and biked a
total of 200 miles. This can be represented by the equation . Substituting for b in this equation yields
, or . Solving for r yields . Determining the number of miles she biked, b, can be found by
substituting 40 for r in , which yields . Solving for b yields .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they don’t satisfy that Morgan biked for twice as many hours as she ran. In
choice A, if she biked 80 miles, then she ran 120 miles, which means she biked for 8 hours and ran for 24 hours. In
choice B, if she biked 100 miles, then she ran 100 miles, which means she biked for 10 hours and ran for 20 hours. In
choice C, if she biked 120 miles, then she ran for 80 miles, which means she biked for 12 hours and ran for 16 hours.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1a621af4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 1a621af4

A number is at most less than times the value of . If the value of is , what is the greatest possible value of
?

ID: 1a621af4 Answer

Correct Answer: -14

Rationale
The correct answer is −14. It's given that a number 𝑥 is at most 2 less than 3 times the value of 𝑦. Therefore, 𝑥 is less
than or equal to 2 less than 3 times the value of 𝑦. The expression 3𝑦 represents 3 times the value of 𝑦. The expression
3𝑦 − 2 represents 2 less than 3 times the value of 𝑦. Therefore, 𝑥 is less than or equal to 3𝑦 − 2. This can be shown by
the inequality 𝑥 ≤ 3𝑦 − 2. Substituting −4 for 𝑦 in this inequality yields 𝑥 ≤ 3(−4) − 2 or, 𝑥 ≤ − 14. Therefore, if the value
of 𝑦 is −4, the greatest possible value of 𝑥 is −14.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID af2ba762
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: af2ba762
According to data provided by the US Department of Energy, the average price per gallon of regular gasoline in the
United States from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is modeled by the function F defined below, where
is the average price per gallon x months after September 1.

The constant 2.74 in this function estimates which of the following?

A. The average monthly decrease in the price per gallon

B. The difference in the average price per gallon from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014

C. The average price per gallon on September 1, 2014

D. The average price per gallon on December 1, 2014

ID: af2ba762 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since 2.74 is a constant term, it represents an actual price of gas rather than a measure of change
in gas price. To determine what gas price it represents, find x such that F(x) = 2.74, or 2.74 = 2.74 – 0.19(x – 3).
Subtracting 2.74 from both sides gives 0 = –0.19(x – 3). Dividing both sides by –0.19 results in 0 = x – 3, or x = 3.
Therefore, the average price of gas is $2.74 per gallon 3 months after September 1, 2014, which is December 1, 2014.

Choice A is incorrect. Since 2.74 is a constant, not a multiple of x, it cannot represent a rate of change in price. Choice
B is incorrect. The difference in the average price from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is F(3) – F(0) = 2.74 –
0.19(3 – 3) – (2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3)) = 2.74 – (2.74 + 0.57) = –0.57, which is not 2.74. Choice C is incorrect. The average
price per gallon on September 1, 2014, is F(0) = 2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3) = 2.74 + 0.57 = 3.31, which is not 2.74.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e1248a5c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e1248a5c

In the system of equations below, a and c are constants.

If the system of equations has an infinite number of solutions , what is the
value of a ?

A.

B. 0

C.

D.

ID: e1248a5c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has infinitely many solutions if one equation is equivalent to the
other. This means that when the two equations are written in the same form, each coefficient or constant in one
equation is equal to the corresponding coefficient or constant in the other equation multiplied by the same number. The
equations in the given system of equations are written in the same form, with x and y on the left-hand side and a
constant on the right-hand side of the equation. The coefficient of y in the second equation is equal to the coefficient of
y in the first equation multiplied by 3. Therefore, a, the coefficient of x in the second equation, must be equal to 3 times

the coefficient of x in the first equation: , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. When , , or , the given system of equations has one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ae2287e2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ae2287e2

A certain product costs a company $65 to make. The product is sold by a

salesperson who earns a commission that is equal to 20% of the sales price of
the product. The profit the company makes for each unit is equal to the sales
price minus the combined cost of making the product and the commission. If
the sales price of the product is $100, which of the following equations gives
the number of units, u, of the product the company sold to make a profit of
$6,840 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ae2287e2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The sales price of one unit of the product is given as $100. Because the salesperson is awarded a
commission equal to 20% of the sales price, the expression 100(1 – 0.2) gives the sales price of one unit after the
commission is deducted. It is also given that the profit is equal to the sales price minus the combined cost of making
the product, or $65, and the commission: 100(1 – 0.2) – 65. Multiplying this expression by u gives the profit of u units:
(100(1 – 0.2) – 65)u. Finally, it is given that the profit for u units is $6,840; therefore (100(1 – 0.2) – 65)u = $6,840.

Choice B is incorrect. In this equation, cost is subtracted before commission and the equation gives the commission,
not what the company retains after commission. Choice C is incorrect because the number of units is multiplied only
by the cost but not by the sale price. Choice D is incorrect because the value 0.2 shows the commission, not what the
company retains after commission.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 52cb8ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 52cb8ea4

If is the solution to the system of equations above,

what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 5

D. 13

ID: 52cb8ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation, , results in
, or . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from miscalculating as . Choice C is incorrect and may result from
miscalculating as 5. Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding 9 to 4 instead of subtracting 9 from 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 0b46bad5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0b46bad5

In the equation above, a and b are constants and . Which of the

following could represent the graph of the equation in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0b46bad5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. The given equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m
represents the slope of the line represented by the equation, and k represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
line. Subtracting ax from both sides of the equation yields , and dividing both sides of this equation by b

yields , or . With the equation now in slope-intercept form, it shows that , which
means the y-coordinate of the y-intercept is 1. It’s given that a and b are both greater than 0 (positive) and that .

Since , the slope of the line must be a value between and 0. Choice C is the only graph of a line that has
a y-value of the y-intercept that is 1 and a slope that is between and 0.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the slopes of the lines in these graphs aren’t between and 0.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID c362c210
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c362c210

The points plotted in the coordinate plane above represent the possible
numbers of wallflowers and cornflowers that someone can buy at the Garden
Store in order to spend exactly $24.00 total on the two types of flowers. The
price of each wallflower is the same and the price of each cornflower is the
same. What is the price, in dollars, of 1 cornflower?

ID: c362c210 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.5. The point corresponds to the situation where 16 cornflowers and 0 wallflowers are
purchased. Since the total spent on the two types of flowers is $24.00, it follows that the price of 16 cornflowers is
$24.00, and the price of one cornflower is $1.50. Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1035faea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 1035faea

A psychologist set up an experiment to study the tendency of a person to

select the first item when presented with a series of items. In the experiment,
300 people were presented with a set of five pictures arranged in random order.
Each person was asked to choose the most appealing picture. Of the first
150 participants, 36 chose the first picture in the set. Among the remaining
150 participants, p people chose the first picture in the set. If more than 20% of
all participants chose the first picture in the set, which of the following
inequalities best describes the possible values of p ?

A. , where

B. , where

C. , where

D. , where

ID: 1035faea Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Of the first 150 participants, 36 chose the first picture in the set, and of the 150 remaining

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participants, p chose the first picture in the set. Hence, the proportion of the participants who chose the first picture in

the set is . Since more than 20% of all the participants chose the first picture, it follows that .

This inequality can be rewritten as . Since p is a number of people among the remaining 150
participants, .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may be the result of some incorrect interpretations of the given information or of
computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 16889ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 16889ef3

Oil and gas production in a certain area dropped from 4 million barrels in 2000
to 1.9 million barrels in 2013. Assuming that the oil and gas production
decreased at a constant rate, which of the following linear functions f best
models the production, in millions of barrels, t years after the year 2000?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 16889ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It is assumed that the oil and gas production decreased at a constant rate. Therefore, the function f
that best models the production t years after the year 2000 can be written as a linear function, , where m
is the rate of change of the oil and gas production and b is the oil and gas production, in millions of barrels, in the year
2000. Since there were 4 million barrels of oil and gas produced in 2000, . The rate of change, m, can be

calculated as , which is equivalent to , the rate of change in choice C.

Choices A and B are incorrect because each of these functions has a positive rate of change. Since the oil and gas
production decreased over time, the rate of change must be negative. Choice D is incorrect. This model may result
from misinterpreting 1.9 million barrels as the amount by which the production decreased.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID d7bf55e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d7bf55e1

A movie theater sells two types of tickets, adult tickets for $12 and child tickets
for $8. If the theater sold 30 tickets for a total of $300, how much, in dollars,
was spent on adult tickets? (Disregard the $ sign when gridding your answer.)

ID: d7bf55e1 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 180. Let a be the number of adult tickets sold and c be the number of child tickets sold. Since the
theater sold a total of 30 tickets, a + c = 30. The price per adult ticket is $12, and the price per child ticket is $8. Since
the theater received a total of $300 for the 30 tickets sold, it follows that 12a + 8c = 300. To eliminate c, the first
equation can be multiplied by 8 and then subtracted from the second equation:

Because the question asks for the amount spent on adult tickets, which is 12a dollars, the resulting equation can be
multiplied by 3 to give 3(4a) = 3(60) = 180. Therefore, $180 was spent on adult tickets.

Alternate approach: If all the 30 tickets sold were child tickets, their total price would be 30($8) = $240. Since the actual
total price of the 30 tickets was $300, the extra $60 indicates that a certain number of adult tickets, a, were sold. Since
the price of each adult ticket is $4 more than each child ticket, 4a = 60, and it follows that 12a = 180.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 771bd0ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 771bd0ca

What value of is the solution to the given equation?

ID: 771bd0ca Answer

Correct Answer: -22

Rationale
The correct answer is −22. The given equation can be rewritten as −2(𝑡 + 3) = 38. Dividing both sides of this equation
by −2 yields 𝑡 + 3 = − 19. Subtracting 3 from both sides of this equation yields 𝑡 = − 22. Therefore, −22 is the value of 𝑡
that is the solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 90095507
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 90095507

Townsend Realty Group Investments

Property Purchase price Monthly rental
address (dollars) price (dollars)

Clearwater
128,000 950
Lane

Driftwood
176,000 1,310
Drive

Edgemont
70,000 515
Street

Glenview
140,000 1,040
Street

Hamilton
450,000 3,365
Circle

The Townsend Realty Group invested in the five different properties listed in the
table above. The table shows the amount, in dollars, the company paid for each
property and the corresponding monthly rental price, in dollars, the company
charges for the property at each of the five locations. Townsend Realty
purchased the Glenview Street property and received a 40% discount off the
original price along with an additional 20% off the discounted price for
purchasing the property in cash. Which of the following best approximates the
original price, in dollars, of the Glenview Street property?

A. $350,000

B. $291,700

C. $233,300

D. $175,000

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ID: 90095507 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Let x be the original price, in dollars, of the Glenview Street property. After the 40% discount, the
price of the property became dollars, and after the additional 20% off the discounted price, the price of the
property became . Thus, in terms of the original price of the property, x, the purchase price of the property is

. It follows that . Solving this equation for x gives . Therefore, of the given
choices, $291,700 best approximates the original price of the Glenview Street property.

Choice A is incorrect because it is the result of dividing the purchase price of the property by 0.4, as though the
purchase price were 40% of the original price. Choice C is incorrect because it is the closest to dividing the purchase
price of the property by 0.6, as though the purchase price were 60% of the original price. Choice D is incorrect because
it is the result of dividing the purchase price of the property by 0.8, as though the purchase price were 80% of the
original price.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 98d3393a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 98d3393a

Line in the xy-plane is perpendicular to the line with equation

. What is the slope of line ?

A. 0

B.

C.

D. The slope of line is undefined.

ID: 98d3393a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It is given that line is perpendicular to a line whose equation is x = 2. A line whose equation is a
constant value of x is vertical, so must therefore be horizontal. Horizontal lines have a slope of 0, so has a slope of
0.

Choice B is incorrect. A line with slope is perpendicular to a line with slope 2. However, the line with equation x = 2
is vertical and has undefined slope (not slope of 2). Choice C is incorrect. A line with slope –2 is perpendicular to a line

with slope . However, the line with equation x = 2 has undefined slope (not slope of ). Choice D is incorrect; this
is the slope of the line x = 2 itself, not the slope of a line perpendicular to it.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e8f9e117
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: e8f9e117

The formula above is Ohm’s law for an electric circuit with current I, in amperes,
potential difference V, in volts, and resistance R, in ohms. A circuit has a
resistance of 500 ohms, and its potential difference will be generated by n six-
volt batteries that produce a total potential difference of volts. If the circuit
is to have a current of no more than 0.25 ampere, what is the greatest number,
n, of six-volt batteries that can be used?

ID: e8f9e117 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 20. For the given circuit, the resistance R is 500 ohms, and the total potential difference V
generated by n batteries is volts. It’s also given that the circuit is to have a current of no more than 0.25 ampere,

which can be expressed as . Since Ohm’s law says that , the given values for V and R can be substituted

for I in this inequality, which yields . Multiplying both sides of this inequality by 500 yields , and
dividing both sides of this inequality by 6 yields . Since the number of batteries must be a whole number
less than 20.833, the greatest number of batteries that can be used in this circuit is 20.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f718c9cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f718c9cf

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

ID: f718c9cf Answer

Correct Answer: 1.8, 9/5

9
Rationale

The correct answer is . Multiplying the first equation in the given system by 2 yields 10𝑥 + 28𝑦 = 90. Subtracting the
5
second equation in the given system, 10𝑥 + 7𝑦 = 27, from 10𝑥 + 28𝑦 = 90 yields (10𝑥 + 28𝑦) − (10𝑥 + 7𝑦) = 90 − 27,
which is equivalent to 10𝑥 + 28𝑦 − 10𝑥 − 7𝑦 = 63, or 21𝑦 = 63. Dividing both sides of this equation by 21 yields 𝑦 = 3. The
value of 𝑥 can be found by substituting 3 for 𝑦 in either of the two given equations. Substituting 3 for 𝑦 in the equation
10𝑥 + 7𝑦 = 27 yields 10𝑥 + 7(3) = 27, or 10𝑥 + 21 = 27. Subtracting 21 from both sides of this equation yields 10𝑥 = 6.
6 3 3 9
Dividing both sides of this equation by 10 yields 𝑥 = , or 𝑥 = . Therefore, the value of 𝑥𝑦 is ( )(3), or . Note that 9/5
10 5 5 5
and 1.8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 466b87e3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 466b87e3

In the system of equations above, c is a constant. If the system has

no solution, what is the value of c ?

ID: 466b87e3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations have the
same slope and different y-intercepts. Each of the given linear equations is written in the slope-intercept form,
, where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the equation. For these
two linear equations, the y-intercepts are and . Thus, if the system of equations has no solution, the
slopes of the graphs of the two linear equations must be the same. The slope of the graph of the first linear equation is

. Therefore, for the system of equations to have no solution, the value of c must be . Note that 1/2 and .5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID aee9fd2d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: aee9fd2d

If , the value of is between which of the following pairs of values?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: aee9fd2d Answer

Correct Answer: B

𝑥+6 𝑥+6
Rationale

Choice B is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by (3)(13), or 39, yields (39)( ) = (39)( ), or
3 13
13(𝑥 + 6) = 3(𝑥 + 6). Subtracting 3(𝑥 + 6) from both sides of this equation yields 10(𝑥 + 6) = 0. Dividing both sides of
𝑥+6 𝑥+6
this equation by 10 yields 𝑥 + 6 = 0. Therefore, if = , then the value of 𝑥 + 6 is 0. It follows that of the given
3 13
choices, the value of 𝑥 + 6 is between −2 and 2.

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

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Question ID d1b66ae6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d1b66ae6

If satisfies the system of equations

above, what is the value of y ?

ID: d1b66ae6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . One method for solving the system of equations for y is to add corresponding sides of the
two equations. Adding the left-hand sides gives , or 4y. Adding the right-hand sides yields

. It follows that . Finally, dividing both sides of by 4 yields or . Note that 3/2
and 1.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 0366d965
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0366d965
x y

3 7

k 11

12 n

The table above shows the coordinates of three points on a line in the xy-plane,
where k and n are constants. If the slope of the line is 2, what is the value of
?

ID: 0366d965 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The slope of a line can be found by using the slope formula, . It’s given that the

slope of the line is 2; therefore, . According to the table, the points and lie on the line.

Substituting the coordinates of these points into the equation gives . Multiplying both sides of this

equation by gives , or . Solving for k gives . According to the table, the

points and also lie on the line. Substituting the coordinates of these points into gives

. Solving for n gives . Therefore, , or 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 963da34c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 963da34c

A shipping service restricts the dimensions of the boxes it will ship for a certain
type of service. The restriction states that for boxes shaped like rectangular
prisms, the sum of the perimeter of the base of the box and the height of the
box cannot exceed 130 inches. The perimeter of the base is determined using
the width and length of the box. If a box has a height of 60 inches and its length
is 2.5 times the width, which inequality shows the allowable width x, in inches,
of the box?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 963da34c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. If x is the width, in inches, of the box, then the length of the box is 2.5x inches. It follows that the
perimeter of the base is , or 7x inches. The height of the box is given to be 60 inches. According to the
restriction, the sum of the perimeter of the base and the height of the box should not exceed 130 inches. Algebraically,
this can be represented by , or . Dividing both sides of the inequality by 7 gives . Since x
represents the width of the box, x must also be a positive number. Therefore, the inequality represents all
the allowable values of x that satisfy the given conditions.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation errors or misreading the given information.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e2e3942f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e2e3942f

In the system of equations above, a is a constant. If the system of equations

has no solution, what is the value of a ?

A.

B. 0

C. 1

D. 2

ID: e2e3942f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations have the same
slope and different y-coordinates of the y-intercepts. Each of the given equations is written in the slope-intercept form
of a linear equation, , where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the
equation. For these two linear equations, the y-coordinates of the y-intercepts are different: and . Thus, if the
system of equations has no solution, the slopes of the two linear equations must be the same. The slope of the first
linear equation is 2. Therefore, for the system of equations to have no solution, the value of a must be 2.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1e11190a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 1e11190a

Store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint. Store B sells raspberries for per
pint and blackberries for per pint. A certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries would cost at Store
A or at Store B. How many pints of blackberries are in this purchase?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e11190a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. It’s given that store A sells raspberries for $ 5 . 50 per pint and blackberries for $ 3 . 00 per pint, and
a certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries at store A would cost $ 37 . 00. It’s also given that store B sells
raspberries for $ 6 . 50 per pint and blackberries for $ 8 . 00 per pint, and this purchase of raspberries and blackberries
at store B would cost $ 66 . 00. Let 𝑟 represent the number of pints of raspberries and 𝑏 represent the number of pints
of blackberries in this purchase. The equation 5 . 50𝑟 + 3 . 00𝑏 = 37 . 00 represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store A and the equation 6 . 50𝑟 + 8 . 00𝑏 = 66 . 00 represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store B. Solving the system of equations by elimination gives the value of 𝑟 and the value of 𝑏 that
make the system of equations true. Multiplying both sides of the equation for store A by 6.5 yields
(5 . 50𝑟)(6 . 5) + (3 . 00𝑏)(6 . 5) = (37 . 00)(6 . 5), or 35 . 75𝑟 + 19 . 5𝑏 = 240 . 5. Multiplying both sides of the equation for store
B by 5.5 yields (6 . 50𝑟)(5 . 5) + (8 . 00𝑏)(5 . 5) = (66 . 00)(5 . 5), or 35 . 75𝑟 + 44𝑏 = 363. Subtracting both sides of the
equation for store A, 35 . 75𝑟 + 19 . 5𝑏 = 240 . 5, from the corresponding sides of the equation for store B,
35 . 75𝑟 + 44𝑏 = 363, yields (35 . 75𝑟 − 35 . 75𝑟) + (44𝑏 − 19 . 5𝑏) = (363 − 240 . 5), or 24 . 5𝑏 = 122 . 5. Dividing both sides of
this equationby 24.5 yields 𝑏 = 5. Thus, 5 pints of blackberries are in
this purchase.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors. Choice D is incorrect. This is the
number of pints of raspberries, not blackberries, in the purchase.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 78391fcc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 78391fcc

f(x) 21 18 15 12

The table above shows some values of x and their corresponding values
for the linear function f. What is the x-intercept of the graph of in the
xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 78391fcc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. The equation of a linear function can be written in the form , where , m is the
slope of the graph of , and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph. The value of m can be found

using the slope formula, . According to the table, the points and lie on the graph of

. Using these two points in the slope formula yields , or . Substituting for m in the
slope-intercept form of the equation yields . The value of b can be found by substituting values from the
table and solving; for example, substituting the coordinates of the point into the equation
gives , which yields . This means the function given by the table can be represented by
the equation . The value of the x-intercept of the graph of can be determined by finding the
value of x when . Substituting into yields , or . This corresponds to
the point .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from substituting the value of the slope for the x-coordinate of the x-intercept.
Choice C is incorrect and may result from a calculation error. Choice D is incorrect and may result from substituting the
y-coordinate of the y-intercept for the x-coordinate of the x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b8e73b5b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: b8e73b5b

Ken is working this summer as part of a crew on a farm. He earned $8 per hour
for the first 10 hours he worked this week. Because of his performance, his
crew leader raised his salary to $10 per hour for the rest of the week. Ken saves
90% of his earnings from each week. What is the least number of hours he
must work the rest of the week to save at least $270 for the week?

A. 38

B. 33

C. 22

D. 16

ID: b8e73b5b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Ken earned $8 per hour for the first 10 hours he worked, so he earned a total of $80 for the first 10

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hours he worked. For the rest of the week, Ken was paid at the rate of $10 per hour. Let x be the number of hours he will
work for the rest of the week. The total of Ken’s earnings, in dollars, for the week will be . He saves 90% of his

earnings each week, so this week he will save dollars. The inequality represents
the condition that he will save at least $270 for the week. Factoring 10 out of the expression gives .
The product of 10 and 0.9 is 9, so the inequality can be rewritten as . Dividing both sides of this
inequality by 9 yields , so . Therefore, the least number of hours Ken must work the rest of the week
to save at least $270 for the week is 22.

Choices A and B are incorrect because Ken can save $270 by working fewer hours than 38 or 33 for the rest of the
week. Choice D is incorrect. If Ken worked 16 hours for the rest of the week, his total earnings for the week will be
, which is less than $270. Since he saves only 90% of his earnings each week, he would save
even less than $240 for the week.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 830120b0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 830120b0

Which of the following consists of the y-coordinates of all the points that
satisfy the system of inequalities above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 830120b0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. Subtracting the same number from each side of an inequality gives an equivalent inequality. Hence,
subtracting 1 from each side of the inequality gives . So the given system of inequalities is equivalent
to the system of inequalities and , which can be rewritten as . Using the transitive
property of inequalities, it follows that .

Choice A is incorrect because there are points with a y-coordinate less than 6 that satisfy the given system of
inequalities. For example, satisfies both inequalities. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from solving the
inequality for x, then replacing x with y. Choice D is incorrect because this inequality allows y-values that are not

the y-coordinate of any point that satisfies both inequalities. For example, is contained in the set ;

however, if 2 is substituted into the first inequality for y, the result is . This cannot be true because the second

inequality gives .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID c4ea43ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c4ea43ef

To earn money for college, Avery works two part-time jobs: A and B. She earns
$10 per hour working at job A and $20 per hour working at job B. In one week,
Avery earned a total of s dollars for working at the two part-time jobs. The
graph above represents all possible combinations of numbers of hours Avery
could have worked at the two jobs to earn s dollars. What is the value of s ?

A. 128

B. 160

C. 200

D. 320

ID: c4ea43ef Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Avery earns $10 per hour working at job A. Therefore, if she works a hours at job A, she will earn

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dollars. Avery earns $20 per hour working at job B. Therefore, if she works b hours at job B, she will earn
dollars. The graph shown represents all possible combinations of the number of hours Avery could have worked at the
two jobs to earn s dollars. Therefore, if she worked a hours at job A, worked b hours at job B, and earned s dollars from
both jobs, the following equation represents the graph: , where s is a constant. Identifying any point
from the graph and substituting the values of the coordinates for a and b, respectively, in this equation yield the
value of s. For example, the point , where and , lies on the graph. Substituting 16 for a and 0 for b in
the equation yields , or . Similarly, the point , where and ,
lies on the graph. Substituting 0 for a and 8 for b in the equation yields , or .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. If the value of s is 128, 200, or 320, then no points on the graph will satisfy this
equation. For example, if the value of s is 128 (choice A), then the equation becomes
. The point , where and , lies on the graph. However, substituting 16 for a and 0
for b in yields , or , which is false. Therefore, doesn’t satisfy
the equation, and so the value of s can’t be 128. Similarly, if (choice C) or (choice D), then
substituting 16 for a and 0 for b yields and , respectively, which are both false.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID cb58833c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cb58833c

The line with the equation is graphed in the xy‑plane. What is

the x-coordinate of the x‑intercept of the line?

ID: cb58833c Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.25. The y-coordinate of the x-intercept is 0, so 0 can be substituted for y, giving

. This simplifies to . Multiplying both sides of by 5 gives . Dividing both sides

of by 4 gives , which is equivalent to 1.25. Note that 1.25 and 5/4 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 567ac7ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 567ac7ab

One of the two equations in a linear system is . The system has

no solution. Which of the following could be the other equation in the system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 567ac7ab Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A system of two linear equations written in standard form has no solution when the equations are
distinct and the ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient for one equation is equivalent to the ratio of the x-
coefficient to the y-coefficient for the other equation. This ratio for the given equation is 2 to 6, or 1 to 3. Only choice B
is an equation that isn’t equivalent to the given equation and whose ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient is 1 to
3.

Choice A is incorrect. Multiplying each of the terms in this equation by 2 yields an equation that is equivalent to the
given equation. This system would have infinitely many solutions. Choices C and D are incorrect. The ratio of the x-
coefficient to the y-coefficient in (choice C) is to 2, or to 1. This ratio in (choice D) is
6 to 2, or 3 to 1. Since neither of these ratios is equivalent to that for the given equation, these systems would have
exactly one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a04050d8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a04050d8

The table above gives the typical amounts of energy per gram, expressed in
both food calories and kilojoules, of the three macronutrients in food. If the 180
food calories in a granola bar come entirely from p grams of protein, f grams of
fat, and c grams of carbohydrate, which of the following expresses f in terms of
p and c ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a04050d8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. It is given that there are 4.0 food calories per gram of protein, 9.0 food calories per gram of fat, and
4.0 food calories per gram of carbohydrate. If 180 food calories in a granola bar came from p grams of protein, f grams
of fat, and c grams of carbohydrate, then the situation can be represented by the equation . The
equation can then be rewritten in terms of f by subtracting 4p and 4c from both sides of the equation and then dividing

both sides of the equation by 9. The result is the equation .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of not representing the situation with the correct equation or
incorrectly rewriting the equation in terms of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID daad7c32
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: daad7c32

An object hangs from a spring. The formula relates the length ,

in centimeters, of the spring to the weight w, in newtons, of the object. Which of
the following describes the meaning of the 2 in this context?

A. The length, in centimeters, of the spring with no weight attached

B. The weight, in newtons, of an object that will stretch the spring 30 centimeters

C. The increase in the weight, in newtons, of the object for each one-centimeter increase in the length of the spring

D. The increase in the length, in centimeters, of the spring for each one-newton increase in the weight of the object

ID: daad7c32 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The value 2 is multiplied by w, the weight of the object. When the weight is 0, the length is 30 + 2(0)
= 30 centimeters. If the weight increases by w newtons, the length increases by 2w centimeters, or 2 centimeters for
each one-newton increase in weight.

Choice A is incorrect because this describes the value 30. Choice B is incorrect because 30 represents the length of the
spring before it has been stretched. Choice C is incorrect because this describes the value w.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 3f8a701b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 3f8a701b

The equation , where a and b are constants, has no solutions.

Which of the following must be true? I. II. III.

A. None

B. I only

C. I and II only

D. I and III only

ID: 3f8a701b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. For a linear equation in a form to have no solutions, the x-terms must have equal
coefficients and the remaining terms must not be equal. Expanding the right-hand side of the given equation yields
. Inspecting the x-terms, 9 must equal a, so statement I must be true. Inspecting the remaining terms,

5 can’t equal . Dividing both of these quantities by 9 yields that b can’t equal . Therefore, statement III must be

true. Since b can have any value other than , statement II may or may not be true.

Choice A is incorrect. For the given equation to have no solution, both and must be true. Choice B is

incorrect because it must also be true that . Choice C is incorrect because when , there are many values of
b that lead to an equation having no solution. That is, b might be 5, but b isn’t required to be 5.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 023c0a8d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 023c0a8d

For the function f, if for all values of x,

what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 0

D. 2

ID: 023c0a8d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that for all values of x. If , then will equal . Dividing both

sides of by 3 gives . Therefore, substituting 2 for x in the given equation yields , which
can be rewritten as .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of the constant in the given equation for f. Choice C is incorrect and may result
from substituting , rather than , into the given equation. Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of x that
yields for the left-hand side of the given equation; it’s not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a7a14e87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a7a14e87

In the xy-plane, line k is defined by . Line j is perpendicular to line k,

and the y-intercept of line j is . Which of the following is an equation of line
j?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a7a14e87 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that line j is perpendicular to line k and that line k is defined by the equation .
This equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m represents the slope of the line and b
represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line, by subtracting x from both sides of the equation, which yields
. Thus, the slope of line k is . Since line j and line k are perpendicular, their slopes are opposite reciprocals
of each other. Thus, the slope of line j is 1. It’s given that the y-intercept of line j is . Therefore, the equation for line
j in slope-intercept form is , which can be rewritten as .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a1fd2304
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a1fd2304

How many liters of a 25% saline solution must be added to 3 liters of a 10%
saline solution to obtain a 15% saline solution?

ID: a1fd2304 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.5. The total amount, in liters, of a saline solution can be expressed as the liters of each type of
saline solution multiplied by the percent concentration of the saline solution. This gives , , and
, where x is the amount, in liters, of 25% saline solution and 10%, 15%, and 25% are represented as 0.10,

0.15, and 0.25, respectively. Thus, the equation must be true. Multiplying 3 by 0.10 and
distributing 0.15 to yields . Subtracting 0.15x and 0.30 from each side of the
equation gives . Dividing each side of the equation by 0.10 yields . Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 628300a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 628300a9

A science teacher is preparing the 5 stations of a science laboratory. Each

station will have either Experiment A materials or Experiment B materials, but
not both. Experiment A requires 6 teaspoons of salt, and Experiment B requires
4 teaspoons of salt. If x is the number of stations that will be set up for
Experiment A and the remaining stations will be set up for Experiment B, which
of the following expressions represents the total number of teaspoons of salt
required?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 628300a9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It is given that x represents the number of stations that will be set up for Experiment A and that
there will be 5 stations total, so it follows that 5 – x is the number of stations that will be set up for Experiment B. It is
also given that Experiment A requires 6 teaspoons of salt and that Experiment B requires 4 teaspoons of salt, so the
total number of teaspoons of salt required is 6x + 4(5 – x), which simplifies to 2x + 20.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may be the result of not understanding the description of the context.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 91e7ea5e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 91e7ea5e

The quadratic function h is defined as shown. In the xy-plane, the graph of

intersects the x-axis at the points and , where t is a
constant. What is the value of t ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 8

ID: 91e7ea5e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the graph of intersects the x-axis at and , where t is a constant.
Since this graph intersects the x-axis when or when , it follows that and . If ,

then . Adding 32 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this

equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding 4 to
both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of t is 8.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID fc3d783a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3d783a

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: fc3d783a Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale
The correct answer is 6. It’s given that a line with equation 2𝑦 = 4 . 5 intersects a parabola with equation 𝑦 = − 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥,
where 𝑏 is a positive constant, at exactly one point in the xy-plane. It follows that the system of equations consisting of
2𝑦 = 4 . 5 and 𝑦 = − 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 has exactly one solution. Dividing both sides of the equation of the line by 2 yields
𝑦 = 2 . 25. Substituting 2.25 for 𝑦 in the equation of the parabola yields 2 . 25 = − 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥. Adding 4𝑥2 and subtracting
𝑏𝑥 from both sides of this equation yields 4𝑥2 − 𝑏𝑥 + 2 . 25 = 0. A quadratic equation in the form of 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0,
where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, 𝑏2 − 4𝑎𝑐, is equal to zero. Substituting 4
for 𝑎 and 2.25 for 𝑐 in the expression 𝑏2 − 4𝑎𝑐 and setting this expression equal to 0 yields 𝑏2 − 4(4)(2 . 25) = 0, or
𝑏2 − 36 = 0. Adding 36 to each side of this equation yields 𝑏2 = 36. Taking the square root of each side of this equation
yields 𝑏 = ± 6. It’s given that 𝑏 is positive, so the value of 𝑏 is 6.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a9084ca4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a9084ca4

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: a9084ca4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where 𝑥 = 0. For the given function 𝑓, the y-
intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) in the xy-plane can be found by substituting 0 for 𝑥 in the equation 𝑦 = 9,000(0.66) ,
𝑥

which gives 𝑦 = 9,000(0.66) . This is equivalent to 𝑦 = 9,000(1), or 𝑦 = 9,000. Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph of
0

𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) is (0, 9,000). It’s given that the function 𝑓 models the number of advertisements a company sent to its clients
each year. Therefore, 𝑓(𝑥) represents the estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients each
year. It's also given that 𝑥 represents the number of years since 1997. Therefore, 𝑥 = 0 represents 0 years since 1997, or
1997. Thus, the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) is that the estimated number of
advertisements the company sent to its clients in 1997 was 9,000.

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

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Question ID 4661e2a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4661e2a9

Which ordered pair is a solution to the

system of equations above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4661e2a9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

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Choice A is correct. The solution to the given system of equations can be found by solving the first equation for x,
which gives , and substituting that value of x into the second equation which gives .

Rewriting this equation by adding like terms and expanding gives . Subtracting from

both sides of this equation gives . Adding to 2 to both sides of this equation gives . Therefore, it

follows that . Substituting for y in the first equation yields . Adding to both sides of this

equation yields . Therefore, the ordered pair is a solution to the given system of equations.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the first equation yields , or ,
which isn’t a true statement. Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the second equation

yields , or , which isn’t a true statement. Choice D is incorrect.

Substituting for x and for y in the second equation yields , or

, which isn’t a true statement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 371cbf6b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 371cbf6b

The equation above is true for all x, where a and b are

constants. What is the value of ab ?

A. 18

B. 20

C. 24

D. 40

ID: 371cbf6b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. If the equation is true for all x, then the expressions on both sides of the equation will be
equivalent. Multiplying the polynomials on the left-hand side of the equation gives
. On the right-hand side of the equation, the only -term is . Since the

expressions on both sides of the equation are equivalent, it follows that , which can be

rewritten as . Therefore, , which gives .

Choice A is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be

, which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice B is incorrect. If

, then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t

equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice D is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of on

the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on the
right-hand side.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 40c09d66
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 40c09d66

If for all positive values of x,

what is the value of ?

ID: 40c09d66 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The value of can be found by first rewriting the left-hand side of the given equation as

. Using the properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as . This expression can be

rewritten by subtracting the fractions in the exponent, which yields . Thus, is . Note that 7/6, 1.166, and
1.167 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f65288e8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f65288e8

If x is a solution to the given equation, which of the

following is a possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f65288e8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given equation can be rewritten as . Multiplying both sides of this equation by

yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields . Taking the square root of

both sides of this equation yields or . Therefore, a possible value of is .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational or conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f2f3fa00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f2f3fa00

During a 5-second time interval, the average acceleration a, in meters per

second squared, of an object with an initial velocity of 12 meters per second is

defined by the equation , where vf is the final velocity of the

object in meters per second. If the equation is rewritten in the form vf = xa + y,
where x and y are constants, what is the value of x ?

ID: f2f3fa00 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The given equation can be rewritten in the form , like so:

It follows that the value of x is 5 and the value of y is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9654add7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9654add7

The revenue , in dollars, that a company receives from sales of a product

is given by the function f above, where x is the unit price, in dollars, of the
product. The graph of in the xy-plane intersects the x-axis at 0 and a.
What does a represent?

A. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0

B. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

C. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0

D. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make

ID: 9654add7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. By definition, the y-value when a function intersects the x-axis is 0. It’s given that the graph of the
function intersects the x-axis at 0 and a, that x is the unit price, in dollars, of a product, and that , where ,
is the revenue, in dollars, that a company receives from the sales of the product. Since the value of a occurs when
, a is the unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0.

Choice A is incorrect. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0 is represented by , when
. Choice B is incorrect. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue is represented
by the x-coordinate of the maximum of f. Choice D is incorrect. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can
make is represented by the y-coordinate of the maximum of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 34847f8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 34847f8a

The equation above is true for all , where r and t are positive
constants. What is the value of rt ?

A.

B. 15

C. 20

D. 60

ID: 34847f8a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. To express the sum of the two rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation as the
single rational expression on the right-hand side of the equation, the expressions on the left-hand side must have the

same denominator. Multiplying the first expression by results in , and multiplying the second

expression by results in , so the given equation can be rewritten as

, or . Since the
two rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation have the same denominator as the rational expression
on the right-hand side of the equation, it follows that . Combining like terms on the left-
hand side yields , so it follows that and . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error when determining the sign of either r or t. Choice B is incorrect and
may result from not distributing the 2 and 3 to their respective terms in

. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 263f9937
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 263f9937
Growth of a Culture of Bacteria
Number of bacteria per
Day
milliliter at end of day

A culture of bacteria is growing at an exponential rate, as shown in the table

above. At this rate, on which day would the number of bacteria per milliliter
reach ?

A. Day 5

B. Day 9

C. Day 11

D. Day 12

ID: 263f9937 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. The number of bacteria per milliliter is doubling each day. For example, from day 1 to day 2, the
number of bacteria increased from 2.5 × 105 to 5.0 × 105. At the end of day 3 there are 106 bacteria per milliliter. At the
end of day 4, there will be 106 × 2 bacteria per milliliter. At the end of day 5, there will be (106 × 2) × 2, or 106 × (22)
bacteria per milliliter, and so on. At the end of day d, the number of bacteria will be 106 × (2d – 3). If the number of
bacteria per milliliter will reach 5.12 × 108 at the end of day d, then the equation must hold.

Since 5.12 × 108 can be rewritten as 512 × 106, the equation is equivalent to . Rewriting 512 as 29 gives d
– 3 = 9, so d = 12. The number of bacteria per milliliter would reach 5.12 × 108 at the end of day 12.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Given the growth rate of the bacteria, the number of bacteria will not reach 5.12 × 108
per milliliter by the end of any of these days.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 137cc6fd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 137cc6fd

For what value of is the given expression equivalent to , where ?

ID: 137cc6fd Answer

Correct Answer: .0177, .0178, 4/225

4
Rationale

𝑘 𝑎, where 𝑘 is an integer greater than 1 and 𝑎 ≥ 0, is equivalent to

. An expression of the form √
225
The correct answer is
1 1 1 2
𝑎𝑘 . Therefore, the given expression, where 𝑛 > 1, is equivalent to (70𝑛)5 ((70𝑛)6 ) . Applying properties of exponents, this
1 1 1 1 1 1 8
expression can be rewritten as (70𝑛)5 (70𝑛)6 , or (70𝑛)5 (70𝑛)3 , which can be rewritten as (70𝑛)5 or (70𝑛)15 . It's given
·2 +
3,

2 8
70𝑛) is equivalent to (70𝑛) , where 𝑛 > 1. It follows that (70𝑛)15 is equivalent to (70𝑛) .
30𝑥 30𝑥
that the expression √
5
70𝑛(√6

8 8 4
= 30𝑥. Dividing both sides of this equation by 30 yields = 𝑥, or = 𝑥. Thus, the value of 𝑥 for which
15 450 225
4
Therefore,
the given expression is equivalent to (70𝑛) , where 𝑛 > 1, is
30𝑥
225
. Note that 4/225, .0177, .0178, 0.017, and 0.018 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 6ce95fc8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6ce95fc8

Which of the following is a solution to

the equation above?

A. 2

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ce95fc8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. A quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c are constants, can be solved

using the quadratic formula: . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields

. Applying the quadratic formula, where , , and , yields

. This can be rewritten as . Since , or , the

equation can be rewritten as . Dividing 2 from both the numerator and denominator yields

or . Of these two solutions, only is present among the choices. Thus, the correct choice is D.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from a computational or conceptual error. Choice B is incorrect and may result

from using instead of as the quadratic formula. Choice C is incorrect

and may result from rewriting as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ea6d05bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ea6d05bb

The expression is equivalent to the expression , where , , and are constants.

What is the value of ?

ID: ea6d05bb Answer

Correct Answer: -419

Rationale
The correct answer is −419. It's given that the expression (3𝑥 − 23)(19𝑥 + 6) is equivalent to the expression 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐
, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants. Applying the distributive property to the given expression, (3𝑥 − 23)(19𝑥 + 6), yields
(3𝑥)(19𝑥) + (3𝑥)(6) − (23)(19𝑥) − (23)(6), which can be rewritten as 57𝑥2 + 18𝑥 − 437𝑥 − 138. Combining like terms
yields 57𝑥2 − 419𝑥 − 138. Since this expression is equivalent to 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐, it follows that the value of 𝑏 is −419.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID d8789a4c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: d8789a4c

In the expression above, b and c are positive integers. If the expression is

equivalent to and , which of the following could be the value of c ?

A. 4

B. 6

C. 8

D. 10

ID: d8789a4c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. If the given expression is equivalent to , then , where x isn’t equal to b.

Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Since the right-hand side of this
equation is in factored form for the difference of squares, the value of c must be a perfect square. Only choice A gives
a perfect square for the value of c.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. None of these values of c produces a difference of squares. For example, when 6 is

substituted for c in the given expression, the result is . The expression can’t be factored with integer

values, and therefore isn’t equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 7bd10ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7bd10ef3

In the equation above, t is a constant. If the equation has no real solutions,

which of the following could be the value of t ?

A.

B.

C. 1

D. 3

ID: 7bd10ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

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Choice A is correct. The number of solutions to any quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and

c are constants, can be found by evaluating the expression , which is called the discriminant. If the value of

is a positive number, then there will be exactly two real solutions to the equation. If the value of is

zero, then there will be exactly one real solution to the equation. Finally, if the value of is negative, then there
will be no real solutions to the equation.

The given equation is a quadratic equation in one variable, where t is a constant. Subtracting t from both

sides of the equation gives . In this form, , , and . The values of t for which the
equation has no real solutions are the same values of t for which the discriminant of this equation is a negative value.
The discriminant is equal to ; therefore, . Simplifying the left side of the
inequality gives . Subtracting 16 from both sides of the inequality and then dividing both sides by 8 gives
. Of the values given in the options, is the only value that is less than . Therefore, choice A must be the
correct answer.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from a misconception about how to use the discriminant to determine
the number of solutions of a quadratic equation in one variable.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 5355c0ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5355c0ef

The given expression can be rewritten as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5355c0ef Answer

Correct Answer: .09, 9/100

Rationale
The correct answer is .09 . It's given that the expression 0.36𝑥2 + 0.63𝑥 + 1.17 can be rewritten as 𝑎(4𝑥2 + 7𝑥 + 13).
Applying the distributive property to the expression 𝑎(4𝑥2 + 7𝑥 + 13) yields 4𝑎𝑥2 + 7𝑎𝑥 + 13𝑎. Therefore,
0.36𝑥2 + 0.63𝑥 + 1.17 can be rewritten as 4𝑎𝑥2 + 7𝑎𝑥 + 13𝑎. It follows that in the expressions 0.36𝑥2 + 0.63𝑥 + 1.17 and
4𝑎𝑥2 + 7𝑎𝑥 + 13𝑎, the coefficients of 𝑥2 are equivalent, the coefficients of 𝑥 are equivalent, and the constant terms are
equivalent. Therefore, 0.36 = 4𝑎, 0.63 = 7𝑎, and 1.17 = 13𝑎. Solving any of these equations for 𝑎 yields the value of 𝑎.
Dividing both sides of the equation 0.36 = 4𝑎 by 4 yields 0.09 = 𝑎. Therefore, the value of 𝑎 is 0.09. Note that .09 and
9/100 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID c81b6c57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c81b6c57

In the expression , p is a constant. This

expression is equivalent to the expression . What is the value

of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c81b6c57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the first given expression can be rewritten as 6x2 + 3px + 24 – 16px
– 64x + 24, and then rewritten as 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24. Since the expression 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24 is
equivalent to 6x2 – 155x + 24, the coefficients of the x terms from each expression are equivalent to each other; thus
3p – 16p – 64 = –155. Combining like terms gives –13p – 64 = –155. Adding 64 to both sides of the equation gives –
13p = –71. Dividing both sides of the equation by –13 yields p = 7.

Choice A is incorrect. If p = –3, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 25x + 24. Choice C is incorrect. If
p = 13, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 233x + 24. Choice D is incorrect. If p = 155, then the first
expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 2,079x + 24.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 66bce0c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 66bce0c1

What is the solution set of the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 66bce0c1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. Subtracting 4 from both sides of isolates the radical expression on the left

side of the equation as follows: . Squaring both sides of yields

. This equation can be rewritten as a quadratic equation in standard form: . One

way to solve this quadratic equation is to factor the expression by identifying two numbers with a sum of
and a product of . These numbers are and 1. So the quadratic equation can be factored as

. It follows that 5 and are the solutions to the quadratic equation. However, the solutions must be

verified by checking whether 5 and satisfy the original equation, . When , the original

equation gives , or , which is false. Therefore, does not satisfy the original

equation. When , the original equation gives , or , which is true. Therefore, is

the only solution to the original equation, and so the solution set is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these sets contains at least one value that results in a false
statement when substituted into the given equation. For instance, in choice D, when 0 is substituted for x into the given
equation, the result is , or . This is not a true statement, so 0 is not a solution to the
given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 97e50fa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 97e50fa2

The graph of the function f, defined by , is shown in

the xy-plane above. If the function g (not shown) is defined by ,
what is one possible value of a such that ?

ID: 97e50fa2 Answer

Rationale

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The correct answer is either 2 or 8. Substituting in the definitions for f and g gives

and , respectively. If , then . Subtracting 10 from both sides

of this equation gives . Multiplying both sides by gives . Expanding

gives . Combining the like terms on one side of the equation gives . One way to

solve this equation is to factor by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of 16.
These numbers are and , so the quadratic equation can be factored as . Therefore, the
possible values of a are either 2 or 8. Note that 2 and 8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: Graphically, the condition implies the graphs of the functions and
intersect at . The graph is given, and the graph of may be sketched as a line with y-intercept
10 and a slope of (taking care to note the different scales on each axis). These two graphs intersect at and
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9afe2370
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9afe2370
The population P of a certain city y years after the last census is modeled by the equation below, where r is a
constant and is the population when .

If during this time the population of the city decreases by a fixed percent each
year, which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9afe2370 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The term (1 + r) represents a percent change. Since the population is decreasing, the percent
change must be between 0% and 100%. When the percent change is expressed as a decimal rather than as a percent,
the percentage change must be between 0 and 1. Because (1 + r) represents percent change, this can be expressed as
0 < 1 + r < 1. Subtracting 1 from all three terms of this compound inequality results in –1 < r < 0.

Choice A is incorrect. If r < –1, then after 1 year, the population P would be a negative value, which is not possible.
Choices C and D are incorrect. For any value of r > 0, 1 + r > 1, and the exponential function models growth for positive
values of the exponent. This contradicts the given information that the population is decreasing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 3d12b1e0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3d12b1e0

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

ID: 3d12b1e0 Answer

Correct Answer: -1

Rationale
The correct answer is −1. A quadratic equation in the form 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants, has exactly
one solution when its discriminant, 𝑏2 − 4𝑎𝑐, is equal to 0. In the given equation, −16𝑥2 − 8𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, 𝑎 = − 16 and
𝑏 = − 8. Substituting −16 for 𝑎 and −8 for 𝑏 in 𝑏2 − 4𝑎𝑐 yields (−8) − 4(−16)(𝑐), or 64 + 64𝑐. Since the given equation
2

has exactly one solution, 64 + 64𝑐 = 0. Subtracting 64 from both sides of this equation yields 64𝑐 = − 64. Dividing both
sides of this equation by 64 yields 𝑐 = − 1. Therefore, the value of 𝑐 is −1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2c88af4d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 2c88af4d

The expression , where and , is

equivalent to which of the following?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c88af4d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. For and , and are equivalent to and , respectively. Also, and

are equivalent to and , respectively. Therefore, the given expression can be rewritten as .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because these choices are not equivalent to the given expression for and
.

For example, for and , the value of the given expression is ; the values of the choices, however, are

, , and 1, respectively.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 71014fb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 71014fb1

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 71014fb1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

left-hand side of the given equation is either positive or zero for any value of 𝑥. Since the right-hand side of the given
Choice D is correct. Any quantity that is positive or negative in value has a positive value when squared. Therefore, the

equation is negative, there is no value of 𝑥 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

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Question ID 22fd3e1f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 22fd3e1f

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to , for ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 22fd3e1f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. Since and , the fraction can be

written as . It is given that , so the common factor is not equal to 0. Therefore, the fraction

can be further simplified to .

Choice A is incorrect. The expression is not equivalent to because at , as a value of 1 and

has a value of 0.

Choice B is incorrect and results from omitting the factor x in the factorization of . Choice C is incorrect and may

result from incorrectly factoring as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a0b4103e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a0b4103e

The expression can be rewritten as , where k is a

positive constant. What is the value of k ?

A. 2

B. 6

C.

D.

ID: a0b4103e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. Factoring out the coefficient , the given expression can be rewritten as . The

expression can be approached as a difference of squares and rewritten as . Therefore, k

must be .

Choice A is incorrect. If k were 2, then the expression given would be rewritten as , which is equivalent

to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly factoring the expression and finding as the

factored form of the expression. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly distributing the and

rewriting the expression as .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e9349667
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: e9349667

If and are the two solutions to the system of equations

above, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e9349667 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The system of equations can be solved using the substitution method. Solving the second
equation for y gives y = –x – 1. Substituting the expression –x – 1 for y into the first equation gives –x – 1 = x2 + 2x + 1.
Adding x + 1 to both sides of the equation yields x2 + 3x + 2 = 0. The left-hand side of the equation can be factored by
finding two numbers whose sum is 3 and whose product is 2, which gives (x + 2)(x + 1) = 0. Setting each factor equal to
0 yields x + 2 = 0 and x + 1 = 0, and solving for x yields x = –2 or x = –1. These values of x can be substituted for x in the
equation y = –x – 1 to find the corresponding y-values: y = –(–2) – 1 = 2 – 1 = 1 and y = –(–1) – 1 = 1 – 1 = 0. It follows
that (–2, 1) and (–1, 0) are the solutions to the given system of equations. Therefore, (x1, y1) = (–2, 1), (x2, y2) = (–1, 0),
and y1 + y2 = 1 + 0 = 1.

Choice A is incorrect. The solutions to the system of equations are (x1, y1) = (–2, 1) and (x2, y2) = (–1, 0). Therefore, –3
is the sum of the x-coordinates of the solutions, not the sum of the y-coordinates of the solutions. Choices B and C are
incorrect and may be the result of computation or substitution errors.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b03adde3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b03adde3

If , what is t
in terms of u ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b03adde3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by yields . Dividing both sides

of this equation by yields . Adding 2 to both sides of this equation yields , which can

be rewritten as . Since the fractions on the right-hand side of this equation have a common

denominator, adding the fractions yields . Applying the distributive property to the numerator on the

right-hand side of this equation yields , which is equivalent to .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from various misconceptions or miscalculations.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 0121a235
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0121a235

x p(x)

The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p. Based on the
values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0121a235 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x-intercepts of the graph of p
are and . Since and are x-intercepts, it follows that and are factors of the
polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of is
0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p.

Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice B
is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice C is
incorrect. The factors and correspond to x-intercepts and , respectively, which aren’t present
in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 70753f99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70753f99

The function f is defined by . The graph of f in the xy-

plane is a parabola. Which of the following intervals contains the x-coordinate
of the vertex of the graph of f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70753f99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph of a quadratic function in the xy-plane is a parabola. The axis of symmetry of the
parabola passes through the vertex of the parabola. Therefore, the vertex of the parabola and the midpoint of the
segment between the two x-intercepts of the graph have the same x-coordinate. Since , the x-

coordinate of the vertex is . Of the shown intervals, only the interval in choice B contains –2.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from either calculation errors or misidentification of the graph’s x-
intercepts.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 58dcc59f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 58dcc59f

A landscaper is designing a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is to

be 5 feet longer than the width. If the area of the garden will be 104 square feet,
what will be the length, in feet, of the garden?

ID: 58dcc59f Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 13. Let w represent the width of the rectangular garden, in feet. Since the length of the garden
will be 5 feet longer than the width of the garden, the length of the garden will be feet. Thus the area of the

garden will be . It is also given that the area of the garden will be 104 square feet. Therefore, ,

which is equivalent to . Factoring this equation results in . Therefore,

and . Because width cannot be negative, the width of the garden must be 8 feet. This means the length of the
garden must be feet.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 30281058
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 30281058

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects line p at and ,

where a and b are constants. What is the slope of line p ?

A. 6

B. 2

C.

D.

ID: 30281058 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the graph of and line p intersect at and . Therefore, the value of
y when is the value of a, and the value of y when is the value of b. Substituting 1 for x in the given equation

yields , or . Similarly, substituting 5 for x in the given equation yields , or .

Therefore, the intersection points are and . The slope of line p is the ratio of the change in y to the

change in x between these two points: , or 6.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors in determining the values of a, b,
or the slope of line p.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 84dd43f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84dd43f8

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

ID: 84dd43f8 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale
The correct answer is 3.44. It’s given that 𝑓(0) = 86 and that for each increase in 𝑥 by 1, the value of 𝑓(𝑥) decreases by
80 % . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each 1-unit increase in the value of 𝑥,
this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑏) , where 𝑎 represents the initial
𝑥

value of the function and 𝑏 represents the rate of decay,

expressed as a decimal. Because 𝑓(0) = 86, the value of 𝑎 must be 86. Because the value of 𝑓(𝑥) decreases by 80 % for
each 1-unit increase in 𝑥, the value of 𝑏 must be (1 − 0 . 80), or 0 . 2. Therefore, the function 𝑓 can be defined by
𝑓(𝑥) = 86(0 . 2) . Substituting 2 for 𝑥 in this function yields 𝑓(2) = 86(0 . 2) , which is equivalent to 𝑓(2) = 86(0 . 04), or
𝑥 2

𝑓(2) = 3 . 44. Either 3.44 or 86/25 may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that 𝑓(0) = 86 and that for each increase in 𝑥 by 1, the value of 𝑓(𝑥) decreases by 80 % .
Therefore, when 𝑥 = 1, the value of 𝑓(𝑥) is (100 − 80) % , or 20 % , of 86, which can be expressed as (0 . 20)(86). Since
(0 . 20)(86) = 17 . 2, the value of 𝑓(1) is 17.2. Similarly, when 𝑥 = 2, the value of 𝑓(𝑥) is 20 % of 17.2, which can be
expressed as (0 . 20)(17 . 2). Since (0 . 20)(17 . 2) = 3 . 44, the value of 𝑓(2) is 3.44. Either 3.44 or 86/25 may be entered as
the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 59d1f4b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 59d1f4b5

The equation above models the number of members, M, of a gym t years after
the gym opens. Of the following, which equation models the number of
members of the gym q quarter years after the gym opens?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 59d1f4b5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. In 1 year, there are 4 quarter years, so the number of quarter years, q, is 4 times the number of

years, t ; that is, . This is equivalent to , and substituting this into the expression for M in terms of t gives

Choices B and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using instead of . (Choices B and D are

nearly the same since is equivalent to , which is approximately .) Choice C is incorrect and
may be the result of incorrectly using and unnecessarily dividing 0.02 by 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 5910bfff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5910bfff

The formula above can be used to approximate the dew point D, in degrees
Fahrenheit, given the temperature T, in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative
humidity of H percent, where . Which of the following expresses the
relative humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5910bfff Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative humidity in
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Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative humidity in
terms of the temperature and the dew point. Subtracting T from both sides of this equation yields

. Multiplying both sides by yields . Subtracting 100 from

both sides yields . Multiplying both sides by results in the formula

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rewriting the given formula.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ad038c19
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ad038c19

Which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad038c19 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . Using the distributive property,

the expression yields . Combining like terms gives .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors using the distributive property on the given expression or
combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 635f54ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 635f54ee

The surface area of a cube is , where a is a positive constant. Which of

the following gives the perimeter of one face of the cube?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 635f54ee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. A cube has 6 faces of equal area, so if the total surface area of a cube is , then the area of

one face is . Likewise, the area of one face of a cube is the square of one of its edges; therefore, if the area of

one face is , then the length of one edge of the cube is . Since the perimeter of one face of a cube is four

times the length of one edge, the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is , then the total surface area of the cube is

, which is not . Choice C is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is 4a,

then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not . Choice D is incorrect because if the

perimeter of one face of the cube is 6a, then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1697ffcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1697ffcf

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects the graph of at the

points and . What is the value of a ?

ID: 1697ffcf Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The intersection points of the graphs of and can be found by solving the
system consisting of these two equations. To solve the system, substitute x for y in the first equation. This gives
. Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives . Factoring out of each term on
the left-hand side of the equation gives . Therefore, the possible values for x are 0 and 5. Since , the
two intersection points are and . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID de39858a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de39858a

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: de39858a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function ℎ is defined by ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 and that the graph of 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) in the xy-
325
plane passes through the points (0, 10) and (−2, ). Substituting 0 for 𝑥 and 10 for ℎ(𝑥) in the equation
36
ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 yields 10 = 𝑎0 + 𝑏, or 10 = 1 + 𝑏. Subtracting 1 from both sides of this equation yields 9 = 𝑏. Substituting
325 325
−2 for 𝑥 and for ℎ(𝑥) in the equation ℎ(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 + 9 yields = 𝑎−2 + 9. Subtracting 9 from both sides of this
36 36
1
= 𝑎−2 , which can be rewritten as 𝑎2 = 36. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields
36
equation yields
𝑎 = 6 and 𝑎 = − 6, but because it’s given that 𝑎 is a positive constant, 𝑎 must equal 6. Because the value of 𝑎 is 6 and
the value of 𝑏 is 9, the value of 𝑎𝑏 is (6)(9), or 54.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of 𝑎−2 𝑏 rather than the value of 𝑎𝑏.

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 𝑎 as 6, but multiplying it by the y-value in the
first ordered pair rather than by the value of 𝑏.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1178f2df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1178f2df

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: 1178f2df Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale
The correct answer is −2,112. It's given that 𝑓 is a quadratic function. It follows that 𝑓 can be defined by an equation of
the form 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘, where 𝑎, ℎ, and 𝑘 are constants. It's also given that the table shows three values of 𝑥 and
2

their corresponding values of 𝑦, where 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) + 4. Substituting 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘 for 𝑓(𝑥) in this equation yields
2

𝑦 = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘 + 4. This equation represents a quadratic relationship between 𝑥 and 𝑦, where 𝑘 + 4 is either the
2

maximum or the minimum value of 𝑦, which occurs when 𝑥 = ℎ. For quadratic relationships between 𝑥 and 𝑦, the
maximum or minimum value of 𝑦 occurs at the value of 𝑥 halfway between any two values of 𝑥 that have the same
corresponding value of 𝑦. The table shows that x-values of 21 and 25 correspond to the same y-value, −8. Since 23 is
halfway between 21 and 25, the maximum or minimum value of 𝑦 occurs at an x-value of 23. The table shows that when
𝑥 = 23, 𝑦 = 8. It follows that ℎ = 23 and 𝑘 + 4 = 8. Subtracting 4 from both sides of the equation 𝑘 + 4 = 8 yields 𝑘 = 4.
Substituting 23 for ℎ and 4 for 𝑘 in the equation 𝑦 = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘 + 4 yields 𝑦 = 𝑎(𝑥 − 23) + 4 + 4, or 𝑦 = 𝑎(𝑥 − 23) + 8.
2 2 2

The value of 𝑎 can be found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for 𝑥 and 𝑦, respectively, in this
equation. Substituting 25 for 𝑥 and −8 for 𝑦 in this equation yields −8 = 𝑎(25 − 23) + 8, or −8 = 𝑎(2) + 8. Subtracting 8
2 2

from both sides of this equation yields −16 = 𝑎(2) , or −16 = 4𝑎. Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields −4 = 𝑎
2

. Substituting −4 for 𝑎, 23 for ℎ, and 4 for 𝑘 in the equation 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘 yields 𝑓(𝑥) = − 4(𝑥 − 23) + 4. The y-
2 2

intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where 𝑥 = 0. Substituting 0 for 𝑥 in the
equation 𝑓(𝑥) = − 4(𝑥 − 23) + 4 yields 𝑓(0) = − 4(0 − 23) + 4, or 𝑓(0) = − 4(−23) + 4. This is equivalent to
2 2 2

𝑓(0) = − 2,112, so the y-intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) in the xy-plane is (0, − 2,112). Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-
intercept of the graph of 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) in the xy-plane is −2,112.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 84e8cc72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84e8cc72

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: 84e8cc72 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

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defined by an equation of the form 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘, where 𝑓(𝑥) is the height of the object 𝑥 seconds after it was
2
terms of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be

launched, and 𝑎, ℎ, and 𝑘 are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, 𝑘, when 𝑥 = ℎ. Since the
model indicates the object reaches its maximum height of 1,034 feet above the ground 8 seconds after being launched,
𝑓(𝑥) reaches its maximum value, 1,034, when 𝑥 = 8. Therefore, 𝑘 = 1,034 and ℎ = 8. Substituting 8 for ℎ and 1,034 for 𝑘
in the function 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘 yields 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − 8) + 1,034. Since the model indicates the object has an initial
2 2

height of 10 feet above the ground, the value of 𝑓(𝑥) is 10 when 𝑥 = 0. Substituting 0 for 𝑥 and 10 for 𝑓(𝑥) in the
equation 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎(𝑥 − 8) + 1,034 yields 10 = 𝑎(0 − 8) + 1,034, or 10 = 64𝑎 + 1,034. Subtracting 1,034 from both sides of
2 2

this equation yields 64𝑎 = − 1,024. Dividing both sides of this equation by 64 yields 𝑎 = − 16. Therefore, the model can
be represented by the equation 𝑓(𝑥) = − 16(𝑥 − 8) + 1,034. Substituting 10 for 𝑥 in this equation yields
2

𝑓(10) = − 16(10 − 8) + 1,034, or 𝑓(10) = 970. Therefore, based on the model, 10 seconds after being launched, the
2

height of the object above the ground is 970 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

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Question ID 12e7faf8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 12e7faf8

The equation is true for all , where a and d

are integers. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 0

D. 1

ID: 12e7faf8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the expression can be factored as , the given equation can be

rewritten as . Since , is also not equal to 0, so both the numerator and

denominator of can be divided by . This gives . Equating the coefficient of x on

each side of the equation gives . Equating the constant terms gives . The sum is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly simplifying the equation. Choices B and D are incorrect. They are
the values of d and a, respectively, not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 89fc23af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 89fc23af

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 89fc23af Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The numerator of the given expression can be rewritten in terms of the denominator, , as

follows: , which is equivalent to . So the given expression is

equivalent to . Since the given expression is defined for ,

the expression can be rewritten as .

Long division can also be used as an alternate approach. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors
made when dividing the two polynomials or making use of structure.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 911c415b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 911c415b

The expression above can be written in the form , where a and b are
constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 911c415b Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 6632. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Then adding together and and collecting like

terms results in . This is written in the form , where and . Therefore

.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f89e1d6f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f89e1d6f

If , which of the following is equivalent to the

expression ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f89e1d6f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Factoring –1 from the second, third, and fourth terms gives x2 – c2 – 2cd – d2 = x2 – (c2 + 2cd +
d2). The expression c2 + 2cd + d2 is the expanded form of a perfect square: c2 + 2cd + d2 = (c + d)2. Therefore, x2 – (c2
+ 2cd + d2) = x2 – (c + d)2. Since a = c + d, x2 – (c + d)2 = x2 – a2. Finally, because x2 – a2 is the difference of squares, it
can be expanded as x2 – a2 = (x + a)(x – a).

Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of making an error in factoring the difference of squares x2 – a2.
Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly combining terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 4b642eef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4b642eef

The total distance d, in meters, traveled by an object moving in a straight line

can be modeled by a quadratic function that is defined in terms of t, where t is
the time in seconds. At a time of 10.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by
the object is 50.0 meters, and at a time of 20.0 seconds, the total distance
traveled by the object is 200.0 meters. If the object was at a distance of 0
meters when , then what is the total distance traveled, in meters, by the
object after 30.0 seconds?

ID: 4b642eef Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 450. The quadratic equation that models this situation can be written in the form
, where a, b, and c are constants. It’s given that the distance, d, the object traveled was 0 meters when

seconds. These values can be substituted into the equation to solve for a, b, and c: .

Therefore, , and it follows that . Since it’s also given that d is 50 when t is 10 and d is 200 when t is

20, these values for d and t can be substituted to create a system of two linear equations: and

, or and . Subtracting the first equation from the second equation

yields , or . Substituting for a in the first equation and solving for b yields . Therefore, the

equation that represents this situation is . Evaluating this function when seconds yields

, or meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2c5c22d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c5c22d0

How many solutions are there to the

system of equations above?

A. There are exactly 4 solutions.

B. There are exactly 2 solutions.

C. There is exactly 1 solution.

D. There are no solutions.

ID: 2c5c22d0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. The second equation of the system can be rewritten as . Substituting for y in the

first equation gives . This equation can be solved as shown below:

Substituting 1 for x in the equation gives . Therefore, is the only solution to the system of
equations.

Choice A is incorrect. In the xy-plane, a parabola and a line can intersect at no more than two points. Since the graph of
the first equation is a parabola and the graph of the second equation is a line, the system cannot have more than 2
solutions. Choice B is incorrect. There is a single ordered pair that satisfies both equations of the system. Choice
D is incorrect because the ordered pair satisfies both equations of the system.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID fc3dfa26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3dfa26

What value of x satisfies the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D. 3

ID: fc3dfa26 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. Each fraction in the given equation can be expressed with the common denominator .

Multiplying by yields , and multiplying by yields . Therefore, the given

equation can be written as . Multiplying each fraction by the denominator results in the

equation , or . This equation can be solved by setting a quadratic expression

equal to 0, then solving for x. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . The

expression can be factored, resulting in the equation . By the zero product property,
or . To solve for x in , 1 can be added to both sides of the equation, resulting in .

Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 results in . Solving for x in yields . However, this
value of x would result in the second fraction of the original equation having a denominator of 0. Therefore, is

an extraneous solution. Thus, the only value of x that satisfies the given equation is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving but not realizing that this solution is extraneous because it
would result in a denominator of 0 in the second fraction. Choice B is incorrect and may result from a sign error when
solving for x. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9f2ecade
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9f2ecade

The function h is defined above, where a, b, and c are integer constants. If the
zeros of the function are 6, and 7, what is the value of c ?

ID: 9f2ecade Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 210. Since , 6, and 7 are zeros of the function, the function can be rewritten as

. Expanding the function yields . Thus, , ,

and . Therefore, the value of c is 210.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e117d3b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e117d3b8

If a and c are positive numbers, which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e117d3b8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Using the property that for positive numbers x and y, with x = (a + c)3 and y = a + c,

it follows that . By rewriting (a + c)4 as ((a + c)2)2, it is possible to simplify the square

root expression as follows: .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of . Choice B is incorrect and may be the result of
incorrectly rewriting (a + c)2 as a2 + c2. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly applying properties of
exponents.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 6f5540a5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6f5540a5

Kao measured the temperature of a cup of hot chocolate placed in a room with
a constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The temperature of the
hot chocolate was 185°F at 6:00 p.m. when it started cooling. The temperature
of the hot chocolate was 156°F at 6:05 p.m. and 135°F at 6:10 p.m. The hot
chocolate’s temperature continued to decrease. Of the following functions,
which best models the temperature , in degrees Fahrenheit, of Kao’s hot
chocolate m minutes after it started cooling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6f5540a5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The hot chocolate cools from 185°F over time, never going lower than the room temperature, 70°F.

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Since the base of the exponent in this function, 0.75, is less than 1, decreases as time increases. Using the

function, the temperature, in °F, at 6:00 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to . The

temperature, in °F, at 6:05 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is approximately

156°F. Finally, the temperature, in °F, at 6:10 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which
is approximately 135°F. Since these three given values of m and their corresponding values for can be verified

using the function , this is the best function out of the given choices to model the
temperature of Kao’s hot chocolate after m minutes.

Choice A is incorrect because the base of the exponent, , results in the value of increasing over time rather
than decreasing. Choice B is incorrect because when m is large enough, becomes less than 70. Choice C is
incorrect because the maximum value of at 6:00 p.m. is 115°F, not 185°F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b73ee6cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b73ee6cf

The population of a town is currently 50,000, and the population is estimated to

increase each year by 3% from the previous year. Which of the following
equations can be used to estimate the number of years, t, it will take for the
population of the town to reach 60,000 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b73ee6cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Stating that the population will increase each year by 3% from the previous year is equivalent to
saying that the population each year will be 103% of the population the year before. Since the initial population is
50,000, the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03)t. It follows that the equation 60,000 = 50,000(1.03)t can be
used to estimate the number of years it will take for the population to reach 60,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation models how long it will take the population to decrease from 60,000 to 50,000,
which is impossible given the growth factor. Choice B is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting a 3% growth as
growth by a factor of 3. Additionally, this equation attempts to model how long it will take the population to decrease
from 60,000 to 50,000. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how to model percent growth by
multiplying the initial amount by a factor greater than 1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 7eed640d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7eed640d

The quadratic function above models the height above the ground h, in feet, of
a projectile x seconds after it had been launched vertically. If is
graphed in the xy-plane, which of the following represents the real-life meaning
of the positive x-intercept of the graph?

A. The initial height of the projectile

B. The maximum height of the projectile

C. The time at which the projectile reaches its maximum height

D. The time at which the projectile hits the ground

ID: 7eed640d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The positive x-intercept of the graph of is a point for which . Since
models the height above the ground, in feet, of the projectile, a y-value of 0 must correspond to the height of the
projectile when it is 0 feet above ground or, in other words, when the projectile is on the ground. Since x represents the
time since the projectile was launched, it follows that the positive x-intercept, , represents the time at which the
projectile hits the ground.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-intercept as a positive x-intercept. Choice B is incorrect
and may result from misidentifying the y-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from misidentifying the x-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 43926bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 43926bd9

For the exponential function f, the table above shows several values of x and their corresponding values of ,

where a is a constant greater than 1. If k is a constant and , what is the value of k ?

ID: 43926bd9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The values of for the exponential function f shown in the table increase by a factor of

for each increase of 1 in x. This relationship can be represented by the equation , where b is a constant.

It’s given that when , . Substituting 2 for x and for into yields .

Since , it follows that . Thus, an equation that defines the function f is . It follows

that the value of k such that can be found by solving the equation , which yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID a7711fe8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a7711fe8

What is the minimum value of the function f

defined by ?

A.

B.

C. 2

D. 4

ID: a7711fe8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given quadratic function f is in vertex form, , where is the vertex of

the graph of in the xy-plane. Therefore, the vertex of the graph of is . In addition, the y-
coordinate of the vertex represents either the minimum or maximum value of a quadratic function, depending on
whether the graph of the function opens upward or downward. Since the leading coefficient of f (the coefficient of the
term ) is 1, which is positive, the graph of opens upward. It follows that at , the minimum value
of the function f is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from making a sign error and from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice C
is incorrect and may result from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice D is incorrect and may result from making
a sign error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1a722d7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1a722d7d

Let the function p be defined as , where c is a

constant. If , what is the value of ?

A. 10.00

B. 10.25

C. 10.75

D. 11.00

ID: 1a722d7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The value of p(12) depends on the value of the constant c, so the value of c must first be
determined. It is given that p(c) = 10. Based on the definition of p, it follows that:

This means that for all values of x. Therefore:

Choice A is incorrect. It is the value of p(8), not p(12). Choices B and C are incorrect. If one of these values were
correct, then x = 12 and the selected value of p(12) could be substituted into the equation to solve for c. However, the
values of c that result from choices B and C each result in p(c) < 10.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 58b109d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 58b109d4

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

ID: 58b109d4 Answer

Correct Answer: -10

Rationale
The correct answer is −10. Adding 𝑦 to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields 20𝑥 + 100 = 𝑦.
Substituting 20𝑥 + 100 for 𝑦 in the first equation in the given system yields 𝑥2 + 20𝑥 + 100 + 7 = 7. Subtracting 7 from
both sides of this equation yields 𝑥2 + 20𝑥 + 100 = 0. Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields
(𝑥 + 10)(𝑥 + 10) = 0, or (𝑥 + 10) = 0. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields 𝑥 + 10 = 0.
2

Subtracting 10 from both sides of this equation yields 𝑥 = − 10. Therefore, the value of 𝑥 is −10.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
56
favor

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
4.0
elm

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

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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

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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.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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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

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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.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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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,
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

4𝑎 𝑎 4𝑎
Rationale

The correct answer is .0625 . It's given that = 6.7 and = 26.8. The equation = 6.7 can be rewritten as
𝑏 𝑏𝑛 𝑏
𝑎 𝑎 𝑎
(4)( ) = 6.7. Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields = 1.675. The equation = 26.8 can be rewritten as
𝑏 𝑏 𝑏𝑛
𝑎 1 𝑎 1 1.675
( )( ) = 26.8. Substituting 1.675 for in this equation yields (1.675)( ) = 26.8, or = 26.8. Multiplying both sides of
𝑏 𝑛 𝑏 𝑛 𝑛
this equation by 𝑛 yields 1.675 = 26.8𝑛. Dividing both sides of this equation by 26.8 yields 𝑛 = 0.0625. Therefore, the
value of 𝑛 is 0.0625. Note that .0625, 0.062, 0.063, and 1/16 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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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
5% 5%
party

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

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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

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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.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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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 353 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3 ), and a
sample of this type of wood has a mass of 345 kg. Let 𝑥 represent the volume, in m3 , of the sample. It follows that the

353 kg 345 kg 345

relationship between the density, mass, and volume of this sample can be written
= , or 353 = . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 𝑥 yields 353𝑥 = 345. Dividing both sides of
1 m3 𝑥 m3 𝑥
345 345
as
this equation by 353 yields 𝑥 = m3 . Since it’s given that the sample of
353 353
. Therefore, the volume of this sample is

for a cube, 𝑉 = 𝑠3 , where 𝑉 represents the volume, in m3 , and 𝑠 represents the length, in m, of one edge of the cube.
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

345 345 345

for 𝑉 in this formula yields = 𝑠3 . Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation yields 3 =𝑠
353 353 √353
Substituting
, or 𝑠 ≈ 0 . 99. Therefore, the length of one edge of this sample to the nearest hundredth of a meter is 0.99.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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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

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Choice D is correct. It's given that the organizer selected 55 teams at random from all trivia teams in the tournament. A
table is also given displaying the information for the 40 teams in the sample that practiced for at least 3 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.

teams that scored an average of 14 or more points per round.

Choice A is incorrect. The sample was selected at random from all trivia teams in the tournament, not just from the

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

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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

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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

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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

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9
The correct answer is . It's given that the scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time 𝑦, in hours, a
2
certain bird spent in flight and the number of days after January 11, 𝑥. Since January 13 is 2 days after January 11, it
follows that January 13 corresponds to an x-value of 2 in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when 𝑥 = 2, the
corresponding value of 𝑦 is 6. In other words, on January 13, the bird spent 6 hours in flight. Since January 15 is 4 days
after January 11, it follows that January 15 corresponds to an x-value of 4 in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when
𝑥 = 4, the corresponding value of 𝑦 is 15. In other words, on January 15, the bird spent 15 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 13 to the length of time
the bird spent in flight on January 15 is the difference in the length of time, in hours, the bird spent in flight divided by
15 − 6 9
the difference in the number of days after January 11, or
4−2 2
, which is equivalent to . Note that 9/2 and 4.5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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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

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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

23
Rationale

60
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 10 years of age is the number of participants in group A
who are at least 10 years of age divided by the total number of participants who are at least 10 years of age. The table
shows that in group A, there are 14 participants who are 10–19 years of age and 9 participants who are 20 + years of
age. Therefore, there are 14 + 9, or 23, participants in group A who are at least 10 years of age. The table also shows
that there are a total of 30 participants who are 10–19 years of age and 30 participants who are 20 + years of age.
Therefore, there are a total of 30 + 30, or 60, participants who are at least 10 years of age. It follows that the probability
23
of selecting a participant from group A given that the participant is at least 10 years of age is . Note that 23/60,
60
.3833, and 0.383 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID d0430601
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: d0430601

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

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Question ID 55818046
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 55818046
According to the 2010 Census, the adult population aged 18 years or greater of the United States in 2010 was
234,564,071. In 2010, a survey was conducted among a randomly chosen sample of adults aged 18 years or greater in
the United States about their preference to live in a warm climate or a cool climate. The table below displays a
summary of the survey results.
Climate Preferences
No
Warm Cool Total
preference

18–35 years old 295 168 45 508

36–50 years old 246 123 41 410

51–65 years old 238 117 48 403

Greater than 65
137 78 64 279
years old

Total 916 486 198 1,600

Which of the following is closest to the difference between the percentage of

adults aged 18–50 years who responded “warm” and the percentage of adults
aged 51 years or greater who responded “warm”?

A. 4%

B. 5%

C. 10%

D. 18%

ID: 55818046 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
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Rationale

Choice A is correct. The percentage of adults aged 18–50 who responded “warm” is , or about

58.9%. The percentage of adults aged 51 years or greater who responded “warm” is , or about
55.0%. The difference between 58.9% and 55.0% is 3.9%. Of the answer choices, 4% is closest to this number.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID aa43b41f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: aa43b41f

Near the end of a US cable news show, the host invited viewers to respond to a
poll on the show’s website that asked, “Do you support the new federal policy
discussed during the show?” At the end of the show, the host reported that 28%
responded “Yes,” and 70% responded “No.” Which of the following best explains
why the results are unlikely to represent the sentiments of the population of the
United States?

A. The percentages do not add up to 100%, so any possible conclusions from the poll are invalid.

B. Those who responded to the poll were not a random sample of the population of the United States.

C. There were not 50% “Yes” responses and 50% “No” responses.

D. The show did not allow viewers enough time to respond to the poll.

ID: aa43b41f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. In order for the poll results from a sample of a population to represent the entire population, the
sample must be representative of the population. A sample that is randomly selected from a population is more likely
than a sample of the type described to represent the population. In this case, the people who responded were people
with access to cable television and websites, which aren’t accessible to the entire population. Moreover, the people
who responded also chose to watch the show and respond to the poll. The people who made these choices aren’t
representative of the entire population of the United States because they were not a random sample of the population
of the United States.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they present reasons unrelated to whether the sample is representative of
the population of the United States.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 5dc386fb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 5dc386fb
The table below shows the distribution of US states according to whether they have a state-level sales tax and a
state-level income tax.
2013 State-Level Taxes
State sales tax No state sales tax

State income tax 39 4

No state income tax 6 1

To the nearest tenth of a percent, what percent of states with a state-level sales
tax do not have a state-level income tax?

A. 6.0%

B. 12.0%

C. 13.3%

D. 14.0%

ID: 5dc386fb Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. The sum of the number of states with a state-level sales tax is . Of these states, 6

don’t have a state-level income tax. Therefore, , or about 13.3%, of states with a state-level sales tax
don’t have a state-level income tax.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the number of states that have a state-level sales tax and no state-level income tax.
Choice B is incorrect. This is the percent of states that have a state-level sales tax and no state-level income tax.
Choice D is incorrect. This is the percent of states that have no state-level income tax.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 98958ae8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 98958ae8

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: 98958ae8 Answer

Correct Answer: 41

Rationale
The correct answer is 41. 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 75 objects and has a mean of 25
𝑥
= 25, where 𝑥 represents the sum of the heights of the objects, in
75
meters. This can be represented by the equation
meters, in data set A. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 75 yields 𝑥 = 75(25), or 𝑥 = 1,875 meters. Therefore, the
sum of the heights of the objects in data set A is 1,875 meters. It’s also given that data set B consists of the heights of
𝑦
50 objects and has a mean of 65 meters. This can be represented by the equation = 65, where 𝑦 represents the sum
50
of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data set B. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 50 yields 𝑦 = 50(65), or
𝑦 = 3,250 meters. Therefore, the sum of the heights of the objects in data set B is 3,250 meters. Since it’s given that
data set C consists of the heights of the 125 objects from data sets A and B, it follows that the mean of data set C is

1,875 + 3,250
the sum of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data sets A and B divided by the number of objects represented in
, which is equivalent to 41 meters. Therefore, the mean, in meters, of data set C is 41.
125
data sets A and B, or

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 4a422e3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 4a422e3e

To determine the mean number of children per household in a community,

Tabitha surveyed 20 families at a playground. For the 20 families surveyed, the
mean number of children per household was 2.4. Which of the following
statements must be true?

A. The mean number of children per household in the community is 2.4.

A determination about the mean number of children per household in the community should not be made because
B. the sample size is too small.

The sampling method is flawed and may produce a biased estimate of the mean number of children per household
C. in the community.

The sampling method is not flawed and is likely to produce an unbiased estimate of the mean number of children
D. per household in the community.

ID: 4a422e3e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. In order to use a sample mean to estimate the mean for a population, the sample must be
representative of the population (for example, a simple random sample). In this case, Tabitha surveyed 20 families in a
playground. Families in the playground are more likely to have children than other households in the community.
Therefore, the sample isn’t representative of the population. Hence, the sampling method is flawed and may produce a
biased estimate.

Choices A and D are incorrect because they incorrectly assume the sampling method is unbiased. Choice B is incorrect
because a sample of size 20 could be large enough to make an estimate if the sample had been representative of all
the families in the community.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e821a26d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: e821a26d
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

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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

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Question ID 9d935bd8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 9d935bd8

A survey was given to residents of all 50 states asking if they had earned a
bachelor’s degree or higher. The results from 7 of the states are given in the
table above. The median percent of residents who earned a bachelor’s degree
or higher for all 50 states was 26.95%. What is the difference between the
median percent of residents who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher for these
7 states and the median for all 50 states?

A. 0.05%

B. 0.95%

C. 1.22%

D. 7.45%

ID: 9d935bd8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The median of a set of numbers is the middle value of the set values when ordered from least to

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greatest. If the percents in the table are ordered from least to greatest, the middle value is 27.9%. The difference
between 27.9% and 26.95% is 0.95%.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of calculation errors or not finding the median of the data in the table
correctly. Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of finding the mean instead of the median. Choice D is incorrect
and may be the result of using the middle value of the unordered list.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 8c5dbd3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 8c5dbd3e

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

ID: 8c5dbd3e Answer

Correct Answer: 189/4, 47.25

Rationale
The correct answer is 47.25. It’s given that the number 𝑤 is 110 % greater than the number 𝑧. It follows that
110 55
𝑤 = (1 + )𝑧, or 𝑤 = 2.1𝑧. It’s also given that the number 𝑧 is 55 % less than 50. It follows that 𝑧 = (1 − )(50), or
100 100
𝑧 = 0.45(50), which yields 𝑧 = 22.5. Substituting 22.5 for 𝑧 in the equation 𝑤 = 2.1𝑧 yields 𝑤 = 2.1(22.5), which is
equivalent to 𝑤 = 47.25. Therefore, the value of 𝑤 is 47.25. Note that 47.25 and 189/4 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9ba3e283
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 9ba3e283

In State X, Mr. Camp’s eighth-grade class consisting of 26 students was

surveyed and 34.6 percent of the students reported that they had at least two
siblings. The average eighth‑grade class size in the state is 26. If the students
in Mr. Camp’s class are representative of students in the state’s eighth-grade
classes and there are 1,800 eighth-grade classes in the state, which of the
following best estimates the number of eighth‑grade students in the state who
have fewer than two siblings?

A. 16,200

B. 23,400

C. 30,600

D. 46,800

ID: 9ba3e283 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. It is given that 34.6% of 26 students in Mr. Camp’s class reported that they had at least two
siblings. Since 34.6% of 26 is 8.996, there must have been 9 students in the class who reported having at least two
siblings and 17 students who reported that they had fewer than two siblings. It is also given that the average eighth-
grade class size in the state is 26 and that Mr. Camp’s class is representative of all eighth-grade classes in the state.
This means that in each eighth-grade class in the state there are about 17 students who have fewer than two siblings.
Therefore, the best estimate of the number of eighth-grade students in the state who have fewer than two siblings is 17
× (number of eighth-grade classes in the state), or .

Choice A is incorrect because 16,200 is the best estimate for the number of eighth-grade students in the state who
have at least, not fewer than, two siblings. Choice B is incorrect because 23,400 is half of the estimated total number of
eighth-grade students in the state; however, since the students in Mr. Camp’s class are representative of students in the
eighth-grade classes in the state and more than half of the students in Mr. Camp’s class have fewer than two siblings,
more than half of the students in each eighth-grade class in the state have fewer than two siblings, too. Choice D is
incorrect because 46,800 is the estimated total number of eighth-grade students in the state.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 79137c1b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 79137c1b

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

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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

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Question ID 54d93874
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 54d93874

Masses (kilograms)

Andrew 2.4 2.5 3.6 3.1 2.5 2.7

Maria x 3.1 2.7 2.9 3.3 2.8

Andrew and Maria each collected six rocks, and the masses of the rocks are
shown in the table above. The mean of the masses of the rocks Maria collected
is 0.1 kilogram greater than the mean of the masses of the rocks Andrew
collected. What is the value of x ?

ID: 54d93874 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 2.6. Since the mean of a set of numbers can be found by adding the numbers together and
dividing by how many numbers there are in the set, the mean mass, in kilograms, of the rocks Andrew collected is

, or 2.8. Since the mean mass of the rocks Maria collected is 0.1 kilogram
greater than the mean mass of rocks Andrew collected, the mean mass of the rocks Maria collected is
kilograms. The value of x can be found by writing an equation for finding the mean:

. Solving this equation gives . Note that 2.6 and 13/5 are examples of
ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID af142f8d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: af142f8d

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

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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

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Question ID 8213b1b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 8213b1b3

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: 8213b1b3 Answer

Correct Answer: .0014

Rationale
The correct answer is .0014 . It's given that a certain type of substance can contain a maximum of 0.001 % phosphorus
by mass to meet a set of standards. If a sample of the substance has a mass of 140 grams, it follows that the
0.001
maximum mass, in grams, of phosphorus the sample can contain to meet the standards is 0.001 % of 140, or (140),
100
which is equivalent to (0.00001)(140), or 0.0014. Note that .0014 and 0.001 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 34f8cd89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 34f8cd89

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: 34f8cd89 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that 37 % of the items in a box are green. Let 𝑥 represent the total number of items in the
37
𝑥, or 0.37𝑥, items in the box are green. It's also given that of those, 37 % are also rectangular.
100
37
box. It follows that
(0.37𝑥), or 0.1369𝑥, items in the box are green rectangular items. It's also given that of the green
100
42
Therefore,
rectangular items, 42 % are also metal. Therefore, (0.1369𝑥), or 0.057498𝑥, items in the box are rectangular green
100
metal items. The number of the items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items is the total number of items

are not rectangular green metal items is 𝑥 − 0.057498𝑥, or 0.942502𝑥. The percentage of items in the box that are not
in the box minus the number of rectangular green metal items in the box. Therefore, the number of items in the box that

rectangular green metal items is the percentage that 0.942502𝑥 is of 𝑥. If 𝑝 % represents this percentage, the value of 𝑝
0.942502𝑥
is 100( ), or 94.2502. Of the given choices, 94.25 % is closest to the percentage of items in the box that are not
𝑥
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.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 20b69297
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 20b69297

Anita created a batch of green paint by mixing 2 ounces of blue paint with 3
ounces of yellow paint. She must mix a second batch using the same ratio of
blue and yellow paint as the first batch. If she uses 5 ounces of blue paint for
the second batch, how much yellow paint should Anita use?

A. Exactly 5 ounces

B. 3 ounces more than the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

C. 1.5 times the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

D. 1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch

ID: 20b69297 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first

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batch. For any batch of paint that uses the same ratio, the amount of yellow paint used will be , or 1.5, times the
amount of blue paint used in the batch. Therefore, the amount of yellow paint Anita will use in the second batch will be
1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch.

Alternate approach: It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first
batch and that she will use 5 ounces of blue paint for the second batch. A proportion can be set up to solve for x, the

amount of yellow paint she will use for the second batch: . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 3 yields

, and multiplying both sides of this equation by x yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2

yields . Since Anita will use 7.5 ounces of yellow paint for the second batch, this is times the
amount of blue paint (5 ounces) used in the second batch.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly interpreting the ratio of blue paint to yellow paint
used.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 94237701
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 94237701
For a certain computer game, individuals receive an integer score that ranges from 2 through 10. The table below
shows the frequency distribution of the scores of the 9 players in group A and the 11 players in group B.

Score
Frequencies
Score
Group Group
A B

2 1 0

3 1 0

4 2 0

5 1 4

6 3 2

7 0 0

8 0 2

9 1 1

10 0 2

Total 9 11

The median of the scores for group B is how much greater than the median of
the scores for group A?

ID: 94237701 Answer

Rationale
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Rationale
The correct answer is 1. When there are an odd number of values in a data set, the median of the data set is the middle
number when the data values are ordered from least to greatest. The scores for group A, ordered from least to greatest,
are 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, and 9. The median of the scores for group A is therefore 5. The scores for group B, ordered from
least to greatest, are 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 8, 8, 9, 10, and 10. The median of the scores for group B is therefore 6. The median
score for group B is more than the median score for group A.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9d95e7ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 9d95e7ad

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

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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

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Question ID ecd09c38
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: ecd09c38
Employees working for a customer service line at an electric company recorded all the calls last Monday and noted
whether the caller asked for repairs and whether the caller asked about a bill. The results are summarized in the
table below.

Asked for Did not ask

Total
repairs for repairs

Asked
48 623 671
about a bill

Did not ask

130 90 220
about a bill

Total 178 713 891

If a caller last Monday who asked about his or her bill is selected at random,
which of the following is closest to the probability that the customer also asked
for repairs?

A. 0.05

B. 0.07

C. 0.20

D. 0.27

ID: ecd09c38 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. According to the table, a total of 671 customers asked about a bill. Of these, 48 also asked for
repairs. Therefore, if a customer who asked about a bill is selected at random, the probability that the customer also

asked for repairs is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer selected at random from all customers who called on
Monday both asked for repairs and asked about a bill. Choice C is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer
selected at random from all customers who called on Monday asked for repairs, regardless of whether or not the
customer asked about a bill. Choice D is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer selected at random from
those who asked for repairs also asked about a bill.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID e10d8313
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: e10d8313

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: e10d8313 Answer

Correct Answer: 123

Rationale
The correct answer is 123. The triangle angle sum theorem states that the sum of the measures of the interior angles
of a triangle is 180 degrees. It's given that the measure of ∠𝑆𝑄𝑋 is 48° and the measure of ∠𝑆𝑋𝑄 is 86°. Since points 𝑆,
𝑄, and 𝑋 form a triangle, it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in degrees, of ∠𝑄𝑆𝑋 is
180 − 48 − 86, or 46. It's also given that the measure of ∠𝑆𝑊𝑈 is 85°. Since ∠𝑆𝑊𝑈 and ∠𝑆𝑊𝑅 are supplementary angles,
the sum of their measures is 180 degrees. It follows that the measure, in degrees, of ∠𝑆𝑊𝑅 is 180 − 85, or 95. Since
points 𝑅, 𝑆, and 𝑊 form a triangle, and ∠𝑅𝑆𝑊 is the same angle as ∠𝑄𝑆𝑋, it follows from the triangle angle sum
theorem that the measure, in degrees, of ∠𝑊𝑅𝑆 is 180 − 46 − 95, or 39. It's given that the measure of ∠𝑉𝑇𝑈 is 162°.
Since ∠𝑉𝑇𝑈 and ∠𝑆𝑇𝑈 are supplementary angles, the sum of their measures is 180 degrees. It follows that the
measure, in degrees, of ∠𝑆𝑇𝑈 is 180 − 162, or 18. Since points 𝑅, 𝑇, and 𝑈 form a triangle, and ∠𝑈𝑅𝑇 is the same angle
as ∠𝑊𝑅𝑆, it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in degrees, of ∠𝑇𝑈𝑅 is 180 − 39 − 18, or 123.

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f88f27e5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: f88f27e5
Intersecting lines r, s, and t are shown below.

What is the value of x ?

ID: f88f27e5 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 97. The intersecting lines form a triangle, and the angle with measure of is an exterior angle
of this triangle. The measure of an exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the two
nonadjacent interior angles of the triangle. One of these angles has measure of and the other, which is
supplementary to the angle with measure , has measure of . Therefore, the value of x is
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 947a3cde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 947a3cde

In the figure above, and intersect at point P, , and

. What is the measure, in degrees, of ? (Disregard the
degree symbol when gridding your answer.)

ID: 947a3cde Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 30. It is given that the measure of is . Angle MPR and are collinear and
therefore are supplementary angles. This means that the sum of the two angle measures is , and so the measure

of is . The sum of the angles in a triangle is . Subtracting the measure of from

yields the sum of the other angles in the triangle MPR. Since , the sum of the measures of
and is . It is given that , so it follows that triangle MPR is isosceles. Therefore and
must be congruent. Since the sum of the measure of these two angles is , it follows that the measure of
each angle is .

An alternate approach would be to use the exterior angle theorem, noting that the measure of is equal to the

sum of the measures of and . Since both angles are equal, each of them has a measure of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID c8345903
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: c8345903

The circle above has center O, the length of arc is , and

. What is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8345903 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. The ratio of the lengths of two arcs of a circle is equal to the ratio of the measures of the central
angles that subtend the arcs. It’s given that arc is subtended by a central angle with measure 100°. Since the

sum of the measures of the angles about a point is 360°, it follows that arc is subtended by a central angle with

measure . If s is the length of arc , then s must satisfy the ratio . Reducing the

fraction to its simplest form gives . Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of by

yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of an arc consisting of exactly half of the circle, but arc is greater than
half of the circle. Choice C is incorrect. This is the total circumference of the circle. Choice D is incorrect. This is half
the length of arc , not its full length.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID bd87bc09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bd87bc09

Triangle above is a right triangle, and .

What is the length of side ?

ID: bd87bc09 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 24. The sine of an acute angle in a right triangle is equal to the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the sine of angle B, or , is equal to the

ratio of the length of side to the length of side . It’s given that the length of side is 26 and that

. Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 26 yields .

By the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the lengths of the sides of triangle ABC is as follows:
, or . Subtracting 100 from both sides of yields .

Taking the square root of both sides of yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2266984b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 2266984b

The equation above defines a circle in the xy-plane. What are the
coordinates of the center of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2266984b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The standard equation of a circle in the xy-plane is of the form , where
are the coordinates of the center of the circle and r is the radius. The given equation can be rewritten in standard

form by completing the squares. So the sum of the first two terms, , needs a 100 to complete the square, and

the sum of the second two terms, , needs a 64 to complete the square. Adding 100 and 64 to both sides of

the given equation yields , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, the coordinates of the center of the circle are .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational errors made when attempting to complete the
squares or when identifying the coordinates of the center.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 1429dcdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 1429dcdf

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: 1429dcdf Answer

Correct Answer: .6956, .6957, 16/23

16
Rationale

23
The correct answer is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is defined as the ratio of the length of the side

16
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the side opposite the angle with
measure 𝑥° is 16 units and the length of the hypotenuse is 23 units. Therefore, the value of sin 𝑥° is . Note that 16/23,
23
.6956, .6957, 0.695, and 0.696 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 69b0d79d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 69b0d79d

Point O is the center of the circle above, and the measure of is . If

the length of is 18, what is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69b0d79d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

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Choice B is correct. Because segments OA and OB are radii of the circle centered at point O, these segments have
equal lengths. Therefore, triangle AOB is an isosceles triangle, where angles OAB and OBA are congruent base angles
of the triangle. It’s given that angle OAB measures . Therefore, angle OBA also measures . Let represent

the measure of angle AOB. Since the sum of the measures of the three angles of any triangle is , it follows that
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or

radians. Therefore, the measure of angle AOB, and thus the measure of arc , is radians. Since is a

radius of the given circle and its length is 18, the length of the radius of the circle is 18. Therefore, the length of arc

can be calculated as , or .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 4c95c7d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 4c95c7d4

A graphic designer is creating a logo for a company. The logo is shown in the
figure above. The logo is in the shape of a trapezoid and consists of
three congruent equilateral triangles. If the perimeter of the logo is
20 centimeters, what is the combined area of the shaded regions, in square
centimeters, of the logo?

A.

B.

C.

D. 16

ID: 4c95c7d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. It’s given that the logo is in the shape of a trapezoid that consists of three congruent equilateral
triangles, and that the perimeter of the trapezoid is 20 centimeters (cm). Since the perimeter of the trapezoid is the

sum of the lengths of 5 of the sides of the triangles, the length of each side of an equilateral triangle is .
Dividing up one equilateral triangle into two right triangles yields a pair of congruent 30°-60°-90° triangles. The shorter
leg of each right triangle is half the length of the side of an equilateral triangle, or 2 cm. Using the Pythagorean
Theorem, , the height of the equilateral triangle can be found. Substituting and and solving for

b yields cm. The area of one equilateral triangle is , where and .

Therefore, the area of one equilateral triangle is . The shaded area consists of two such

triangles, so its area is .

Alternate approach: The area of a trapezoid can be found by evaluating the expression , where is the
length of one base, is the length of the other base, and h is the height of the trapezoid. Substituting , ,

and yields the expression , or , which gives an area of for the

trapezoid. Since two-thirds of the trapezoid is shaded, the area of the shaded region is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the height of the trapezoid. Choice B is incorrect. This is the area of one of the equilateral
triangles, not two. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using a height of 4 for each triangle rather than the height
of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 740bf79f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 740bf79f

In the figure above, what is the

length of ?

A. 2.2

B. 2.3

C. 2.4

D. 2.5

ID: 740bf79f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. First, is the hypotenuse of right , whose legs have lengths 3 and 4. Therefore,

, so and . Second, because corresponds to and because

corresponds to , is similar to . The ratio of corresponding sides of similar triangles

is constant, so . Since and it’s given that and , . Solving for NQ

results in , or 2.4.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from setting up incorrect ratios.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ab176ad6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ab176ad6

The equation defines a circle in the

xy‑plane. What is the radius of the circle?

ID: ab176ad6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 11. A circle with equation , where a, b, and r are constants, has center

and radius r. Therefore, the radius of the given circle is , or 11.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 3e577e4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 3e577e4a

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: 3e577e4a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

It's given that the circle has its center at (−4, − 6) and line 𝑘 is tangent to the circle at the point (−7, − 7). The slope of
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.

𝑡−𝑟
a radius defined by the points (𝑞, 𝑟) and (𝑠, 𝑡) can be calculated as . The points (−7, − 7) and (−4, − 6) define the
𝑠−𝑞
(−6) − (−7) 1
(−4) − (−7) 3
radius of the circle at the point of tangency. Therefore, the slope of this radius can be calculated as , or . If

1
The negative reciprocal of is −3. Thus, the slope of line 𝑘 is −3.
a line and a radius are perpendicular, the slope of the line must be the negative reciprocal of the slope of the radius.

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 𝑘.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID b0dc920d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: b0dc920d

A manufacturer determined that right cylindrical containers with a height that is

4 inches longer than the radius offer the optimal number of containers to be
displayed on a shelf. Which of the following expresses the volume, V, in cubic
inches, of such containers, where r is the radius, in inches?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b0dc920d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The volume, V, of a right cylinder is given by the formula , where r represents the radius
of the base of the cylinder and h represents the height. Since the height is 4 inches longer than the radius, the
expression represents the height of each cylindrical container. It follows that the volume of each container is

represented by the equation . Distributing the expression into each term in the parentheses yields

Choice A is incorrect and may result from representing the height as instead of . Choice B is incorrect and may
result from representing the height as instead of . Choice C is incorrect and may result from representing the

volume of a right cylinder as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 55bb437a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 55bb437a

In the figure above, . If and

, what is the length of ?

ID: 55bb437a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6. Since , and are both similar to 3-4-5 triangles. This means that
they are both similar to the right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5. Since , which is 3 times as long as
the hypotenuse of the 3-4-5 triangle, the similarity ratio of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 3:1. Therefore, the length of

(the side opposite to ) is , and the length of (the side adjacent to ) is . It is also
given that . Since and , it follows that , which means that the similarity ratio

of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 2:1 ( is the side adjacent to ). Therefore, the length of , which is the side
opposite to , is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID bd7f6e30
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: bd7f6e30

In the figure above, .

What is the value of x ?

A. 72

B. 66

C. 64

D. 58

ID: bd7f6e30 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

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Choice C is correct. Since , it follows that is an isosceles triangle with base RU. Therefore,
and are the base angles of an isosceles triangle and are congruent. Let the measures of both and
be . According to the triangle sum theorem, the sum of the measures of the three angles of a triangle is

. Therefore, , so .

Note that is the same angle as . Thus, the measure of is . According to the triangle
exterior angle theorem, an external angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the opposite interior angles. Therefore,
is equal to the sum of the measures of and ; that is, . Thus, the value of x is 64.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the measure of , but is not congruent to . Choices A and D are
incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 9e44284b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9e44284b

In the xy-plane, the graph of is a

circle. What is the radius of the circle?

A. 5

B. 6.5

C.

D.

ID: 9e44284b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. One way to find the radius of the circle is to rewrite the given equation in standard form,
, where is the center of the circle and the radius of the circle is r. To do this, divide the

original equation, , by 2 to make the leading coefficients of and each equal to 1:

. Then complete the square to put the equation in standard form. To do so, first rewrite

as . Second, add 2.25 and 0.25 to

both sides of the equation: . Since ,

, and , it follows that . Therefore, the radius of the circle

is 5.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of errors in manipulating the equation or of a misconception
about the standard form of the equation of a circle in the xy-plane.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID eeb4143c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: eeb4143c

The area of triangle ABC above is at least 48 but no more than 60. If y is an
integer, what is one possible value of x ?

ID: eeb4143c Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either , , or . The area of triangle ABC can be expressed as or . It’s
given that the area of triangle ABC is at least 48 but no more than 60. It follows that . Dividing by 6 to
isolate y in this compound inequality yields . Since y is an integer, . In the given figure, the
two right triangles shown are similar because they have two pairs of congruent angles: their respective right angles and

angle A. Therefore, the following proportion is true: . Substituting 8 for y in the proportion results in

. Cross multiplying and solving for x yields . Substituting 9 for y in the proportion results in .

Cross multiplying and solving for x yields . Substituting 10 for y in the proportion results in . Cross

multiplying and solving for x yields . Note that 10/3, 15/4, 25/6, 3.333, 3.75, 4.166, and 4.167 are examples of ways
to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 5b2b8866
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 5b2b8866

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: 5b2b8866 Answer

Correct Answer: 2592/5, 518.4

Rationale
The correct answer is 518.4. It's given that the area of the original poster is 360 square inches. Let 𝓁 represent the
length, in inches, of the original poster, and let 𝑤 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 360 = 𝓁𝑤. 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 20 % . It follows that the length of the copy is
20
the length of the original poster plus 20 % of the length of the original poster, which is equivalent to 𝓁 + 𝓁 inches.
100
This length can be rewritten as 𝓁 + 0.2𝓁 inches, or 1.2𝓁 inches. Similarly, the width of the copy is the width of the original
20
poster plus 20 % of the width of the original poster, which is equivalent to 𝑤 + 𝑤 inches. This width can be rewritten
100
as 𝑤 + 0.2𝑤 inches, or 1.2𝑤 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 (1.2𝓁)(1.2𝑤), which can be rewritten as (1.2)(1.2)(𝓁𝑤). Since 360 = 𝓁𝑤, the
area, in square inches, of the copy can be found by substituting 360 for 𝓁𝑤 in the expression (1.2)(1.2)(𝓁𝑤), which yields
(1.2)(1.2)(360), or 518.4. Therefore, the area of the copy, in square inches, is 518.4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID dc71597b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: dc71597b

A right circular cone has a volume of cubic feet and a height of 9 feet.
What is the radius, in feet, of the base of the cone?

A.

B.

C.

D. 3

ID: dc71597b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

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Choice A is correct. The equation for the volume of a right circular cone is . It’s given that the volume of

the right circular cone is cubic feet and the height is 9 feet. Substituting these values for V and h, respectively,

gives . Dividing both sides of the equation by gives . Dividing both sides of the

equation by 9 gives . Taking the square root of both sides results in two possible values for the radius,

or . Since the radius can’t have a negative value, that leaves as the only possibility. Applying the

quotient property of square roots, , results in , or .

Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly evaluating . Choice D is incorrect and may result

from solving instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 6933b3d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6933b3d9

In triangle RST above, point W (not shown) lies on . What is the value of
?

ID: 6933b3d9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 0. Note that no matter where point W is on , the sum of the measures of and
is equal to the measure of , which is . Thus, and are complementary angles.

Since the cosine of an angle is equal to the sine of its complementary angle, . Therefore,
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 6ab30ce3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6ab30ce3

Triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and corresponds to . Angles and are
right angles. If and , what is the length of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ab30ce3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Corresponding angles in similar triangles have equal measures. It's given that triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is
similar to triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹, where 𝐴 corresponds to 𝐷, so the measure of angle 𝐴 is equal to the measure of angle 𝐷.
Therefore, if tan (𝐴) = √3, then tan (𝐷) = √3. It's given that angles 𝐶 and 𝐹 are right angles, so triangles 𝐴𝐵𝐶 and 𝐷𝐸𝐹

hypotenuse. It follows that the adjacent side of angle 𝐷 is side 𝐷𝐹. The opposite side of an acute angle in a right
are right triangles. The adjacent side of an acute angle in a right triangle is the side closest to the angle that is not the

triangle is the side across from the acute angle. It follows that the opposite side of angle 𝐷 is side 𝐸𝐹. The tangent of

𝐸𝐹
Therefore, tan (𝐷) = . If 𝐷𝐹 = 125, the length of side 𝐸𝐹 can be found by substituting √3 for tan (𝐷) and 125 for 𝐷𝐹 in
an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side.

𝐷𝐹
𝐸𝐹 𝐸𝐹
the equation tan (𝐷) = , which yields √3 = . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 125 yields 125√3 = 𝐸𝐹.
𝐷𝐹 125
Since the length of side 𝐸𝐹 is √3 times the length of side 𝐷𝐹, it follows that triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹 is a special right triangle with
angle measures 30°, 60°, and 90°. Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse, 𝐷𝐸 ¯ , is 2 times the length of side 𝐷𝐹, or

𝐷𝐸 = 2(𝐷𝐹). Substituting 125 for 𝐷𝐹 in this equation yields 𝐷𝐸 = 2(125), or 𝐷𝐸 = 250. Thus, if tan (𝐴) = √3 and 𝐷𝐹 = 125
, the length of 𝐷𝐸
¯ is 250.

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. This is the length of 𝐸𝐹

¯ , not 𝐷𝐸
¯ .

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Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 5b4757df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 5b4757df

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: 5b4757df Answer

Correct Answer: 14.66, 14.67, 44/3

44
Rationale

. It's given that in triangle 𝑅𝑆𝑇, angle 𝑇 is a right angle. The area of a right triangle can be found
3
1
The correct answer is
using the formula 𝐴 = 𝓁1 𝓁2 , where 𝐴 represents the area of the right triangle, 𝓁1 represents the length of one leg of the
2
triangle, and 𝓁2 represents the length of the other leg of the triangle. In triangle 𝑅𝑆𝑇, the two legs are 𝑅𝑇 ¯ and 𝑆𝑇¯ .

Therefore, if the length of 𝑅𝑇 ¯ is 72 and the area of triangle 𝑅𝑆𝑇 is 792, then 792 = 1(72)(𝑆𝑇), or 792 = (36)(𝑆𝑇). Dividing
2
both sides of this equation by 36 yields 22 = 𝑆𝑇. Therefore, the length of 𝑆𝑇 ¯ is 22. It's also given that point 𝐿 lies on 𝑅𝑆 ¯ ,

point 𝐾 lies on 𝑆𝑇¯ , and 𝐿𝐾 ¯ is parallel to 𝑅𝑇 ¯ . It follows that angle 𝐿𝐾𝑆 is a right angle. Since triangles 𝑅𝑆𝑇 and 𝐿𝑆𝐾 share

angle 𝑆 and have right angles 𝑇 and 𝐾, respectively, triangles 𝑅𝑆𝑇 and 𝐿𝑆𝐾 are similar triangles. Therefore, the ratio of
the length of 𝑅𝑇¯ to the length of 𝐿𝐾 ¯ is equal to the ratio of the length of 𝑆𝑇 ¯ to the length of 𝑆𝐾 ¯ . If the length of 𝑅𝑇¯ is 72

and the length of 𝐿𝐾 ¯ is 24, it follows that the ratio of the length of 𝑅𝑇 ¯ to the length of 𝐿𝐾 ¯ is 72, or 3, so the ratio of the
24
length of 𝑆𝑇¯ to the length of 𝑆𝐾 ¯ is 3. Therefore, 22 = 3. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 𝑆𝐾 yields 22 = (3)(𝑆𝐾).
𝑆𝐾
22 ¯ , 22,
Dividing both sides of this equation by 3 yields = 𝑆𝐾. Since the length of 𝑆𝑇 ¯ , 22, is the sum of the length of 𝑆𝐾
3 3
and the length of 𝐾𝑇 ¯ , it follows that the length of 𝐾𝑇 ¯ is 22 − 22, or 44. Note that 44/3, 14.66, and 14.67 are examples of
3 3
ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID ca2235f6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ca2235f6

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: ca2235f6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the measure of arc 𝐴𝐵 is 45° and the length of arc 𝐴𝐵 is 3 inches. The arc measure
45° 3 inches
of the full circle is 360°. If 𝑥 represents the circumference, in inches, of the circle, it follows that =
360° 𝑥 inches
45 3 1 3
. This
= , or = . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 8𝑥 yields 1(𝑥) = 3(8), or 𝑥 = 24.
360 𝑥 8 𝑥
equation is equivalent to
Therefore, the circumference of the circle is 24 inches.

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

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the length of arc 𝐴𝐵 by 2.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 981275d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 981275d2

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation above is a circle. Point P is on the
circle and has coordinates . If is a diameter of the circle, what are
the coordinates of point Q ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 981275d2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

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Choice A is correct. The standard form for the equation of a circle is , where are the
coordinates of the center and r is the length of the radius. According to the given equation, the center of the circle is
. Let represent the coordinates of point Q. Since point P and point Q are the endpoints

of a diameter of the circle, the center lies on the diameter, halfway between P and Q. Therefore, the following

relationships hold: and . Solving the equations for and , respectively, yields
and . Therefore, the coordinates of point Q are .

Alternate approach: Since point P on the circle and the center of the circle have the same y-

coordinate, it follows that the radius of the circle is . In addition, the opposite end of the diameter must
have the same y-coordinate as P and be 4 units away from the center. Hence, the coordinates of point Q must be
.

Choices B and D are incorrect because the points given in these choices lie on a diameter that is perpendicular to the
diameter . If either of these points were point Q, then would not be the diameter of the circle. Choice C is

incorrect because is the center of the circle and does not lie on the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 89661424
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 89661424

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: 89661424 Answer

Correct Answer: -52

Rationale
The correct answer is −52. The equation of a circle in the xy-plane with its center at (ℎ, 𝑘) and a radius of 𝑟 can be
written in the form (𝑥 − ℎ) + (𝑦 − 𝑘) = 𝑟2 . It's given that a circle in the xy-plane has its center at (−5, 2) and has a
2 2

radius of 9. Substituting −5 for ℎ, 2 for 𝑘, and 9 for 𝑟 in the equation (𝑥 − ℎ) + (𝑦 − 𝑘) = 𝑟2 yields

2 2

2
(𝑥 − (−5)) + (𝑦 − 2) = 92 , or (𝑥 + 5) + (𝑦 − 2) = 81. It's also given that an equation of this circle is
2 2 2

𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑦 + 𝑐 = 0, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants. Therefore, (𝑥 + 5) + (𝑦 − 2) = 81 can be rewritten in the

2 2

form 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑦 + 𝑐 = 0. The equation (𝑥 + 5) + (𝑦 − 2) = 81, or (𝑥 + 5)(𝑥 + 5) + (𝑦 − 2)(𝑦 − 2) = 81, can be

2 2

rewritten as 𝑥2 + 5𝑥 + 5𝑥 + 25 + 𝑦2 − 2𝑦 − 2𝑦 + 4 = 81. Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields
𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 10𝑥 − 4𝑦 + 29 = 81. Subtracting 81 from both sides of this equation yields 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 10𝑥 − 4𝑦 − 52 = 0, which is
equivalent to 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 10𝑥 + (−4)𝑦 + (−52) = 0. This equation is in the form 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑦 + 𝑐 = 0. Therefore, the
value of 𝑐 is −52.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 7c25b0dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 7c25b0dc

The length of a rectangle’s diagonal is , and the length of the rectangle’s shorter side is . What is the length of
the rectangle’s longer side?

ID: 7c25b0dc Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale
The correct answer is 12. The diagonal of a rectangle forms a right triangle, where the shorter side and the longer side

that the length of the rectangle's diagonal is 3√17 and the length of the rectangle's shorter side is 3. Thus, the length of
of the rectangle are the legs of the triangle and the diagonal of the rectangle is the hypotenuse of the triangle. It's given

the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the diagonal is 3√17 and the length of one of the legs is 3. By the
Pythagorean theorem, if a right triangle has a hypotenuse with length 𝑐 and legs with lengths 𝑎 and 𝑏, then 𝑎2 + 𝑏2 = 𝑐2 .
2
Substituting 3√17 for 𝑐 and 3 for 𝑏 in this equation yields 𝑎2 + (3) = (3√17) , or 𝑎2 + 9 = 153. Subtracting 9 from both
2

sides of this equation yields 𝑎2 = 144. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields 𝑎 = ± √144, or
𝑎 = ± 12. Since 𝑎 represents a length, which must be positive, the value of 𝑎 is 12. Thus, the length of the rectangle's
longer side is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 93de3f84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 93de3f84

The volume of right circular cylinder A is 22 cubic centimeters. What is the

volume, in cubic centimeters, of a right circular cylinder with twice the radius
and half the height of cylinder A?

A. 11

B. 22

C. 44

D. 66

ID: 93de3f84 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The volume of right circular cylinder A is given by the expression , where r is the radius of its
circular base and h is its height. The volume of a cylinder with twice the radius and half the height of cylinder A is given

by , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the volume is twice the volume of cylinder A,

or .

Choice A is incorrect and likely results from not multiplying the radius of cylinder A by 2. Choice B is incorrect and likely
results from not squaring the 2 in 2r when applying the volume formula. Choice D is incorrect and likely results from a
conceptual error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID fb58c0db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: fb58c0db

Points A and B lie on a circle with radius 1, and arc has length . What

fraction of the circumference of the circle is the length of arc ?

ID: fb58c0db Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The circumference, C, of a circle is , where r is the length of the radius of the circle.
For the given circle with a radius of 1, the circumference is , or . To find what fraction of the

circumference the length of arc is, divide the length of the arc by the circumference, which gives . This

division can be represented by . Note that 1/6, .1666, .1667, 0.166, and 0.167 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID eb70d2d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: eb70d2d0

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

ID: eb70d2d0 Answer

Correct Answer: 24.5, 49/2

Rationale

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The correct answer is 24.5. It's given that a triangle is formed by connecting the three points shown, which are (−3, 4),
(5, 3), and (4, − 3). Let this triangle be triangle A. The area of triangle A can be found by calculating the area of the

triangle A. The rectangle formed by the points (−3, 4), (5, 4), (5, − 3), and (−3, − 3) circumscribes triangle A. The width,
rectangle that circumscribes it and subtracting the areas of the three triangles that are inside the rectangle but outside

in units, of this rectangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points (5, 4) and (5, − 3). This distance
is 4 − (−3), or 7. The length, in units, of this rectangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points (5, 4)
and (−3, 4). This distance is 5 − (−3), or 8. It follows that the area, in square units, of the rectangle is (7)(8), or 56. One
of the triangles that lies inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is formed by the points (−3, 4), (5, 4), and (5, 3). The
length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points (5, 4) and (5, 3).
This distance is 4 − 3, or 1. The corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance
between the points (5, 4) and (−3, 4). This distance is 5 − (−3), or 8. It follows that the area, in square units, of this
1
triangle is (8)(1), or 4. A second triangle that lies inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is formed by the points
2
(4, − 3), (5, 3), and (5, − 3). The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance
between the points (5, 3) and (5, − 3). This distance is 3 − (−3) , or 6. The corresponding height, in units, of this triangle
can be found by calculating the distance between the points (5, − 3) and (4, − 3). This distance is 5 − 4, or 1. It follows
1
that the area, in square units, of this triangle is (1)(6), or 3. The third triangle that lies inside the rectangle but outside
2
triangle A is formed by the points (−3, 4), (−3, − 3), and (4, − 3). The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be
found by calculating the distance between the points (4, − 3) and (−3, − 3). This distance is 4 − (−3), or 7. The
corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points (−3, 4) and
1
(−3, − 3). This distance is 4 − (−3), or 7. It follows that the area, in square units, of this triangle is (7)(7), or 24.5. Thus,
2
the area, in square units, of the triangle formed by connecting the three points shown is 56 − 4 − 3 − 24.5, or 24.5. Note
that 24.5 and 49/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID c6dff223
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: c6dff223

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angles and are right
angles. The length of is times the length of . If , what is the value of ?

ID: c6dff223 Answer

Correct Answer: .7241, 21/29

21
Rationale

. It's given that triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is similar to triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹, where angle 𝐴 corresponds to angle 𝐷
29
The correct answer is
and angles 𝐶 and 𝐹 are right angles. In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal. Therefore, if
21 21
tan𝐴 = , then tan𝐷 = . In a right triangle, the tangent of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite
20 20
21
the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Therefore, in triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹, if tan𝐷 = , the ratio of the length of
20
21
𝐸𝐹 to the length of 𝐷𝐹 is . If the lengths of 𝐸𝐹 and 𝐷𝐹 are 21 and 20, respectively, then the ratio of the length of 𝐸𝐹
¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ to
20
the length of 𝐷𝐹¯ is 21. In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the
20
angle to the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, the value of sin 𝐷 is the ratio of the length of 𝐸𝐹 ¯ to the length of 𝐷𝐸
¯ .

The length of 𝐷𝐸 ¯ can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that if the lengths of the legs of a

right triangle are 𝑎 and 𝑏 and the length of the hypotenuse is 𝑐, then 𝑎2 + 𝑏2 = 𝑐2 . Therefore, if the lengths of 𝐸𝐹 ¯ and 𝐷𝐹 ¯

are 21 and 20, respectively, then (21) + (20) = (𝐷𝐸) , or 841 = (𝐷𝐸) . Taking the positive square root of both sides of
2 2 2 2

this equation yields 29 = 𝐷𝐸. Therefore, if the lengths of 𝐸𝐹¯ and 𝐷𝐹

¯ are 21 and 20, respectively, then the length of 𝐷𝐸 ¯ is

29 and the ratio of the length of 𝐸𝐹 ¯ is 21. Thus, if tan𝐴 = 21, the value of sin 𝐷 is 21. Note that 21/29,
¯ to the length of 𝐷𝐸
29 20 29
.7241, and 0.724 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 92eb236a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 92eb236a

In a right triangle, the tangent of one of the two acute angles is . What
is the tangent of the other acute angle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92eb236a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

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Choice D is correct. The tangent of a nonright angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg
opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Using that definition for tangent, in a right triangle with

legs that have lengths a and b, the tangent of one acute angle is and the tangent for the other acute angle is . It
follows that the tangents of the acute angles in a right triangle are reciprocals of each other. Therefore, the tangent of

the other acute angle in the given triangle is the reciprocal of or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other acute angle is the negative of the
tangent of the angle described. Choice B is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other acute
angle is the negative of the reciprocal of the tangent of the angle described. Choice C is incorrect and may result from
interpreting the tangent of the other acute angle as equal to the tangent of the angle described.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 17912810
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 17912810

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

ID: 17912810 Answer

Correct Answer: 101/2, 50.5

Rationale

101
. In the figure, lines 𝑞, 𝑟, and 𝑠 form a triangle. One interior angle of this triangle is vertical to
2
the angle marked 𝑎°; therefore, the interior angle also has measure 𝑎°. It's given that 𝑎 = 43. Therefore, the interior
The correct answer is

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angle of the triangle has measure 43°. A second interior angle of the triangle forms a straight line, 𝑞, with the angle
marked 𝑏°. Therefore, the sum of the measures of these two angles is 180°. It's given that 𝑏 = 122. Therefore, the angle
marked 𝑏° has measure 122° and the second interior angle of the triangle has measure (180 − 122)°, or 58°. The sum of
the interior angles of a triangle is 180°. Therefore, the measure of the third interior angle of the triangle is
(180 − 43 − 58)°, or 79°. It's given that parallel lines 𝑞 and 𝑡 are intersected by line 𝑟. It follows that the triangle's interior
angle with measure 79° is congruent to the same side interior angle between lines 𝑞 and 𝑡 formed by lines 𝑡 and 𝑟. Since
this angle is supplementary to the two angles marked 𝑤°, the sum of 79°, 𝑤°, and 𝑤° is 180°. It follows that
79 + 𝑤 + 𝑤 = 180, or 79 + 2𝑤 = 180. Subtracting 79 from both sides of this equation yields 2𝑤 = 101. Dividing both sides
101
of this equation by 2 yields 𝑤 =
2
. Note that 101/2 and 50.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID f7e626b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: f7e626b2

The dimensions of a right rectangular prism are 4 inches by 5 inches by

6 inches. What is the surface area, in square inches, of the prism?

A. 30

B. 74

C. 120

D. 148

ID: f7e626b2 Answer

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The surface area is found by summing the area of each face. A right rectangular prism consists of
three pairs of congruent rectangles, so the surface area is found by multiplying the areas of three adjacent rectangles
by 2 and adding these products. For this prism, the surface area is equal to , or
, which is equal to 148.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the area of one of the faces of the prism. Choice B is incorrect and may result from adding
the areas of three adjacent rectangles without multiplying by 2. Choice C is incorrect. This is the volume, in cubic
inches, of the prism.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 2be01bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 2be01bd9

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angle corresponds to angle
. Angles and are right angles. If , what is the value of ?

ID: 2be01bd9 Answer

Correct Answer: .14, 7/50

7
Rationale

. It's given that triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is similar to triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹, where angle 𝐴 corresponds to angle 𝐷
50
The correct answer is
and angle 𝐶 corresponds to angle 𝐹. In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal. Since angle 𝐴
50 50
and angle 𝐷 are corresponding angles, if tan (𝐴) = , then tan (𝐷) = . It's also given that angles 𝐶 and 𝐹 are right
7 7
angles. It follows that triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹 is a right triangle with acute angles 𝐷 and 𝐸. The tangent of one acute angle in a
1
right triangle is the inverse of the tangent of the other acute angle in the triangle. Therefore, tan (𝐸) =
tan (𝐷)
.
50 1 7 50
Substituting for tan (𝐷) in this equation yields tan (𝐸) = , or tan (𝐸) = . Thus, if tan (𝐴) = , the value of tan (𝐸) is
7 50 50 7
7
7
50
. Note that 7/50 and .14 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID dba6a25a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: dba6a25a

In the figure above, is parallel to .

What is the length of ?

ID: dba6a25a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. In the figure given, since is parallel to and both segments are intersected by ,
then angle BDC and angle AEC are corresponding angles and therefore congruent. Angle BCD and angle ACE are also
congruent because they are the same angle. Triangle BCD and triangle ACE are similar because if two angles of one
triangle are congruent to two angles of another triangle, the triangles are similar. Since triangle BCD and triangle ACE
are similar, their corresponding sides are proportional. So in triangle BCD and triangle ACE, corresponds to and

corresponds to . Therefore, . Since triangle BCD is a right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem can

be used to give the value of CD: . Taking the square root of each side gives . Substituting the

values in the proportion yields . Multiplying each side by CE, and then multiplying by

yields . Therefore, the length of is 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID acd30391
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: acd30391

A circle in the xy-plane has equation . Which of the

following points does NOT lie in the interior of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: acd30391 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The circle with equation has center and radius 5. For a point to be
inside of the circle, the distance from that point to the center must be less than the radius, 5. The distance between

and is , which is greater than 5. Therefore, does

NOT lie in the interior of the circle.

Choice A is incorrect. The distance between and is ,

which is less than 5, and therefore lies in the interior of the circle. Choice B is incorrect because it is the center

of the circle. Choice C is incorrect because the distance between and is

, which is less than 5, and therefore in the interior of the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 6a3fbec3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 6a3fbec3

In the figure above, and .

What is the length of ?

ID: 6a3fbec3 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 4.5. According to the properties of right triangles, BD divides triangle ABC into two similar
triangles, ABD and BCD. The corresponding sides of ABD and BCD are proportional, so the ratio of BD to AD is the

same as the ratio of DC to BD. Expressing this information as a proportion gives . Solving the proportion for
DC results in . Note that 4.5 and 9/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 459dd6c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 459dd6c5

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: 459dd6c5 Answer

Correct Answer: 135/8, 16.87, 16.88

135
Rationale

. It's given that triangles 𝐴𝐵𝐶 and 𝐷𝐸𝐹 are similar and each side length of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is 4
8
The correct answer is
times the corresponding side length of triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹. For two similar triangles, if each side length of the first triangle is
𝑘 times the corresponding side length of the second triangle, then the area of the first triangle is 𝑘2 times the area of
the second triangle. Therefore, the area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is 42 , or 16, times the area of triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹. It's given that the
area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is 270 square inches. Let 𝑎 represent the area, in square inches, of triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹. It follows that 270
270 135
is 16 times 𝑎, or 270 = 16𝑎. Dividing both sides of this equation by 16 yields = 𝑎, which is equivalent to = 𝑎.
16 8
135
Thus, the area, in square inches, of triangle 𝐷𝐸𝐹 is
8
. Note that 135/8, 16.87, and 16.88 are examples of ways to enter
a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 25da87f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 25da87f8

A triangle with angle measures 30°, 60°, and 90° has a perimeter of .
What is the length of the longest side of the triangle?

ID: 25da87f8 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 12. It is given that the triangle has angle measures of 30°, 60°, and 90°, and so the triangle is a
special right triangle. The side measures of this type of special triangle are in the ratio . If x is the measure of
the shortest leg, then the measure of the other leg is and the measure of the hypotenuse is 2x. The perimeter of

the triangle is given to be , and so the equation for the perimeter can be written as
. Combining like terms and factoring out a common factor of x on the left-hand side of the

equation gives . Rewriting the right-hand side of the equation by factoring out 6 gives

. Dividing both sides of the equation by the common factor gives x = 6. The longest
side of the right triangle, the hypotenuse, has a length of 2x, or 2(6), which is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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Question ID 310c87fe
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 310c87fe

A cube has a surface area of 54 square meters. What is the

volume, in cubic meters, of the cube?

A. 18

B. 27

C. 36

D. 81

ID: 310c87fe Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The surface area of a cube with side length s is equal to . Since the surface area is given as 54

square meters, the equation can be used to solve for s. Dividing both sides of the equation by 6 yields
. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields and . Since the side length of a cube must
be a positive value, can be discarded as a possible solution, leaving . The volume of a cube with side

length s is equal to . Therefore, the volume of this cube, in cubic meters, is , or 27.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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