Question ID 002dba45

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 002dba45

Line is defined by . Line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. What is the slope of line ?

ID: 002dba45 Answer

Correct Answer: .1764, .1765, 3/17

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. This means that the slope of line is
the negative reciprocal of the slope of line . The equation of line , , is written in slope-intercept form
, where is the slope of the line and is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. It follows that the slope
of line is . The negative reciprocal of a number is divided by the number. Therefore, the negative reciprocal of
is , or . Thus, the slope of line is . Note that 3/17, .1764, .1765, and 0.176 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f224df07
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: f224df07

A cargo helicopter delivers only 100-pound packages and 120-pound packages.

For each delivery trip, the helicopter must carry at least 10 packages, and the total
weight of the packages can be at most 1,100 pounds. What is the maximum
number of 120-pound packages that the helicopter can carry per trip?

A. 2

B. 4

C. 5

D. 6

ID: f224df07 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Let a equal the number of 120-pound packages, and let b equal the number of 100-pound packages. It’s
given that the total weight of the packages can be at most 1,100 pounds: the inequality represents
this situation. It’s also given that the helicopter must carry at least 10 packages: the inequality represents this
situation. Values of a and b that satisfy these two inequalities represent the allowable numbers of 120-pound packages and
100-pound packages the helicopter can transport. To maximize the number of 120-pound packages, a, in the helicopter, the
number of 100-pound packages, b, in the helicopter needs to be minimized. Expressing b in terms of a in the second
inequality yields , so the minimum value of b is equal to . Substituting for b in the first inequality
results in . Using the distributive property to rewrite this inequality yields
, or . Subtracting 1,000 from both sides of this inequality yields
. Dividing both sides of this inequality by 20 results in . This means that the maximum number of 120-pound
packages that the helicopter can carry per trip is 5.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly creating or solving the system of inequalities.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cb8f449f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: cb8f449f

The system of equations above has solution (x,

y). What is the value of x ?

A. 3

B.

C. 4

D. 6

ID: cb8f449f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Adding the corresponding sides of the two equations eliminates y and yields , as shown.

If (x, y) is a solution to the system, then (x, y) satisfies both equations in the system and any equation derived from them.
Therefore, .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may be the result of errors when solving the system.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 548a4929
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 548a4929

The function is defined by . The graph of in the xy-plane has an x-intercept at and a y-
intercept at , where and are constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 548a4929 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . It's given that function
is defined by . Therefore, the equation representing the graph of is . Substituting
for in the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane
is . It's given that the x-intercept of the graph of is . Therefore, . The y-intercept of a graph in
the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields ,
or . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is . It's given that the y-intercept of the
graph of is . Therefore, . If and , then the value of is , or .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

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

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e62cfe5f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: e62cfe5f

According to a model, the head width, in millimeters, of a worker bumblebee can be

estimated by adding 0.6 to four times the body weight of the bee, in grams.
According to the model, what would be the head width, in millimeters, of a worker
bumblebee that has a body weight of 0.5 grams?

ID: e62cfe5f Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 2.6. According to the model, the head width, in millimeters, of a worker bumblebee can be estimated
by adding 0.6 to 4 times the body weight, in grams, of the bee. Let x represent the body weight, in grams, of a worker
bumblebee and let y represent the head width, in millimeters. Translating the verbal description of the model into an equation
yields . Substituting 0.5 grams for x in this equation yields , or . Therefore, a worker
bumblebee with a body weight of 0.5 grams has an estimated head width of 2.6 millimeters. Note that 2.6 and 13/5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 01682aa5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 01682aa5

Line is defined by . Line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. What is the slope of line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 01682aa5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. This means that the slope of line is the
negative reciprocal of the slope of line . If the equation for line is rewritten in slope-intercept form , where
and are constants, then is the slope of the line and is its y-intercept. Subtracting from both sides of the
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . It follows
that the slope of line is . The negative reciprocal of a number is divided by the number. Therefore, the negative
reciprocal of is , or . Thus, the slope of line is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the slope of line , not line .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the reciprocal, not the negative reciprocal, of the slope of line .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the negative, not the negative reciprocal, of the slope of line .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID bf4a8b6a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: bf4a8b6a

A company that provides whale-watching tours takes groups of people at a time. The company’s revenue is dollars per
adult and dollars per child. If the company’s revenue for one group consisting of adults and children was dollars,
how many people in the group were children?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bf4a8b6a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Let represent the number of children in a whale-watching tour group. Let represent the number of
adults in this group. Because it's given that people are in a group and the group consists of adults and children, it must be
true that . Since the company's revenue is dollars per child, the total revenue from children in this group
was dollars. Since the company's revenue is dollars per adult, the total revenue from adults in this group was
dollars. Because it's given that the total revenue for this group was dollars, it must be true that .
The equations and form a linear system of equations that can be solved to find the value
of , which represents the number of children in the group, using the elimination method. Multiplying both sides of the
equation by yields . Subtracting from yields
, which is equivalent to , or .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, people in the group were children.

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

Choice B is incorrect. This is the number of adults in the group, not the number of children in the group.

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a5834ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a5834ea4

For the given linear function , which table gives three values of and their corresponding values of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a5834ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. For the given linear function , must equal for all values of . Of the given choices, only choice
B gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the given linear function .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7e3f8363
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 7e3f8363

In the xy-plane, the graph of the linear function contains the points and . Which equation defines , where
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e3f8363 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, an equation of the graph of a linear function can be written in the form ,
where represents the slope and represents the y-intercept of the graph of . It’s given that the graph of the
linear function , where , in the xy-plane contains the point . Thus, . The slope of the graph of a line
containing any two points and can be found using the slope formula, . Since it’s given that the
graph of the linear function contains the points and , it follows that the slope of the graph of the line
containing these points is , or . Substituting for and for in yields
.

Choice A is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 0dd6227f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 0dd6227f

At how many points do the graphs of the equations and intersect in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0dd6227f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Each given equation is written in slope-intercept form, , where is the slope and is
the y-intercept of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane. The graphs of two lines that have different slopes will intersect at
exactly one point. The graph of the first equation is a line with slope . The graph of the second equation is a line with slope
. Since the graphs are lines with different slopes, they will intersect at exactly one point.

Choice A is incorrect because two graphs of linear equations have intersection points only if they are parallel and therefore
have the same slope.

Choice C is incorrect because two graphs of linear equations in the xy-plane can have only , , or infinitely many points of
intersection.

Choice D is incorrect because two graphs of linear equations in the xy-plane can have only , , or infinitely many points of
intersection.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b1228811
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: b1228811

Marisa needs to hire at least 10 staff members for an upcoming project. The staff
members will be made up of junior directors, who will be paid $640 per week, and
senior directors, who will be paid $880 per week. Her budget for paying the staff
members is no more than $9,700 per week. She must hire at least 3 junior directors
and at least 1 senior director. Which of the following systems of inequalities
represents the conditions described if x is the number of junior directors and y is
the number of senior directors?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b1228811 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. Marisa will hire x junior directors and y senior directors. Since she needs to hire at least 10 staff
members, . Each junior director will be paid $640 per week, and each senior director will be paid $880 per week.
Marisa’s budget for paying the new staff is no more than $9,700 per week; in terms of x and y, this condition is
. Since Marisa must hire at least 3 junior directors and at least 1 senior director, it follows that
and . All four of these conditions are represented correctly in choice B.

Choices A and C are incorrect. For example, the first condition, , in each of these options implies that
Marisa can pay the new staff members more than her budget of $9,700. Choice D is incorrect because Marisa needs to hire
at least 10 staff members, not at most 10 staff members, as the inequality implies.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7efe5495
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 7efe5495

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7efe5495 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given by the first equation in the system that . Substituting for in the equation
yields , or .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c1bd5301
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c1bd5301

A model predicts that a certain animal weighed pounds when it was born and that the animal gained pounds per day
in its first year of life. This model is defined by an equation in the form , where is the predicted weight,
in pounds, of the animal days after it was born, and and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: c1bd5301 Answer

Correct Answer: 241

Rationale
The correct answer is . For a certain animal, it's given that a model predicts the animal weighed pounds when it was
born and gained pounds per day in its first year of life. It's also given that this model is defined by an equation in the form
, where is the predicted weight, in pounds, of the animal days after it was born, and and are
constants. It follows that represents the predicted weight, in pounds, of the animal when it was born and represents the
predicted rate of weight gain, in pounds per day, in its first year of life. Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 71189542
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 71189542

A group of 202 people went on an overnight camping trip, taking 60 tents with
them. Some of the tents held 2 people each, and the rest held 4 people each.
Assuming all the tents were filled to capacity and every person got to sleep in a
tent, exactly how many of the tents were 2-person tents?

A. 30

B. 20

C. 19

D. 18

ID: 71189542 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. Let x represent the number of 2-person tents and let y represent the number of 4-person tents. It is given
that the total number of tents was 60 and the total number of people in the group was 202. This situation can be expressed
as a system of two equations, and . The first equation can be rewritten as .

Substituting for y in the equation yields . Distributing and combining like

terms gives . Subtracting 240 from both sides of and then dividing both sides by
gives . Therefore, the number of 2-person tents is 19.

Alternate approach: If each of the 60 tents held 4 people, the total number of people that could be accommodated in tents
would be 240. However, the actual number of people who slept in tents was 202. The difference of 38 accounts for the 2-

person tents. Since each of these tents holds 2 people fewer than a 4-person tent, gives the number of 2-person
tents.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice may result from assuming exactly half of the tents hold 2 people. If that were true, then the
total number of people who slept in tents would be ; however, the total number of people who slept in
tents was 202, not 180. Choice B is incorrect. If 20 tents were 2-person tents, then the remaining 40 tents would be 4-person
tents. Since all the tents were filled to capacity, the total number of people who slept in tents would be
; however, the total number of people who slept in tents was 202, not 200. Choice D is
incorrect. If 18 tents were 2-person tents, then the remaining 42 tents would be 4-person tents. Since all the tents were filled
to capacity, the total number of people who slept in tents would be ; however, the total
number of people who slept in tents was 202, not 204.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 64c85440
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 64c85440

In North America, the standard width of a parking space is at least 7.5 feet and no
more than 9.0 feet. A restaurant owner recently resurfaced the restaurant’s parking
lot and wants to determine the number of parking spaces, n, in the parking lot that
could be placed perpendicular to a curb that is 135 feet long, based on the
standard width of a parking space. Which of the following describes all the
possible values of n ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 64c85440 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Placing the parking spaces with the minimum width of 7.5 feet gives the maximum possible number of

parking spaces. Thus, the maximum number that can be placed perpendicular to a 135-foot-long curb is . Placing
the parking spaces with the maximum width of 9 feet gives the minimum number of parking spaces. Thus, the minimum

number that can be placed perpendicular to a 135-foot-long curb is . Therefore, if n is the number of parking
spaces in the lot, the range of possible values for n is .

Choices A and C are incorrect. These choices equate the length of the curb with the maximum possible number of parking
spaces. Choice B is incorrect. This is the range of possible values for the width of a parking space instead of the range of
possible values for the number of parking spaces.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7a5a74a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 7a5a74a6

If x is the solution to the equation above,

what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7a5a74a6 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale

Choice B is correct. Because 2 is a factor of both and 6, the expression can be rewritten as . Substituting
for on the left-hand side of the given equation yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Adding 11 to

both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields .

Alternate approach: Distributing 3 to the quantity on the left-hand side of the given equation and distributing 4 to the

quantity on the right-hand side yields , or . Subtracting from both

sides of this equation yields . Adding 29 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of

this equation by 2 yields . Therefore, the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of x, not . Choices C and D are incorrect. If the value of is or ,

it follows that the value of x is or , respectively. However, solving the given equation for x yields .

Therefore, the value of can’t be or .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 968e9e51
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 968e9e51

Which of the following ordered pairs is a solution to

the system of inequalities above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 968e9e51 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The solutions to the given system of inequalities is the set of all ordered pairs that satisfy both
inequalities in the system. For an ordered pair to satisfy the inequality , the value of the ordered pair’s y-coordinate
must be less than or equal to the value of the ordered pair’s x-coordinate. This is true of the ordered pair , because
. To satisfy the inequality , the value of the ordered pair’s y-coordinate must be less than or equal to the value

of the additive inverse of the ordered pair’s x-coordinate. This is also true of the ordered pair . Because 0 is its own

additive inverse, is the same as . Therefore, the ordered pair is a solution to the given system of
inequalities.

Choice A is incorrect. This ordered pair satisfies only the inequality in the given system, not both inequalities. Choice B
incorrect. This ordered pair satisfies only the inequality in the system, but not both inequalities. Choice C is
incorrect. This ordered pair satisfies neither inequality.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9f3cb472
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9f3cb472

Line in the xy-plane has a slope of and passes through the point . Which equation defines line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9f3cb472 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The equation that defines line in the xy-plane can be written in slope-intercept form ,
where is the slope of line and is its y-intercept. It’s given that line has a slope of . Therefore, .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or . It’s also given that line passes
through the point . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields .

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

Choice B is incorrect. This equation defines a line that has a slope of , not , and passes through the point , not
.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines a line that passes through the point , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID aa85b138
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: aa85b138

A tree had a height of 6 feet when it was planted. The equation above can be used
to find how many years n it took the tree to reach a height of 14 feet. Which of the
following is the best interpretation of the number 2 in this context?

A. The number of years it took the tree to double its height

B. The average number of feet that the tree grew per year

C. The height, in feet, of the tree when the tree was 1 year old

D. The average number of years it takes similar trees to grow 14 feet

ID: aa85b138 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The height of the tree at a given time is equal to its height when it was planted plus the number of feet
that the tree grew. In the given equation, 14 represents the height of the tree at the given time, and 6 represents the height of
the tree when it was planted. It follows that represents the number of feet the tree grew from the time it was planted until
the time it reached a height of 14 feet. Since n represents the number of years between the given time and the time the tree
was planted, 2 must represent the average number of feet the tree grew each year.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from interpreting the coefficient 2 as doubling instead of as increasing by 2 each year.
Choice C is incorrect. The height of the tree when it was 1 year old was feet, not 2 feet. Choice D is incorrect.
No information is given to connect the growth of one particular tree to the growth of similar trees.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 15daa8d6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 15daa8d6

In the given equation, is a constant. If the equation has infinitely many solutions, what is the value of ?

ID: 15daa8d6 Answer

Correct Answer: 2

Rationale
The correct answer is . An equation with one variable, , has infinitely many solutions only when both sides of the equation
are equal for any defined value of . It's given that , where is a constant. This equation can be
rewritten as . If this equation has infinitely many solutions, then both sides of this equation are equal
for any defined value of . Both sides of this equation are equal for any defined value of when . Therefore, if the
equation has infinitely many solutions, the value of is .

Alternate approach: If the given equation, , has infinitely many solutions, then both sides of this
equation are equal for any value of . If , then substituting for in yields
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 12ee1edc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 12ee1edc

In the given equation, b is a constant. If the equation has no

solution, what is the value of b ?

A. 2

B. 4

C. 6

D. 10

ID: 12ee1edc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. This equation has no solution when there is no value of x that produces a true statement. Solving the

given equation for x by dividing both sides by gives . When , the right-hand side of this
equation will be undefined, and the equation will have no solution. Therefore, when , there is no value of x that satisfies
the given equation.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Substituting 4, 6, and 10 for b in the given equation yields exactly one solution, rather than
no solution, for x. For example, substituting 4 for b in the given equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of
by 2 yields . Similarly, if or , and , respectively.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 620fe971
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 620fe971
A team of workers has been moving cargo off of a ship. The equation below models the approximate number of tons of
cargo, y, that remains to be moved x hours after the team started working.

The graph of this equation in the xy-plane is a line. What is the best interpretation
of the x-intercept in this context?

A. The team will have moved all the cargo in about 4.8 hours.

B. The team has been moving about 4.8 tons of cargo per hour.

C. The team has been moving about 25 tons of cargo per hour.

D. The team started with 120 tons of cargo to move.

ID: 620fe971 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The x-intercept of the line with equation y = 120 – 25x can be found by substituting 0 for y and finding
the value of x. When y = 0, x = 4.8, so the x-intercept is at (4.8, 0). Since y represents the number of tons of cargo remaining
to be moved x hours after the team started working, it follows that the x-intercept refers to the team having no cargo
remaining to be moved after 4.8 hours. In other words, the team will have moved all of the cargo after about 4.8 hours.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from incorrectly interpreting the value 4.8. Choices C and D are incorrect and may result
from misunderstanding the x-intercept. These statements are accurate but not directly relevant to the x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6a87902f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 6a87902f

At how many points do the graphs of the given equations intersect in the xy-plane?

A. Zero

B. Exactly one

C. Exactly two

D. Infinitely many

ID: 6a87902f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has zero points of intersection if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane represented by
equations in slope-intercept form, , are distinct if the y-coordinates of their y-intercepts, , are different and are
parallel if their slopes, , are the same. For the two equations in the given system, and , the
values of are and , respectively, and the values of are both . Since the values of are different, the graphs of
these lines have different y-coordinates of the y-intercept and are distinct. Since the values of are the same, the graphs of
these lines have the same slope and are parallel. Therefore, the graphs of the given equations are lines that intersect at zero
points in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. The graphs of a system of two linear equations have exactly one point of intersection if the lines
represented by the equations have different slopes. Since the given equations represent lines with the same slope, there is
not exactly one intersection point.

Choice C is incorrect. The graphs of a system of two linear equations can never have exactly two intersection points.

Choice D is incorrect. The graphs of a system of two linear equations have infinitely many intersection points when the lines
represented by the equations have the same slope and the same y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Since the given equations
represent lines with different y-coordinates of their y-intercepts, there are not infinitely many intersection points.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6e6a3241
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 6e6a3241

Which of the following graphs in the xy-plane could be used to

solve the system of equations above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6e6a3241 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The graph of a system of equations is the graph that shows the lines represented by each of the
equations in the system. The x-intercept of the graph of each given equation can be found by substituting 0 for y in each
equation: , or , and , or . The y-intercept of the graph of each equation can be found
by substituting 0 for x in each equation: , or , and or . Using these x- and y- intercept
values, the line that has equation passes through the points and , and the line that has equation

passes through the points and . Only the lines in choice C pass through these points and can be
used to solve the given system of equations.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. In choices A and B, neither line passes through and or and . In

choice D, although one line passes through and the other line doesn’t pass through and .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e470e19d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: e470e19d

The function is defined by . What is the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e470e19d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The given function is a linear function. Therefore, the graph of in the xy-plane has one x-
intercept at the point , where is a constant. Substituting for and for in the given function yields
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Therefore, the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f7e39fe9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: f7e39fe9

The table shows four values of and their corresponding values of . There is a linear relationship between and
that is defined by the equation , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: f7e39fe9 Answer

Correct Answer: 11

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that is defined by the equation , where is a constant. It's also
given in the table that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields, . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation
by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f5929f7a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f5929f7a

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f5929f7a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given by the first equation in the system that . Substituting for in the second
equation in the system yields . Multiplying the left-hand side of this equation by and the right-hand side by
yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields .

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: Medium

Question ID 5cf1bbc9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 5cf1bbc9

The graph of the function , where , gives the total cost , in dollars, for a certain video game system and
games. What is the best interpretation of the slope of the graph in this context?

A. Each game costs .

B. The video game system costs .

C. The video game system costs .

D. Each game costs .

ID: 5cf1bbc9 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The given graph is a line, and the slope of a line is defined as the change in the value of for each
increase in the value of by . It’s given that represents the total cost, in dollars, and that represents the number of
games. Therefore, the change in the value of for each increase in the value of by represents the change in total cost, in
dollars, for each increase in the number of games by . In other words, the slope represents the cost, in dollars, per game.
The graph shows that when the value of increases from to , the value of increases from to . It follows that the
slope is , or the cost per game is . Thus, the best interpretation of the slope of the graph is that each game costs .

Choice B is incorrect. This is an interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph rather than the slope of the graph.

Choice C is incorrect. The slope of the graph is the cost per game, not the cost of the video game system.

Choice D is incorrect. Each game costs , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 74c03c21
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 74c03c21

A bus traveled on the highway and on local roads to complete a trip of . The trip took . The bus traveled at
an average speed of on the highway and an average speed of on local roads. If is the
time, in hours, the bus traveled on the highway and is the time, in hours, it traveled on local roads, which system of
equations represents this situation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 74c03c21 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. If the bus traveled at an average speed of on the highway for hours, then
the bus traveled miles on the highway. If the bus traveled at an average speed of on local roads for hours,
then the bus traveled miles on local roads. It's given that the trip was miles. This can be represented by the
equation . It's also given that the trip took hours. This can be represented by the equation .
Therefore, the system consisting of the equations and represents this situation.

Choice A is incorrect. This system of equations represents a situation where the trip was miles and took hours.

Choice C is incorrect. This system of equations represents a situation where the trip was miles and took hours, and
the bus traveled at an average speed of on the highway and on local roads.

Choice D is incorrect. This system of equations represents a situation where the bus traveled at an average speed of
on the highway and on local roads.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9c7741c6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9c7741c6

On a 210-mile trip, Cameron drove at an average speed of 60 miles per hour for the
first x hours. He then completed the trip, driving at an average speed of 50 miles
per hour for the remaining y hours. If , what is the value of y ?

ID: 9c7741c6 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 3. It’s given that Cameron drove 60 miles per hour for x hours; therefore, the distance driven at this
speed can be represented by . He then drove 50 miles per hour for y hours; therefore, the distance driven at this speed
can be represented by . Since Cameron drove 210 total miles, the equation represents this situation.
If , substitution yields , or . Subtracting 60 from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by 50 yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8a87c2c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 8a87c2c8

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8a87c2c8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Adding the second equation in the given system to the first equation in the given system yields
. Adding like terms in this equation yields . Thus, the value of is
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not . Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ed92fb68
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: ed92fb68

If the system of equations above has solution ,

what is the value of ?

A. 0

B. 9

C. 18

D. 38

ID: ed92fb68 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Adding the given equations yields 9x + 9y = 162. Dividing each side of the equation 9x + 9y = 162 by 9
gives x + y = 18.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly adding the equations. Choice B is incorrect and may result from
conceptual or computational errors. Choice D is incorrect. This value is equivalent to y – x.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3e9eaffc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3e9eaffc

Caleb used juice to make popsicles. The function approximates the volume, in fluid ounces, of juice
Caleb had remaining after making popsicles. Which statement is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of
in the xy-plane in this context?

A. Caleb used approximately fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.

B. Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

C. Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

D. Caleb used approximately fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.

ID: 3e9eaffc Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. An equation that defines a linear function can be written in the form , where
represents the slope and represents the y-intercept, , of the line of in the xy-plane. The function
is linear. Therefore, the graph of the given function in the xy-plane has a y-intercept of .
It’s given that gives the approximate volume, in fluid ounces, of juice Caleb had remaining after making popsicles. It
follows that the y-intercept of means that Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice remaining after making
popsicles. In other words, Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

Choice A is incorrect. This is an interpretation of the slope, rather than the y-intercept, of the graph of in the xy-
plane.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 19fdf387
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 19fdf387

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

the point . What is the value of a ?

A. 3

B. 6

C. 9

D. 12

ID: 19fdf387 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Since the graph of intersects the graph of at the point , the ordered pair
is the solution to the system of linear equations consisting of and , and the value of a is the value of x
in the solution of this system. Since both and are equal to y, it follows that . Subtracting x from
and adding 6 to both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the value of a is 9.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from a calculation or conceptual error in solving the system of equations
consisting of and . Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of b, not a.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a775af14
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a775af14

In the xy-plane, the graph of the linear function contains the points and . Which equation defines , where
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a775af14 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, the graph of a linear function can be written in the form , where
represents the slope and represents the y-intercept of the graph of . It’s given that the graph of the linear
function , where , in the xy-plane contains the point . Thus, . The slope of the graph of a line
containing any two points and can be found using the slope formula, . Since it’s given that the
graph of the linear function contains the points and , it follows that the slope of the graph of the line
containing these points is , or . Substituting for and for in yields
.

Choice A is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dae126d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: dae126d7

The boiling point of water at sea level is 212 degrees Fahrenheit . For every
550 feet above sea level, the boiling point of water is lowered by about . Which
of the following equations can be used to find the boiling point B of water, in ,x
feet above sea level?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dae126d7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the boiling point of water at sea level is 212°F and that for every 550 feet above sea level,
the boiling point of water is lowered by about 1°F. Therefore, the change in the boiling point of water x feet above sea level is

represented by the expression . Adding this expression to the boiling point of water at sea level gives the equation

for the boiling point B of water, in °F, x feet above sea level: , or .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from using the boiling point of water at sea level as the rate of change and the
rate of change as the initial boiling point of water at sea level. Choice C is incorrect and may result from representing the
change in the boiling point of water as an increase rather than a decrease.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID bf5f80c6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: bf5f80c6

Which point ( , ) is a solution to the given inequality in the -plane?

A. ( , )

B. ( , )

C. ( , )

D. ( , )

ID: bf5f80c6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice D is correct. For a point to be a solution to the given inequality in the xy-plane, the value of the point’s y-
coordinate must be less than the value of , where is the value of the x-coordinate of the point. This is true of the
point because , or . Therefore, the point is a solution to the given inequality.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. None of these points are a solution to the given inequality because each point’s y-
coordinate is greater than the value of for the point’s x-coordinate.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c307283c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c307283c

What is an equation of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c307283c Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. An equation of a line can be written in the form , where is the slope of the line and
is the y-intercept of the line. The line shown passes through the point , so . The line shown also passes
through the point . The slope, , of a line passing through two points and can be calculated using
the equation . For the points and , this gives , or . Substituting for
and for in yields , or . Therefore, an equation of the graph shown is
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is an equation of a line with a slope of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is an equation of a line with a slope of , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is an equation of a line with a slope of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 80da233d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 80da233d

A certain elephant weighs 200 pounds at birth and gains more than 2 but less than
3 pounds per day during its first year. Which of the following inequalities
represents all possible weights w, in pounds, for the elephant 365 days after birth?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 80da233d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the elephant weighs 200 pounds at birth and gains more than 2 pounds but less than 3
pounds per day during its first year. The inequality represents this situation, where d is the
number of days after birth. Substituting 365 for d in the inequality gives , or
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving the inequality . Choice B is incorrect and may result
from solving the inequality for a weight range of more than 1 pound but less than 2 pounds:
. Choice C is incorrect and may result from calculating the possible weight gained by the
elephant during the first year without adding the 200 pounds the elephant weighed at birth.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 271f7e3f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 271f7e3f

For the function f defined above, what is the

value of ?

A. 1

B. 2

C.

D.

ID: 271f7e3f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The value of can be calculated by finding the values of and . The value of

can be found by substituting 9 for x in the given function: . This equation can be rewritten as , or

4. Then, the value of can be found by substituting 1 for x in the given function: . This equation can be

rewritten as , or 2. Therefore, , which is equivalent to 2.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly substituting values of x in the given function or making
computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70e29454
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 70e29454

In the equation above, a and b are constants. If the equation has infinitely many
solutions, what are the values of a and b ?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: 70e29454 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Distributing the a on the left-hand side of the equation gives 3a – b – ax = –1 – 2x. Rearranging the
terms in each side of the equation yields –ax + 3a – b = –2x –1. Since the equation has infinitely many solutions, it follows
that the coefficients of x and the free terms on both sides must be equal. That is, –a = –2, or a = 2, and 3a – b = –1.
Substituting 2 for a in the equation 3a – b = –1 gives 3(2) – b = –1, so b = 7.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of a conceptual error when finding the value of b. Choices C and D are incorrect
and may result from making a sign error when simplifying.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b31c3117
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: b31c3117

The Karvonen formula above shows the relationship between Alice’s target heart
rate H, in beats per minute (bpm), and the intensity level p of different activities.
When , Alice has a resting heart rate. When , Alice has her maximum
heart rate. It is recommended that p be between 0.5 and 0.85 for Alice when she
trains. Which of the following inequalities describes Alice’s target training heart
rate?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b31c3117 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. When Alice trains, it’s recommended that p be between 0.5 and 0.85. Therefore, her target training heart
rate is represented by the values of H corresponding to . When , , or .
When , , or . Therefore, the inequality that describes Alice’s target training heart rate
is .

Choice B is incorrect. This inequality describes Alice’s target heart rate for . Choice C is incorrect. This
inequality describes her target heart rate for . Choice D is incorrect. This inequality describes her target heart
rate for .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f09097b1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: f09097b1

An agricultural scientist studying the growth of corn plants recorded the height of a
corn plant at the beginning of a study and the height of the plant each day for the
next 12 days. The scientist found that the height of the plant increased by an
average of 1.20 centimeters per day for the 12 days. If the height of the plant on
the last day of the study was 36.8 centimeters, what was the height, in centimeters,
of the corn plant at the beginning of the study?

ID: f09097b1 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 22.4. If the height of the plant increased by an average of 1.20 centimeters per day for 12 days, then its
total growth over the 12 days was centimeters. The plant was 36.8 centimeters tall after 12 days, so at
the beginning of the study its height was centimeters. Note that 22.4 and 112/5 are examples of ways
to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: The equation can be used to represent this situation, where h is the height of the
plant, in centimeters, at the beginning of the study. Solving this equation for h yields 22.4 centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c17d9ba9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: c17d9ba9

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

ID: c17d9ba9 Answer

Correct Answer: -2

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that a number is at most less than times the value of , or .
Substituting for in this inequality yields , or . Thus, if the value of is , the greatest possible
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c5082ce3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: c5082ce3

The score on a trivia game is obtained by subtracting the number of incorrect

answers from twice the number of correct answers. If a player answered
40 questions and obtained a score of 50, how many questions did the player
answer correctly?

ID: c5082ce3 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 30. Let x represent the number of correct answers from the player and y represent the number of
incorrect answers from the player. Since the player answered 40 questions in total, the equation represents this
situation. Also, since the score is found by subtracting the number of incorrect answers from twice the number of correct
answers and the player received a score of 50, the equation represents this situation. Adding the equations in

the system of two equations together yields . This can be rewritten as . Finally, solving
for x by dividing both sides of the equation by 3 yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2e0290c3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 2e0290c3

The graph shows the relationship between the number of shares of stock from Company A, , and the number of shares of
stock from Company B, , that Simone can purchase. Which equation could represent this relationship?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2e0290c3 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph shown is a line passing through the points and . Since the relationship
between and is linear, if two points on the graph make a linear equation true, then the equation represents the
relationship. Substituting for and for in the equation in choice B, , yields ,
or , which is true. Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or , which is true. Therefore, the equation represents the relationship
between and .

Choice A is incorrect. The point is not on the graph of this equation, since , or , is not true.

Choice C is incorrect. The point is not on the graph of this equation, since , or , is not true.

Choice D is incorrect. The point is not on the graph of this equation, since , or , is
not true.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c651cc56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c651cc56

Some values of the linear function f are shown in the table

above. What is the value of ?

A. 6

B. 7

C. 8

D. 9

ID: c651cc56 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A linear function has a constant rate of change, and any two rows of the table shown can be used to
calculate this rate. From the first row to the second, the value of x is increased by 2 and the value of is increased by

. So the values of increase by 3 for every increase by 1 in the value of x. Since , it follows that

. Therefore, .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the third x-value in the table, not . Choices C and D are incorrect and may result from errors
when calculating the function’s rate of change.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c22b5f25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c22b5f25

In the xy-plane, the points and lie on the graph of

which of the following linear functions?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c22b5f25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. A linear function can be written in the form , where m is the slope and b is the y-

coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. The slope of the graph can be found using the formula . Substituting

the values of the given points into this formula yields or , which simplifies to . Only
choice C shows an equation with this slope.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from computation errors or misinterpreting the given information.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 11e1ab81
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 11e1ab81

The graph above shows the distance traveled d, in feet, by a product on a conveyor
belt m minutes after the product is placed on the belt. Which of the following
equations correctly relates d and m ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 11e1ab81 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The line passes through the origin. Therefore, this is a relationship of the form , where k is a
constant representing the slope of the graph. To find the value of k, choose a point on the graph of the line other than
the origin and substitute the values of m and d into the equation. For example, if the point is chosen, then , and
. Therefore, the equation of the line is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from calculating the slope of the line as the change in time over the change in distance
traveled instead of the change in distance traveled over the change in time. Choices C and D are incorrect because each of
these equations represents a line with a d-intercept of 2. However, the graph shows a line with a d-intercept of 0.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4fe4fd7c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 4fe4fd7c

A company’s total cost , in dollars, to produce x shirts is given by the function

above, where m is a constant and . The total cost to produce 100 shirts is
$800. What is the total cost, in dollars, to produce 1000 shirts? (Disregard the $
sign when gridding your answer.)

ID: 4fe4fd7c Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 3500. The given information includes a cost, $800, to produce 100 shirts. Substituting and
into the given equation yields . Subtracting 500 from both sides of the equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by 100 yields . Substituting the value of m into the given equation
yields . Substituting 1000 for x in this equation and solving for gives the cost of 1000 shirts:
, or 3500.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 620abf36
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 620abf36

If , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 620abf36 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields , or .
Therefore, the value of is .

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

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d62ad380
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: d62ad380
An artist paints and sells square tiles. The selling price P, in dollars, of a painted tile is a linear function of the side length
of the tile s, in inches, as shown in the table below.

Side length, s (inches) Price, P (dollars)

3 8.00

6 18.00

9 28.00

Which of the following could define the relationship between s and P ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d62ad380 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The relationship between s and P can be modeled by a linear equation of the form P = ks + a, where k

and a are constants. The table shows that P increases by 10 when s increases by 3, so k = . To solve for a, substitute

one of the given pairs of values for s and P: when s = 3, P = 8, so , which yields a = –2. The solution is

therefore .

Choice A is incorrect. When s = 3, P = 8, but 3(3) + 10 = 19 ≠︀8. Choice B is incorrect. This may result from using the first
number given for P in the table as the constant term a in the linear equation P = ks + a, which is true only when s = 0. Choice
D is incorrect and may result from using the reciprocal of the slope of the line.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 092ad67d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 092ad67d

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 092ad67d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Adding the first equation to the second equation in the given system yields
, or . Combining like terms in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Thus, the value of is .

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

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

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3122fc7b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3122fc7b

A linear model estimates the population of a city from to . The model estimates the population was thousand
in , thousand in , and thousand in . To the nearest whole number, what is the value of ?

ID: 3122fc7b Answer

Correct Answer: 257

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that a linear model estimates the population of a city from to . Since the
population can be estimated using a linear model, it follows that there is a constant rate of change for the model. It’s also
given that the model estimates the population was thousand in , thousand in , and thousand in .
The change in the population between and is , or , thousand. The change in the number of years
between and is , or , years. Dividing by gives , or , thousand per year. Thus,
the change in population per year from to estimated by the model is thousand. The change in the number
of years between and is , or , years. Multiplying the change in population per year by the change in
number of years yields the increase in population from to estimated by the model: , or , thousand.
Adding the change in population from to estimated by the model to the estimated population in yields the
estimated population in . Thus, the estimated population in is , or , thousand. Therefore to the
nearest whole number, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 23dedddd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 23dedddd

In the linear function , and . Which equation defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 23dedddd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since is a linear function, it can be defined by an equation of the form , where and
are constants. It's given that . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or . Substituting for in the equation yields . It's given that
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
. Therefore, an equation that defines is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c8fb6bcb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c8fb6bcb

The given function represents the perimeter, in , of a rectangle with a length of and a fixed width.
What is the width, in , of the rectangle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8fb6bcb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that represents the perimeter, in , of a rectangle with a
length of and a fixed width. If represents a fixed width, in , then the perimeter, in , of a rectangle with a length
of and a fixed width of can be given by the function . Therefore, .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the width, in , of the rectangle is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d909cd31
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d909cd31

One of the two equations in a system of linear equations is given. The system has infinitely many solutions. Which of the
following could be the second equation in the system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d909cd31 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that the system has infinitely many solutions. A system of two linear equations has infinitely
many solutions when the two linear equations are equivalent. Dividing both sides of the given equation by yields
. Dividing both sides of choice C by also yields , so choice C is equivalent to the given
equation. Thus, choice C could be the second equation in the system.

Choice A is incorrect. The system consisting of this equation and the given equation has one solution, not infinitely many
solutions.

Choice B is incorrect. The system consisting of this equation and the given equation has one solution, not infinitely many
solutions.

Choice D is incorrect. The system consisting of this equation and the given equation has no solution, not infinitely many
solutions.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 56dc8045
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 56dc8045

The function models the volume of liquid, in milliliters, in a container seconds after it begins draining from a hole at the
bottom. According to the model, what is the predicted volume, in milliliters, draining from the container each second?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 56dc8045 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the volume of liquid, in milliliters, in a container seconds after it
begins draining from a hole at the bottom. The given function can be rewritten as .
Thus, for each increase of by , the value of decreases by , or . Therefore, the predicted volume, in milliliters,
draining from the container each second is milliliters.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the amount of liquid, in milliliters, in the container before the liquid begins draining.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4f669597
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 4f669597

What value of p is the solution of

the equation above?

ID: 4f669597 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1.2. One way to solve the equation is to first distribute the terms outside the
parentheses to the terms inside the parentheses: . Next, combine like terms on the left side of the
equal sign: . Subtracting 10p from both sides yields . Finally, dividing both sides by gives

, which is equivalent to . Note that 1.2 and 6/5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f2bbd43d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: f2bbd43d

The point is a solution to the system of inequalities in the xy-plane. Which of the following could be the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f2bbd43d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the point is a solution to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane. This
means that the coordinates of the point, when substituted for the variables and , make both of the inequalities in the
system true. Substituting for in the inequality yields , which is true. Substituting for in the
inequality yields . Subtracting from both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing
both sides of this inequality by yields . Therefore, must be a value less than . Of the given choices,
only is less than .

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or

, which is not true.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or ,

which is not true.

Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or ,

which is not true.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c01f4a95
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c01f4a95

For the linear function , is a constant and . What is the value of ?

ID: c01f4a95 Answer

Correct Answer: 39

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that for the linear function , is a constant and . Substituting for and
for in the given equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the given
equation, , yields . Substituting for in this equation yields
, or . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 431c3038
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 431c3038

In an article about exercise, it is estimated that a 160-pound adult uses 200

calories for every 30 minutes of hiking and 150 calories for every 30 minutes of
bicycling. An adult who weighs 160 pounds has completed 1 hour of bicycling.
Based on the article, how many hours should the adult hike to use a total of
1,900 calories from bicycling and hiking?

A. 9.5

B. 8.75

C. 6

D. 4

ID: 431c3038 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since a 160-pound adult uses 200 calories for every 30 minutes of hiking, then the same adult uses
calories after hiking for h 30-minute periods. Similarly, the same adult uses calories after bicycling for b 30-
minute periods. Therefore, the equation represents the situation where a 160-pound adult uses a
total of 1,900 calories from hiking for h 30-minute periods and bicycling for b 30-minute periods. It’s given that the adult
completes 1 hour, or 2 30-minute periods, of bicycling. Substituting 2 for b in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting 300 from both sides of this equation yields .
Dividing both sides by 200 yields . Since h represents the number of 30-minute periods spent hiking and there are 2 30-

minute periods in every hour, it follows that the adult will need to hike for , or 4 hours to use a total of 1,900 calories from
bicycling and hiking.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving the equation . This represents 0 30-minute periods bicycling
instead of 2. Choice B is incorrect and may result from solving the equation . This represents 1 30-
minute period of bicycling instead of 2. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from determining that the number of 30-minute
periods the adult should hike is 8, but then subtracting 2 from 8, rather than dividing 8 by 2, to find the number of hours the
adult should hike.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 868fc236
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 868fc236

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 x food calories
is equivalent to k kilojoules, of the following, which best represents the relationship
between x and k ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 868fc236 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The relationship between x food calories and k kilojoules can be modeled as a proportional relationship.
Let and represent the values in the first two rows in the table: and . The rate of

change, or , is ; therefore, the equation that best represents the relationship between x and k is
.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of calculating the rate of change using . Choice C is incorrect because
the number of kilojoules is greater than the number of food calories. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of an error
when setting up the equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ce314070
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ce314070

If , what is the
value of ?

A. 2

B.

C.

D.

ID: ce314070 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Multiplying the given equation by 2 on each side yields . Applying the distributive

property, this equation can be rewritten as , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors in solving the given equation for and then
substituting that value of x in the expression .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7e1bff94
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 7e1bff94

The table gives the number of hours, , of labor and a plumber’s total charge , in dollars, for two different jobs.

There is a linear relationship between and . Which equation represents this relationship?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e1bff94 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that there is a linear relationship between a plumber's hours of labor, , and the plumber's total
charge , in dollars. It follows that the relationship can be represented by an equation of the form ,
where is the rate of change of the function and is a constant. The rate of change of can be calculated by dividing the
difference in two values of by the difference in the corresponding values of . Based on the values given in the table,
the rate of change of is , or . Substituting for in the equation yields .
The value of can be found by substituting any value of and its corresponding value of for and , respectively,
in this equation. Substituting for and for yields , or . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in the equation yields .

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: Medium

Question ID 9f6f96ff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 9f6f96ff

A wire with a length of inches is cut into two parts. One part has a length of inches, and the other part has a length of
inches. The value of is more than times the value of . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9f6f96ff Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that a wire with a length of inches is cut into two parts. It's also given that one part has a
length of inches and the other part has a length of inches. This can be represented by the equation . It's
also given that the value of is more than times the value of . This can be represented by the equation .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Subtracting from
each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in
the equation yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This value represents less than half of the total length of inches; however, represents the length
of the longer part of the wire, since it's given that the value of is more than times the value of .

Choice B is incorrect. This value represents less than half of the total length of inches; however, represents the length
of the longer part of the wire, since it's given that the value of is more than times the value of .

Choice C is incorrect. This represents a part that is more than the length of the other part, rather than more than times
the length of the other part.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2875ba81
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 2875ba81

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2875ba81 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The given system of linear equations can be solved by the elimination method. Multiplying each side of
the second equation in the given system by yields , or . Subtracting this equation
from the first equation in the given system yields , which is equivalent to
, or .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not the value of .

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: Medium

Question ID 265f2a53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 265f2a53

When line is graphed in the xy-plane, it has an x-intercept of and a y-intercept of . What is the slope of line
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 265f2a53 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that when line is graphed in the xy-plane, it has an x-intercept of and a y-intercept of
. The slope, , of a line can be found using any two points on the line, and , and the slope formula
. Substituting the points and for and , respectively, in the slope formula yields
, or . Therefore, the slope of line is .

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

Choice B is incorrect. This is the slope of a line that has an x-intercept of and a y-intercept of .

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 0cadb20e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 0cadb20e

The function is defined by , and , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0cadb20e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that and , where is a constant. Therefore, for the given function ,
when , . Substituting for and for in the given function yields . Multiplying both
sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore,
the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if . Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ce6b52d8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ce6b52d8

If , what is the value of ?

ID: ce6b52d8 Answer

Correct Answer: 60

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields . Applying the
distributive property to the left-hand side of this equation yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is
.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f81a0503
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: f81a0503

In the xy-plane, line passes through the points and . Which equation defines line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f81a0503 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. An equation defining a line in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where represents
the slope and represents the y-intercept of the line. It’s given that line passes through the point ; therefore,
. The slope, , of a line can be found using any two points on the line, and , and the slope formula
. Substituting the points and for and , respectively, in the slope formula yields
, or . Substituting for and for in the equation yields .

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: Medium

Question ID 28c2253f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 28c2253f

Characteristics for Rock Types

Weight per volume Cost per
Rock type
(lb/ft3) pound

Basalt 180 $0.18

Granite 165 $0.09

Limestone 120 $0.03

Sandstone 135 $0.22

A city is planning to build a rock retaining wall, a monument, and a garden in a

park. The table above shows four rock types that will be considered for use in the
project. Also shown for each rock type is its weight per volume, in pounds per
cubic foot (lb/ft3), and the cost per pound, in dollars. Only basalt, granite, and
limestone will be used in the garden. The rocks in the garden will have a total
weight of 1,000 pounds. If 330 pounds of granite is used, which of the following
equations could show the relationship between the amounts, x and y, in ft3, for
each of the other rock types used?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 28c2253f Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the weight of the granite used in the garden is 330 pounds. The weight of the limestone
used in the garden is a product of its weight per volume, in lb/ft3, and its volume, in ft3. Therefore, the weight of the
limestone used in the garden can be represented by , where x is the volume, in ft3, of the limestone used. Similarly, the
weight of the basalt used in the garden can be represented by , where y is the volume, in ft3, of the basalt used. It’s
given that the total weight of the rocks used in the garden will be 1,000 pounds. Thus, the sum of the weights of the three
rock types used is 1,000 pounds, which can be represented by the equation . Subtracting 330
from both sides of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation uses the weight per volume of granite instead of limestone. Choice B is incorrect. This
equation uses the weight per volume of granite instead of basalt, and doesn’t take into account the 330 pounds of granite
that will be used in the garden. Choice D is incorrect. This equation doesn’t take into account the 330 pounds of granite that
will be used in the garden.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 042aa429
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 042aa429

If and , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 042aa429 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The value of can be found by substituting for in the given equation , which yields
, or . The value of can be found by substituting for in the given equation , which
yields , or . The value of the expression can be found by substituting the
corresponding values into the expression, which gives . This expression is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from calculating as , rather than

.

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e77a76ce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e77a76ce

Which of the following systems of linear equations has no solution?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e77a76ce Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the graphs of the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane represented by
equations in slope-intercept form, , where and are constants, are parallel if their slopes, , are the same
and are distinct if their y-coordinates of the y-intercepts, , are different. In the equations and , the
values of are each , and the values of are and , respectively. Since the slopes of these lines are the same and the y-
coordinates of the y-intercepts are different, it follows that the system of linear equations in choice A has no solution.

Choice B is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations are a horizontal line and a line with a slope of that
have the same y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations have different slopes and the same y-coordinate of the y-
intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Choice D is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations are a vertical line and a horizontal line. Therefore, this
system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1bc11c4e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 1bc11c4e

The given function models the number of gallons of gasoline that remains from a full gas tank in a car after driving
miles. According to the model, about how many gallons of gasoline are used to drive each mile?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1bc11c4e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the function models the number of gallons that remain from a full gas tank in a car after
driving miles. In the given function , the coefficient of is . This means that for every
increase in the value of by , the value of decreases by . It follows that for each mile driven, there is a decrease
of gallons of gasoline. Therefore, gallons of gasoline are used to drive each mile.

Choice B is incorrect and represents the number of gallons of gasoline in a full gas tank.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b3c7ca1d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: b3c7ca1d

Which of the following systems of linear equations has no solution?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b3c7ca1d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the graphs of the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane represented by
equations in slope-intercept form, , where and are constants, are parallel if their slopes, , are the same
and are distinct if their y-coordinates of the y-intercepts, , are different. In the equations and ,
the values of are each , and the values of are and , respectively. Since the slopes of these lines are the same, and
the y-coordinates of the y-intercepts are different, it follows that the system of linear equations in choice C has no solution.

Choice A is incorrect. The lines represented by the equations in this system are a vertical line and a horizontal line. Therefore,
this system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Choice B is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations have different slopes and the same y-coordinate of the y-
intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Choice D is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations are a horizontal line and a line with a slope of that have
the same y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, , rather than no solution.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 113b938e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 113b938e

The equation above represents the speed y, in feet per second, of Sheila’s bicycle x
seconds after she applied the brakes at the end of a ride. If the equation is graphed
in the xy-plane, which of the following is the best interpretation of the x-coordinate
of the line’s x-intercept in the context of the problem?

A. The speed of Sheila’s bicycle, in feet per second, before Sheila applied the brakes

B. The number of feet per second the speed of Sheila’s bicycle decreased each second after Sheila applied the brakes

C. The number of seconds it took from the time Sheila began applying the brakes until the bicycle came to a complete stop

The number of feet Sheila’s bicycle traveled from the time she began applying the brakes until the bicycle came to a
D. complete stop

ID: 113b938e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that for each point on the graph of the given equation, the x-coordinate represents the
number of seconds after Sheila applied the brakes, and the y-coordinate represents the speed of Sheila’s bicycle at that
moment in time. For the graph of the equation, the y-coordinate of the x-intercept is 0. Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-
intercept of the graph of the given equation represents the number of seconds it took from the time Sheila began applying
the brakes until the bicycle came to a complete stop.

Choice A is incorrect. The speed of Sheila’s bicycle before she applied the brakes is represented by the y-coordinate of the y-
intercept of the graph of the given equation, not the x-coordinate of the x-intercept. Choice B is incorrect. The number of feet
per second the speed of Sheila’s bicycle decreased each second after Sheila applied the brakes is represented by the slope
of the graph of the given equation, not the x-coordinate of the x-intercept. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
misinterpreting x as the distance, in feet, traveled after applying the brakes, rather than the time, in seconds, after applying
the brakes.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2e1a7f66
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 2e1a7f66

Figure A and figure B are both regular polygons. The sum of the perimeter of figure A and the perimeter of figure B is
inches. The equation represents this situation, where is the number of sides of figure A and is the
number of sides of figure B. Which statement is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. Each side of figure B has a length of inches.

B. The number of sides of figure B is .

C. Each side of figure A has a length of inches.

D. The number of sides of figure A is .

ID: 2e1a7f66 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that figure A and figure B (not shown) are both regular polygons and the sum of the perimeters
of the two figures is . It’s also given that is the number of sides of figure A and is the number of sides of figure
B, and that the equation represents this situation. Thus, and represent the perimeters, in inches, of
figure A and figure B, respectively. Since represents the perimeter, in inches, of figure B and is the number of sides of
figure B, it follows that each side of figure B has a length of .

Choice B is incorrect. The number of sides of figure B is , not .

Choice C is incorrect. Since the perimeter, in inches, of figure A is represented by , each side of figure A has a length of
, not .

Choice D is incorrect. The number of sides of figure A is , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5e422ff9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 5e422ff9

In the solution to the system of equations

above, what is the value of y ?

A.

B.

C. 9

D. 15

ID: 5e422ff9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Multiplying both sides of by 5 results in . Multiplying both sides of by
2 results in . Subtracting the resulting equations yields , which simplifies to
. Dividing both sides of by results in .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from incorrectly subtracting the transformed equation. Choice C is incorrect
and may result from finding the value of x instead of the value of y.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 637022d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 637022d2

The given equation describes the relationship between the number of birds, , and the number of reptiles, , that can be
cared for at a pet care business on a given day. If the business cares for reptiles on a given day, how many birds can it
care for on this day?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 637022d2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The number of birds can be found by calculating the value of when in the given equation.
Substituting for in the given equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides
of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, if the business cares for
reptiles on a given day, it can care for birds on this 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.

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 74c98c82
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 74c98c82

An event planner is planning a party. It costs the event planner a onetime fee of to rent the venue and per
attendee. The event planner has a budget of . What is the greatest number of attendees possible without exceeding the
budget?

ID: 74c98c82 Answer

Correct Answer: 16

Rationale
The correct answer is . The total cost of the party is found by adding the onetime fee of the venue to the cost per attendee
times the number of attendees. Let be the number of attendees. The expression thus represents the total
cost of the party. It's given that the budget is , so this situation can be represented by the inequality
. The greatest number of attendees can be found by solving this inequality for . Subtracting from
both sides of this inequality gives . Dividing both sides of this inequality by results in approximately
. Since the question is stated in terms of attendees, rounding down to the nearest whole number, , gives the
greatest number of attendees possible.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 36ab4122
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 36ab4122

Megan’s regular wage at her job is p dollars per hour for the first 8 hours of work in
a day plus 1.5 times her regular hourly wage for work in excess of 8 hours that day.
On a given day, Megan worked for 10 hours, and her total earnings for that day
were $137.50. What is Megan’s regular hourly wage?

A. $11.75

B. $12.50

C. $13.25

D. $13.75

ID: 36ab4122 Answer

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since p represents Megan’s regular pay per hour, 1.5p represents the pay per hour in excess of 8 hours.
Since Megan worked for 10 hours, she must have been paid p dollars per hour for 8 of the hours plus 1.5p dollars per hour
for the remaining 2 hours. Therefore, since Megan earned $137.50 for the 10 hours, the situation can be represented by the
equation 137.5 = 8p + 2(1.5)p. Distributing the 2 in the equation gives 137.5 = 8p + 3p, and combining like terms gives 137.5
= 11p. Dividing both sides by 11 gives p = 12.5. Therefore, Megan’s regular wage is $12.50.

Choices A and C are incorrect and may be the result of calculation errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result from finding
the average hourly wage that Megan earned for the 10 hours of work.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e9ef0e6b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: e9ef0e6b

A model estimates that whales from the genus Eschrichtius travel to miles in the ocean each day during their
migration. Based on this model, which inequality represents the estimated total number of miles, , a whale from the genus
Eschrichtius could travel in days of its migration?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e9ef0e6b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the model estimates that whales from the genus Eschrichtius travel to miles in the
ocean each day during their migration. If one of these whales travels miles each day for days, then the whale travels
miles total. If one of these whales travels miles each day for days, then the whale travels miles total.
Therefore, the model estimates that in days of its migration, a whale from the genus Eschrichtius could travel at least
and at most miles total. Thus, the inequality represents the estimated total
number of miles, , a whale from the genus Eschrichtius could travel in days of its migration.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5a7ab8e8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 5a7ab8e8

How many solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 5a7ab8e8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. If the two sides of a linear equation are equivalent, then the equation is true for any value. If an equation
is true for any value, it has infinitely many solutions. Since the two sides of the given linear equation are
equivalent, the given equation has infinitely many solutions.

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: Medium

Question ID 2704399f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 2704399f

Which of the following systems of equations has the same solution as the
system of equations graphed above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2704399f Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The solution to a system of equations is the coordinates of the intersection point of the graphs of the

equations in the xy-plane. Based on the graph, the solution to the given system of equations is best approximated as .

In the xy-plane, the graph of is a horizontal line on which every y-coordinate is 0, and the graph of is a vertical

line on which every x-coordinate is . These graphs intersect at the point . Therefore, the system of equations in
choice A has the same solution as the given system.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. If graphed in the xy-plane, these choices would intersect at the points , , and

, respectively, not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f02b4509
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: f02b4509

A moving truck can tow a trailer if the combined weight of the trailer and the boxes it contains is no more than
pounds. What is the maximum number of boxes this truck can tow in a trailer with a weight of pounds if each box
weighs pounds?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f02b4509 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the truck can tow a trailer if the combined weight of the trailer and the boxes it contains is
no more than pounds. If the trailer has a weight of pounds and each box weighs pounds, the expression
, where is the number of boxes, gives the combined weight of the trailer and the boxes. Since the combined
weight must be no more than pounds, the possible numbers of boxes the truck can tow are given by the inequality
. Subtracting from both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing both sides of this
inequality by yields , or is less than or equal to approximately . Since the number of boxes, , must be a
whole number, the maximum number of boxes the truck can tow is the greatest whole number less than , which is .

Choice B is incorrect. Towing the trailer and boxes would yield a combined weight of pounds, which is greater than
pounds.

Choice C is incorrect. Towing the trailer and boxes would yield a combined weight of pounds, which is greater than
pounds.

Choice D is incorrect. Towing the trailer and boxes would yield a combined weight of pounds, which is greater than
pounds.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 686b7cad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 686b7cad

A proposal for a new library was included on an election ballot. A radio show stated that times as many people voted in
favor of the proposal as people who voted against it. A social media post reported that more people voted in favor of
the proposal than voted against it. Based on these data, how many people voted against the proposal?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 686b7cad Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that a radio show stated that times as many people voted in favor of the proposal as people
who voted against it. Let represent the number of people who voted against the proposal. It follows that is the number
of people who voted in favor of the proposal and , or , is how many more people voted in favor of the proposal
than voted against it. It's also given that a social media post reported that more people voted in favor of the proposal
than voted against it. Thus, . Since , the value of must be half of , or . Therefore,
people voted against the proposal.

Choice B is incorrect. This is how many more people voted in favor of the proposal than voted against it, not the number of
people who voted against the proposal.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the number of people who voted in favor of the proposal, not the number of people who voted
against the proposal.

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 90bd9ef8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 90bd9ef8

The average annual energy cost for a certain home is $4,334. The homeowner
plans to spend $25,000 to install a geothermal heating system. The homeowner
estimates that the average annual energy cost will then be $2,712. Which of the
following inequalities can be solved to find t, the number of years after installation
at which the total amount of energy cost savings will exceed the installation cost?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 90bd9ef8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The savings each year from installing the geothermal heating system will be the average annual energy
cost for the home before the geothermal heating system installation minus the average annual energy cost after the
geothermal heating system installation, which is dollars. In t years, the savings will be
dollars. Therefore, the inequality that can be solved to find the number of years after installation at which the total amount of
energy cost savings will exceed (be greater than) the installation cost, $25,000, is .

Choice A is incorrect. It gives the number of years after installation at which the total amount of energy cost savings will be
less than the installation cost. Choice C is incorrect and may result from subtracting the average annual energy cost for the
home from the onetime cost
of the geothermal heating system installation. To find the predicted total savings, the predicted average cost should be
subtracted from the average annual energy cost before the installation, and the result should be multiplied by the number of

years, t. Choice D is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding the context. The ratio compares the average
energy cost before installation and the average energy cost after installation; it does not represent the savings.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6f6dfe3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 6f6dfe3e

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where is a constant, for the linear relationship
between and . What is the slope of the line that represents this relationship in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6f6dfe3e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The slope, , of a line in the xy-plane can be found using two points on the line, and ,
and the slope formula . Based on the given table, the line representing the relationship between and in the
xy-plane passes through the points , , and , where is a constant. Substituting two of
these points, and , for and , respectively, in the slope formula yields ,
which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the slope of the line that represents this relationship in the xy-
plane is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8f0c82e2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 8f0c82e2

The minimum value of is less than times another number . Which inequality shows the possible values of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8f0c82e2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that the minimum value of is less than times another number . Therefore, the possible
values of are all greater than or equal to the value of less than times . The value of times is given by the
expression . The value of less than is given by the expression . Therefore, the possible values of are all
greater than or equal to . This can be shown by the inequality .

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality shows the possible values of if the maximum, not the minimum, value of is less
than times .

Choice C is incorrect. This inequality shows the possible values of if the maximum, not the minimum, value of is times
less than , not less than times .

Choice D is incorrect. This inequality shows the possible values of if the minimum value of is times less than , not
less than times .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5ad9eff0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 5ad9eff0

The width of a rectangular dance floor is w feet. The length of the floor is 6 feet
longer than its width. Which of the following expresses the perimeter, in feet, of the
dance floor in terms of w ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5ad9eff0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It is given that the width of the dance floor is w feet. The length is 6 feet longer than the width; therefore,
the length of the dance floor is . So the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because it is the sum of one length and one width, which is only half the perimeter. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from using the formula for the area instead of the formula for the perimeter and making a
calculation error. Choice D is incorrect because this is the area, not the perimeter, of the dance floor.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 038d87d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 038d87d7

A neighborhood consists of a -hectare park and a -hectare residential area. The total number of trees in the
neighborhood is . The equation represents this situation. Which of the following is the best
interpretation of x in this context?

A. The average number of trees per hectare in the park

B. The average number of trees per hectare in the residential area

C. The total number of trees in the park

D. The total number of trees in the residential area

ID: 038d87d7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that a neighborhood consists of a -hectare park and a -hectare residential area and that the
total number of trees in the neighborhood is . It's also given that the equation represents this
situation. Since the total number of trees for a given area can be determined by taking the number of hectares times the
average number of trees per hectare, this must mean that the terms and correspond to the number of trees in the
park and in the residential area, respectively. Since corresponds to the number of trees in the park, and is the size of the
park, in hectares, must represent the average number of trees per hectare in the park.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 441558e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 441558e7

Scientists collected fallen acorns that each housed a colony of the ant species P. ohioensis and analyzed each colony's
structure. For any of these colonies, if the colony has worker ants, the equation , where ,
gives the predicted number of larvae, , in the colony. If one of these colonies has worker ants, which of the following is
closest to the predicted number of larvae in the colony?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 441558e7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the equation , where , gives the predicted number of
larvae, , in a colony of ants if the colony has worker ants. If one of these colonies has worker ants, the predicted
number of larvae in that colony can be found by substituting for in the given equation. Substituting for in the given
equation yields , or . Of the given choices, is closest to the predicted number of larvae in
the colony.

Choice B is incorrect. This is closest to the predicted number of larvae in a colony with worker ants.

Choice C is incorrect. This is closest to the number of worker ants for which the predicted number of larvae in a colony is .

Choice D is incorrect. This is closest to the predicted number of larvae in a colony with worker ants.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f0773a55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: f0773a55

The graph represents the total charge, in dollars, by an electrician for hours of work. The electrician charges a onetime fee
plus an hourly rate. What is the best interpretation of the slope of the graph?

A. The electrician’s hourly rate

B. The electrician’s onetime fee

C. The maximum amount that the electrician charges

D. The total amount that the electrician charges

ID: f0773a55 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the electrician charges a onetime fee plus an hourly rate. It's also given that the graph
represents the total charge, in dollars, for hours of work. This graph shows a linear relationship in the xy-plane. Thus, the
total charge , in dollars, for hours of work can be represented as , where is the slope and is the y-
intercept of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane. Since the given graph represents the total charge, in dollars, by an
electrician for hours of work, it follows that its slope is , or the electrician’s hourly rate.

Choice B is incorrect. The electrician's onetime fee is represented by the y-coordinate of the y-intercept, not the slope, of the
graph.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b544a348
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: b544a348

In the solution to the system of equations

above, what is the value of x ?

ID: b544a348 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 7. Subtracting the second equation from the first equation eliminates the variable y.

Dividing both sides of the resulting equation by 4 yields x = 7.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9ed4c1a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9ed4c1a2

What is the slope of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 9ed4c1a2 Answer

Correct Answer: 13.75, 55/4

Rationale
The correct answer is . In the xy-plane, the graph of an equation in the form , where and are constants,
has a slope of and a y-intercept of . Applying the distributive property to the right-hand side of the given equation
yields . Combining like terms yields . This equation is in the form , where
and . It follows that the slope of the graph of in the xy-plane is . Note that 55/4
and 13.75 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 45bba652
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 45bba652

If , what is
the value of ?

A. 2

B. 5

C. 7

D. 12

ID: 45bba652 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Adding the like terms on the left-hand side of the given equation yields . Dividing both
sides of this equation by 5 yields .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from subtracting 5, not dividing by 5, on both sides of the equation .
Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of x, not the value of . Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not the
value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID fb43b85f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: fb43b85f

A line passes through the points and in the xy-plane. What is the slope of the line?

ID: fb43b85f Answer

Correct Answer: 1.636, 18/11

Rationale
The correct answer is . For a line that passes through the points and in the xy-plane, the slope of the
line can be calculated using the slope formula, . It's given that a line passes through the points and
in the xy-plane. Substituting for and for in the slope formula, , yields
, or . Therefore, the slope of the line is . Note that 18/11 and 1.636 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID eafdbbbd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: eafdbbbd

What value of is the solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: eafdbbbd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. For the given equation, is a factor of both terms on the left-hand side. Therefore, the given
equation can be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to
. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3ce92ce8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3ce92ce8

For the given function , the graph of in the xy-plane is parallel to line . What is the slope of line ?

ID: 3ce92ce8 Answer

Correct Answer: 2

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that function is defined by . Therefore, the equation representing the
graph of in the xy-plane is , and the graph is a line. For a linear equation in the form ,
represents the slope of the line. Since the value of in the equation is , the slope of the line defined by
function is . It's given that line is parallel to the line defined by function . The slopes of parallel lines are equal.
Therefore, the slope of line is also .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8a6de407
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 8a6de407

The function f is defined by , where m and b are constants. If

and , what is the value of m ?

ID: 8a6de407 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 2. The slope-intercept form of an equation for a line is , where m is the slope and b is the
y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Two ordered pairs, and , can be used to compute the slope using the formula

. It’s given that and ; therefore, the two ordered pairs for this line are and .

Substituting these values for and gives , or 2.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d02193fb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: d02193fb

The shaded region shown represents the solutions to which inequality?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d02193fb Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The equation for the line representing the boundary of the shaded region can be written in slope-
intercept form , where is the slope and is the y-intercept of the line. For the graph shown, the boundary
line passes through the points and . Given two points on a line, and , the slope of the line can
be calculated using the equation . Substituting the points and for and in this
equation yields , which is equivalent to , or . Since the point represents the y-intercept, it
follows that . Substituting for and for in the equation yields as the equation of the
boundary line. Since the shaded region represents all the points above this boundary line, it follows that the shaded region
shown represents the solutions to the inequality .

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality represents a region below, not above, a boundary line with a slope of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This inequality represents a region below, not above, the boundary line shown.

Choice C is incorrect. This inequality represents a region whose boundary line has a slope of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e53688cb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e53688cb

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

ID: e53688cb Answer

Correct Answer: 18

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given by the second equation in the system that . Substituting for in the first
equation in the system, , yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 41fdc0b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 41fdc0b8

The table above shows the population of Greenleaf, Idaho, for the years 2000 and 2010. If the relationship between
population and year is linear, which of the following functions P models the population of Greenleaf t years after 2000?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 41fdc0b8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It is given that the relationship between population and year is linear; therefore, the function that models
the population t years after 2000 is of the form , where m is the slope and b is the population when . In

the year 2000, . Therefore, . The slope is given by .

Therefore, , which is equivalent to the equation in choice A.

Choice B is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly calculating the slope as just the change in the value of P. Choice C
is incorrect and may be the result of the same error as in choice B, in addition to incorrectly using t to represent the year,
instead of the number of years after 2000. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using t to represent the
year instead of the number of years after 2000.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8c515062
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 8c515062

A candle is made of ounces of wax. When the candle is burning, the amount of wax in the candle decreases by ounce
every hours. If ounces of wax remain in this candle, for how many hours has it been burning?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8c515062 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the candle starts with ounces of wax and has ounces of wax remaining after a period
of time has passed. The amount of wax the candle has lost during the time period can be found by subtracting the remaining
amount of wax from the amount of wax the candle was made of, which yields ounces, or ounces. This means the
candle loses ounces of wax during that period of time. It’s given that the amount of wax decreases by ounce every
hours. If represents the number of hours the candle has been burning, it follows that . Multiplying both sides of
this equation by yields . Therefore, the candle has been burning for hours.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from using the equation rather than to represent the situation, and
then rounding to the nearest whole number.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the amount of wax, in ounces, remaining in the candle, not the number of hours it has been
burning.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the equation rather than to represent the situation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 948087f2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 948087f2

Which of the following ordered pairs (x, y) satisfies the

system of inequalities above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 948087f2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Any point (x, y) that is a solution to the given system of inequalities must satisfy both inequalities in the
system. The second inequality in the system can be rewritten as . Of the given answer choices, only choice D

satisfies this inequality, because inequality is a true statement. The point also satisfies the first
inequality.

Alternate approach: Substituting into the first inequality gives , or , which is a true statement.

Substituting into the second inequality gives , or , which is a true statement. Therefore, since
satisfies both inequalities, it is a solution to the system.

Choice A is incorrect because substituting −2 for x and −1 for y in the first inequality gives , or ,
which is false. Choice B is incorrect because substituting −1 for x and 3 for y in the first inequality gives , or
, which is false. Choice C is incorrect because substituting 1 for x and 5 for y in the first inequality gives ,
or , which is false.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 3008cfc3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 3008cfc3

The table gives the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane. The y-intercept of the line is , where and
are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 3008cfc3 Answer

Correct Answer: 33

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given in the table that the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane are and
. The y-intercept is another point on the line. The slope computed using any pair of points from the line will be
the same. The slope of a line, , between any two points, and , on the line can be calculated using the
slope formula, . It follows that the slope of the line with the given points from the table, and
, is , which is equivalent to , or . It's given that the y-intercept of the line is
. Substituting for and the coordinates of the points and into the slope formula yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

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

Question ID ff501705
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: ff501705

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: ff501705 Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale
The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines represented
by the equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in standard form,
and , are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are proportional to the corresponding
coefficients in the other equation, meaning ; and the lines are distinct if the constants are not proportional, meaning
is not equal to or . The first equation in the given system is . Multiplying each side of this
equation by yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields , or
. The second equation in the given system is . Multiplying each side of this equation by
yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Subtracting from
each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the two equations in the given system, written in standard form,
are and . As previously stated, if this system has no solution, the lines represented by the
equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct, meaning the proportion , or , is true and the
proportion is not true. The proportion is not true. Multiplying each side of the true proportion,
, by yields . Therefore, if the system has no solution, then the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8c5e6702
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 8c5e6702

A window repair specialist charges for the first two hours of repair plus an hourly fee for each additional hour. The total
cost for hours of repair is . Which function gives the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8c5e6702 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the window repair specialist charges for the first two hours of repair plus an hourly
fee for each additional hour. Let represent the hourly fee for each additional hour after the first two hours. Since it’s given
that is the number of hours of repair, it follows that the charge generated by the hourly fee after the first two hours can be
represented by the expression . Therefore, the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair is
. It’s given that the total cost for hours of repair is . Substituting for and for
into the equation yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for
in the equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Therefore, the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair is
.

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist charges
, rather than , for the first two hours of repair.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist charges
, rather than , for the first two hours of repair, and an hourly fee of , rather than , after the first two hours.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist charges
, rather than , for the first two hours of repair, and an hourly fee of , rather than , after the first two hours.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9bbce683
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9bbce683

For line , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Line is the result of translating line
down units in the xy-plane. What is the x-intercept of line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9bbce683 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The equation of line can be written in slope-intercept form , where is the slope of the
line and is the y-intercept of the line. It’s given that line contains the points , , and .
Therefore, its slope can be found as , or . Substituting for in the equation yields .
Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in yields . Since line is the result of
translating line down units, an equation of line is , or . Substituting for in this
equation yields . Solving this equation for yields . Therefore, the x-intercept of line is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 686b7244
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 686b7244

A certain apprentice has enrolled in hours of training courses. The equation represents this situation,
where is the number of on-site training courses and is the number of online training courses this apprentice has enrolled
in. How many more hours does each online training course take than each on-site training course?

ID: 686b7244 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the equation represents the situation, where is the number of on-
site training courses, is the number of online training courses, and is the total number of hours of training courses the
apprentice has enrolled in. Therefore, represents the number of hours the apprentice has enrolled in on-site training
courses, and represents the number of hours the apprentice has enrolled in online training courses. Since is the
number of on-site training courses and is the number of online training courses the apprentice has enrolled in, is the
number of hours each on-site course takes and is the number of hours each online course takes. Subtracting these
numbers gives , or more hours each online training course takes than each on-site training course.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 days is for the first day and for each
additional day. Therefore, the cost , in dollars, for days, where , is the sum of the cost for the first day, , and
the cost for the additional days, . It follows that , which is equivalent to
, or .

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

Question ID db422e7f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: db422e7f

Line is defined by . Line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. What is the slope of line ?

ID: db422e7f Answer

Correct Answer: .5, 1/2

Rationale
The correct answer is . For an equation in slope-intercept form , represents the slope of the line in the xy-
plane defined by this equation. It's given that line is defined by . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or . Thus,
the slope of line is . If line is perpendicular to line , then the slope of line is the negative reciprocal of the slope of
line . The negative reciprocal of is . Note that 1/2 and .5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

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
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

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 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

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

Question ID 25e1cfed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 25e1cfed

How many solutions does the equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 25e1cfed Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Applying the distributive property to each side of the given equation yields .
Applying the commutative property of addition to the right-hand side of this equation yields .
Since the two sides of the equation are equivalent, this equation is true for any value of . Therefore, the given equation has
infinitely many solutions.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

Question ID 541bef2f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 541bef2f

Which point is a solution to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 541bef2f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A point is a solution to a system of inequalities in the xy-plane if substituting the x-coordinate and
the y-coordinate of the point for and , respectively, in each inequality makes both of the inequalities true. Substituting the
x-coordinate and the y-coordinate of choice D, and , for and , respectively, in the first inequality in the given system,
, yields , or , which is true. Substituting for and for in the second inequality in the
given system, , yields , or , which is true. Therefore, the point is a solution
to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or , which
is not true.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or

, which is not true.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or , which is
not true.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f75bd744
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f75bd744

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: f75bd744 Answer

Correct Answer: 8

Rationale
The correct answer is . The given system of equations can be solved using the elimination method. Multiplying both sides
of the second equation in the given system by yields , or . Adding this equation to
the first equation in the given system, , yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
, or . If the given system has no solution, then
the equation has no solution. If this equation has no solution, the coefficients of on each side of
the equation, and , must be equal, which yields the equation . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields . Thus, if the system has no solution, the value of is .

Alternate approach: A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines represented by the
equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in the form , where , ,
and are constant terms, are parallel if the ratio of the x-coefficients is equal to the ratio of the y-coefficients, and distinct if
the ratio of the x-coefficients are not equal to the ratio of the constant terms. Subtracting from both sides of the first
equation in the given system yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of the second equation in the given system yields , or . The
ratio of the x-coefficients for these equations is , or . The ratio of the y-coefficients for these equations is . The
ratio of the constant terms for these equations is , or . Since the ratio of the x-coefficients, , is not equal to the ratio
of the constants, , the lines represented by the equations are distinct. Setting the ratio of the x-coefficients equal to the
ratio of the y-coefficients yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, when , the lines represented by these equations are parallel.
Thus, if the system has no solution, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b3abf40f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: b3abf40f

The function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. If a
temperature increased by kelvins, by how much did the temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b3abf40f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit,
that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. A temperature that increased by kelvins means that the value of
increased by kelvins. It follows that an increase in by increases by , or . Therefore, if a
temperature increased by kelvins, the temperature increased by degrees Fahrenheit.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the equation has no solution. A linear equation in the
form , where , , , and are constants, has no solution only when the coefficients of on each side of
the equation are equal and the constant terms aren't equal. Dividing both sides of the given equation by yields
, or . Since the coefficients of on each side of the equation must be equal, it
follows that the value of is . Note that 16/17, .9411, .9412, and 0.941 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6c71f3ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 6c71f3ec

A salesperson’s total earnings consist of a base salary of dollars per year, plus commission earnings of of the total
sales the salesperson makes during the year. This year, the salesperson has a goal for the total earnings to be at least
times and at most times the base salary. Which of the following inequalities represents all possible values of total sales ,
in dollars, the salesperson can make this year in order to meet that goal?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6c71f3ec Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that a salesperson's total earnings consist of a base salary of dollars per year plus
commission earnings of of the total sales the salesperson makes during the year. If the salesperson makes dollars in
total sales this year, the salesperson’s total earnings can be represented by the expression . It’s also given that the
salesperson has a goal for the total earnings to be at least times and at most times the base salary, which can be
represented by the expressions and , respectively. Therefore, this situation can be represented by the inequality
. Subtracting from each part of this inequality yields . Dividing each part of this
inequality by yields . Therefore, the inequality represents all possible values
of total sales , in dollars, the salesperson can make this year in order to meet their goal.

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total sales, rather than the total earnings, are at least
times and at most times, rather than at least times and at most times, the base salary.

Choice C is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total sales, rather than the total earnings, are at least
times and at most times the base salary.

Choice D is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total earnings are at least times and at most
times, rather than at least times and at most times, the base salary.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the functions and are defined as and . If
the function is defined as , then substituting for and for in this
function yields . This can be rewritten as , or . The x-
intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . The equation representing the graph of
is . Substituting for in this equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation
yields , or . Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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
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

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 . It's given that a number is at most less than times the value of . Therefore, is less than
or equal to less than times the value of . The expression represents times the value of . The expression
represents less than times the value of . Therefore, is less than or equal to . This can be shown by the
inequality . Substituting for in this inequality yields or, . Therefore, if the value of
is , the greatest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Question ID b9835972
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: b9835972

In the xy-plane, line 𝓁 passes through the point and is parallel to the line represented by the equation . If
line 𝓁 also passes through the point , what is the value of ?

ID: b9835972 Answer

Correct Answer: 24

Rationale
The correct answer is . A line in the xy-plane can be defined by the equation , where is the slope of the line
and is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. It's given that line 𝓁 passes through the point . Therefore, the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept of line 𝓁 is . It's given that line 𝓁 is parallel to the line represented by the equation .
Since parallel lines have the same slope, it follows that the slope of line 𝓁 is . Therefore, line 𝓁 can be defined by an equation
in the form , where and . Substituting for and for in yields the equation
, or . If line 𝓁 passes through the point , then when , for the equation .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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
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

Question ID 05bb1af9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 05bb1af9

The graph of is shown. Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 05bb1af9 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. An equation for the graph shown can be written in slope-intercept form , where is the
slope of the graph and its y-intercept is . Since the y-intercept of the graph shown is , the value of is . Since the
graph also passes through the point , the slope can be calculated as , or . Therefore, the value of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields . It’s given that an equation for the
graph shown is . Substituting for in the equation yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc7ffe02
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cc7ffe02

Keenan made cups of vegetable broth. Keenan then filled small jars and large jars with all the vegetable broth he
made. The equation represents this situation. Which is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The number of large jars Keenan filled

B. The number of small jars Keenan filled

C. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars

D. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars

ID: cc7ffe02 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the equation represents the situation where Keenan filled small jars and
large jars with all the vegetable broth he made, which was cups. Therefore, represents the total number of cups of
vegetable broth in the small jars and represents the total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars.

Choice A is incorrect. The number of large jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice B is incorrect. The number of small jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice D is incorrect. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars is represented by , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1362ccde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 1362ccde

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

ID: 1362ccde Answer

Correct Answer: 35

Rationale
The correct answer is . The first equation in the given system of equations defines as . Substituting for
in the second equation in the given system of equations yields . Applying the distributive property on
the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields
. Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Substituting for in the first equation of
the given system of equations yields , or . Substituting for and for into the
expression yields , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

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
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

Question ID 7d5d1b32
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 7d5d1b32

In the given equation, and are constants and . The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 7d5d1b32 Answer

Correct Answer: -.9333, -14/15

Rationale
The correct answer is . A linear equation in the form has no solution only when the coefficients of
on each side of the equation are equal and the constant terms are not equal. Dividing both sides of the given equation by
yields , or . Since it’s given that the equation has no solution, the coefficient
of on both sides of this equation must be equal, and the constant terms on both sides of this equation must not be equal.
Since , and it's given that , the second condition is true. Thus, must be equal to . Note that -14/15,
-.9333, and -0.933 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Question ID ee7b1de1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: ee7b1de1

A small business owner budgets to purchase candles. The owner must purchase a minimum of candles to
maintain the discounted pricing. If the owner pays per candle to purchase small candles and per candle to
purchase large candles, what is the maximum number of large candles the owner can purchase to stay within the budget
and maintain the discounted pricing?

ID: ee7b1de1 Answer

Correct Answer: 182

Rationale
The correct answer is . Let represent the number of small candles the owner can purchase, and let 𝓁 represent the
number of large candles the owner can purchase. It’s given that the owner pays per candle to purchase small candles
and per candle to purchase large candles. Therefore, the owner pays dollars for small candles and 𝓁
dollars for 𝓁 large candles, which means the owner pays a total of 𝓁 dollars to purchase candles. It’s given
that the owner budgets to purchase candles. Therefore, 𝓁 . It’s also given that the owner
must purchase a minimum of candles. Therefore, 𝓁 . The inequalities 𝓁 and
𝓁 can be combined into one compound inequality by rewriting the second inequality so that its left-hand side is
equivalent to the left-hand side of the first inequality. Subtracting 𝓁 from both sides of the inequality 𝓁 yields
𝓁. Multiplying both sides of this inequality by yields 𝓁 , or 𝓁.
Adding 𝓁 to both sides of this inequality yields 𝓁 𝓁 𝓁, or
𝓁 𝓁. This inequality can be combined with the inequality 𝓁 , which
yields the compound inequality 𝓁 𝓁 . It follows that 𝓁 .
Subtracting from both sides of this inequality yields 𝓁 . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields
approximately 𝓁 . Since the number of large candles the owner purchases must be a whole number, the maximum
number of large candles the owner can purchase is the largest whole number less than , which is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 94b48cbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 94b48cbf

The graph of in the -plane has an -intercept at and a -intercept at , where and are
constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 94b48cbf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The x-coordinate of the x-intercept can be found by substituting for in the given equation,
which gives , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
value of is . The y-coordinate of the y-intercept can be found by substituting for in the given equation,
which gives , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
value of is . It follows that the value of is , which is equivalent to , or .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 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

Question ID 45a534d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 45a534d0

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: 45a534d0 Answer

Correct Answer: -34

Rationale
The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. Two lines represented by equations in standard form
, where , , and are constants, are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are proportional
to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation. The first equation in the given system can be written in standard
form by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield . The second equation in the given
system can be written in standard form by adding to both sides of the equation to yield . The coefficient
of in this second equation, , is times the coefficient of in the first equation, . For the lines to be parallel the
coefficient of in the second equation, , must also be times the coefficient of in the first equation, . Thus,
, or . Therefore, if the given system has no solution, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50f4cb9c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 50f4cb9c

For the linear function , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Function is defined by
, where and are constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 50f4cb9c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The table gives that when . Substituting 0 for and for into the equation
yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . The table gives that
when . Substituting for , for , and for into the equation yields
. Combining like terms yields , or . Since , substituting for into this
equation gives , which yields . Thus, the value of can be written as , which is
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not . Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Question ID adb0c96c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: adb0c96c

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

ID: adb0c96c Answer

Correct Answer: 80

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting the second equation in the given system from the first equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing each side
of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the second equation yields . Adding to both
sides of this equation yields .

Alternate approach: Multiplying each side of the second equation in the given system by yields .
Subtracting the first equation in the given system from this equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

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 . The given equation can be rewritten as . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, is the value of
that is the solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a309803e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a309803e

One gallon of paint will cover square feet of a surface. A room has a total wall area of square feet. Which equation
represents the total amount of paint , in gallons, needed to paint the walls of the room twice?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a309803e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that represents the total wall area, in square feet. Since the walls of the room will be painted
twice, the amount of paint, in gallons, needs to cover square feet. It’s also given that one gallon of paint will cover
square feet. Dividing the total area, in square feet, of the surface to be painted by the number of square feet covered by one
gallon of paint gives the number of gallons of paint that will be needed. Dividing by yields , or . Therefore,
the equation that represents the total amount of paint , in gallons, needed to paint the walls of the room twice is .

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

Choice C is incorrect and may result from finding the amount of paint needed to paint the walls once rather than twice.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5bf5136d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 5bf5136d

The triangle inequality theorem states that the sum of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third
side. If a triangle has side lengths of and , which inequality represents the possible lengths, , of the third side of the
triangle?

A.

B.

C.

D. or

ID: 5bf5136d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that a triangle has side lengths of and , and represents the length of the third side of the
triangle. It’s also given that the triangle inequality theorem states that the sum of any two sides of a triangle must be greater
than the length of the third side. Therefore, the inequalities , , and represent all
possible values of . Subtracting from both sides of the inequality yields , or . Adding
and in the inequality yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of the inequality
yields , or . Since all x-values that satisfy the inequality also satisfy the inequality , it
follows that the inequalities and represent the possible values of . Therefore, the inequality
represents the possible lengths, , of the third side of the triangle.

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality gives the upper bound for but does not include its lower bound.

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

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

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

Question ID 6989c80a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 6989c80a

The function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. If a
temperature increased by kelvins, by how much did the temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6989c80a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit,
that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. A temperature that increased by kelvins means that the value of
increased by kelvins. It follows that an increase in by increases by , or . Therefore, if a
temperature increased by kelvins, the temperature increased by degrees Fahrenheit.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0cb57740
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 0cb57740

Each side of a -sided polygon has one of three lengths. The number of sides with length is times
the number of sides with length . There are sides with length . Which equation must be true for the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0cb57740 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that each side of a -sided polygon has one of three lengths. It's also given that the number of
sides with length is times the number of sides with length . Therefore, there are , or ,
sides with length . It’s also given that there are sides with length . Therefore, the number of , , and
sides are , , and , respectively. Since there are a total of sides, the equation represents this
situation. Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Therefore, the equation that must
be true for the value of is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

Question ID d8539e09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: d8539e09

For which of the following tables are all the values of and their corresponding values of solutions to the given inequality?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d8539e09 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. All the tables in the choices have the same three values of , so each of the three values of can be
substituted in the given inequality to compare the corresponding values of in each of the tables. Substituting for in the
given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of is less than .
Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value
of is less than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the
corresponding value of is less than . For the table in choice C, when , the corresponding value of is , which is
less than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is less than ; when , the corresponding value of
is , which is less than . Therefore, the table in choice C gives values of and their corresponding values of that are
all solutions to the given inequality.

Choice A is incorrect. In the table for choice A, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ;
when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ; when , the corresponding value of is ,
which is not less than .

Choice B is incorrect. In the table for choice B, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than .

Choice D is incorrect. In the table for choice D, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ;
when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ; when , the corresponding value of is ,
which is not less than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 48fb34c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 48fb34c8

For which of the following tables are all the values of and their corresponding values of solutions to the given inequality?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 48fb34c8 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. All the tables in the choices have the same three values of , so each of the three values of can be
substituted in the given inequality to compare the corresponding values of in each of the tables. Substituting for in the
given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of is greater than .
Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding
value of is greater than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when
, the corresponding value of is greater than . For the table in choice D, when , the corresponding value of
is , which is greater than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is greater than ; when , the
corresponding value of is , which is greater than . Therefore, the table in choice D gives values of and their
corresponding values of that are all solutions to the given inequality.

Choice A is incorrect. In the table for choice A, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ;
when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ; when , the corresponding value of is
, which is not greater than .

Choice B is incorrect. In the table for choice B, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ;
when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than .

Choice C is incorrect. In the table for choice C, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ;
when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ; when , the corresponding value of is
, which is not greater than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Rationale
The correct answer is . Multiplying the first equation in the given system by yields . Subtracting the
second equation in the given system, , from yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . The value of can be found by substituting for in either of the two given
equations. Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or .
Therefore, the value of is , or . Note that 9/5 and 1.8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc3e9528
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cc3e9528

The graph of is translated down units in the xy-plane. What is the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the
resulting graph?

ID: cc3e9528 Answer

Correct Answer: 59/9, 6.555, 6.556

Rationale
The correct answer is . When the graph of an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, is
translated down units in the xy-plane, the resulting graph can be represented by the equation . It’s
given that the graph of is translated down units in the xy-plane. Therefore, the resulting graph can be
represented by the equation , or . Adding to both sides of this equation
yields . The x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of an equation in the xy-plane is the value of in the
equation when . Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the resulting graph is .
Note that 59/9, 6.555, and 6.556 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 153ee763
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 153ee763

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 153ee763 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A linear equation in one variable has no solution if and only if the equation is false; that is, when there is
no value of that produces a true statement. It's given that in the equation , is a constant and the
equation has no solution for . Therefore, the value of the constant is one that results in a false equation. Factoring out the
common factor of on the left-hand side of the given equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . This equation
is false if and only if . Adding to both sides of yields . Dividing both sides of this equation
by yields . It follows that the equation is false if and only if . Therefore, the given equation has no
solution if and only if the value of is .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

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

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by , or , yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides
of this equation by yields . Therefore, if , then the value of is . It follows that of the given
choices, the value of is between and .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

Question ID f03465dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f03465dc

For each real number , which of the following points lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f03465dc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Dividing both sides of the second equation in the given system by yields , which is the
first equation in the given system. Therefore, the first and second equations represent the same line in the xy-plane. If the x-
and y-coordinates of a point satisfy an equation, the point lies on the graph of the equation in the xy-plane. Choice A is a
point with x-coordinate and y-coordinate . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of this equation yields
. Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields , so the coordinates of the point
satisfy both equations in the given system. Therefore, for each real number , the point lies
on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given system.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a35c7164
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a35c7164

In the given pair of equations, and are constants. The graph of this pair of equations in the xy-plane is a pair of
perpendicular lines. Which of the following pairs of equations also represents a pair of perpendicular lines?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a35c7164 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Two lines are perpendicular if their slopes are negative reciprocals, meaning that the slope of the first
line is equal to divided by the slope of the second line. Each equation in the given pair of equations can be written in
slope-intercept form, , where is the slope of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane and is the y-
intercept. For the first equation, , subtracting from both sides gives , and dividing both sides
of this equation by gives . Therefore, the slope of the graph of this equation is . For the second
equation, , subtracting from both sides gives , and dividing both sides of this equation by
gives . Therefore, the slope of the graph of this equation is . Since the graph of the given pair of
equations is a pair of perpendicular lines, the slope of the graph of the second equation, , must be the negative
reciprocal of the slope of the graph of the first equation, . The negative reciprocal of is , or . Therefore,
, or . Similarly, rewriting the equations in choice B in slope-intercept form yields and
. It follows that the slope of the graph of the first equation in choice B is and the slope of the graph of
the second equation in choice B is . Since , is equal to , or . Since is the negative
reciprocal of , the pair of equations in choice B represents a pair of perpendicular lines.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03503d49
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 03503d49

A business owner plans to purchase the same model of chair for each of the employees. The total budget to spend on
these chairs is , which includes a sales tax. Which of the following is closest to the maximum possible price per
chair, before sales tax, the business owner could pay based on this budget?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 03503d49 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that a business owner plans to purchase chairs. If is the price per chair, the total price of
purchasing chairs is . It’s also given that sales tax is included, which is equivalent to multiplied by , or
. Since the total budget is , the inequality representing the situation is given by .
Dividing both sides of this inequality by and rounding the result to two decimal places gives . To not
exceed the budget, the maximum possible price per chair is .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This is the maximum possible price per chair including sales tax, not the maximum possible price per
chair before sales tax.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the maximum possible price if the sales tax is added to the total budget, not the maximum
possible price per chair before sales tax.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d54c272
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 2d54c272

At a school fair, students can win colored tokens that are worth a different number of points depending on the color. One
student won green tokens and red tokens worth a total of points. The given equation represents this situation. How
many more points is a red token worth than a green token?

ID: 2d54c272 Answer

Correct Answer: 40

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that , where is the number of green tokens and is the number of
red tokens won by one student and these tokens are worth a total of points. Since the equation represents the situation
where the student won points with green tokens and red tokens for a total of points, each term on the left-hand side of
the equation represents the number of points won for one of the colors. Since the coefficient of in the given equation is ,
a green token must be worth points. Similarly, since the coefficient of in the given equation is , a red token must be
worth points. Therefore, a red token is worth points, or points, more than a green token.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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
Choice C is correct. It’s given that store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint, and a
certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries at store A would cost . It’s also given that store B sells raspberries
for per pint and blackberries for per pint, and this purchase of raspberries and blackberries at store B would
cost . Let represent the number of pints of raspberries and represent the number of pints of blackberries in this
purchase. The equation represents this purchase of raspberries and blackberries from store A
and the equation represents this purchase of raspberries and blackberries from store B. Solving
the system of equations by elimination gives the value of and the value of that make the system of equations true.
Multiplying both sides of the equation for store A by yields , or
. Multiplying both sides of the equation for store B by yields
, or . Subtracting both sides of the equation for
store A, , from the corresponding sides of the equation for store B, , yields
, or . Dividing both sides of this equationby
yields . Thus, 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

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
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

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 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

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
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
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
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

Question ID 14360f84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 14360f84

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 14360f84 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines represented by the
equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane represented by equations in the
form , where , , and are constants, are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are
proportional to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation. The first equation in the given system can be written in
the form by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield . The second equation in
the given system can be written in the form by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield
. The coefficient of in this second equation, , is times the coefficient of in the first equation, . For
the lines to be parallel, the coefficient of in the second equation, , must also be times the coefficient of in the first
equation, . Thus, , or . Therefore, if the given system has no solution, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Choice B is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

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

Question ID 9d0396d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9d0396d4

The point with coordinates lies on the line shown. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9d0396d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given from the graph that the points and lie on the line. For two points on a line,
and , the slope of the line can be calculated using the slope formula . Substituting for
and for in this formula, the slope of the line can be calculated as , or . It's also given that
the point lies on the line. Substituting for , for , and for in the slope formula
yields , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Expanding
the left-hand side of this equation yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields .
Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Thus, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of when .

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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
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

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

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

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

Question ID 75012ee7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 75012ee7

For each real number , which of the following points lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 75012ee7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The two given equations are equivalent because the second equation can be obtained from the first
equation by multiplying each side of the equation by . Thus, the graphs of the equations are coincident, so if a point lies on
the graph of one of the equations, it also lies on the graph of the other equation. A point lies on the graph of an
equation in the xy-plane if and only if this point represents a solution to the equation. It is sufficient, therefore, to find the
point that represents a solution to the first given equation. Substituting the x- and y-coordinates of choice B, and
, for and , respectively, in the first equation yields , which is equivalent to , or
. Therefore, the point represents a solution to the first equation and thus lies on the graph of each
equation in the xy-plane for the given system.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 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

Question ID 5e08a055
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 5e08a055

One of the equations in a system of two linear equations is given. The system has no solution. Which equation could be the
second equation in the system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5e08a055 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines represented by the
equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in standard form, and
, are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are proportional to the corresponding coefficients
in the other equation, meaning ; and the lines are distinct if the constants are not proportional, meaning is not
equal to or . The given equation, , can be written in standard form by subtracting from both sides of
the equation to yield . Therefore, the given equation can be written in the form , where
, , and . The equation in choice B, , is written in the form , where
, , and . Therefore, , which can be rewritten as ; , which can be rewritten as
; and , which can be rewritten as . Since , , and is not equal to , it follows that
the given equation and the equation are parallel and distinct. Therefore, a system of two linear equations
consisting of the given equation and the equation has no solution. Thus, the equation in choice B could be
the second equation in the system.

Choice A is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent the same line in the xy-plane.
Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have infinitely many solutions, rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent lines in the xy-plane that are distinct
and not parallel. Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have exactly one solution, rather than no solution.

Choice D is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent lines in the xy-plane that are distinct
and not parallel. Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have exactly one solution, rather than no solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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

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

Question ID bbf9e5ce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: bbf9e5ce

For groups of or more people, a museum charges per person for the first people and for each additional
person. Which function gives the total charge, in dollars, for a tour group with people, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bbf9e5ce Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A tour group with people, where , can be split into two subgroups: the first people and the
additional people. Since the museum charges per person for the first people and for each additional
person, the charge for the first people is and the charge for the additional people is .
Therefore, the total charge, in dollars, is given by the function , or .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 27f5fff3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 27f5fff3

If a new graph of three linear equations is created using the system of equations shown and the equation ,
how many solutions will the resulting system of three equations have?

A. Zero

B. Exactly one

C. Exactly two

D. Infinitely many

ID: 27f5fff3 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. A solution to a system of equations must satisfy each equation in the system. It follows that if an
ordered pair is a solution to the system, the point lies on the graph in the xy-plane of each equation in the
system. The only point that lies on each graph of the system of two linear equations shown is their intersection point .
It follows that if a new graph of three linear equations is created using the system of equations shown and the graph of
, this system has either zero solutions or one solution, the point . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . Since this equation is not true, the point does not lie
on the graph of . Therefore, is not a solution to the system of three equations. It follows that there are
zero solutions to this system.

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Hard