Question 350-30

1.2 Command of Evidence - Quantitative evidence: reading tables and graphs
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350300250200150100500Number of submissions2016201720182019Total Science Research Submissions by Topic, 20162019Year cellular and molecular biology physics and space science medicine and health animal science
  • The following 4 lines are shown:
    • cellular and molecular biology
    • physics and space science
    • medicine and health
    • animal science
  • The cellular and molecular biology line:
    • Begins at 2016, 200 submissions
    • Rises sharply to 2017, 301 submissions
    • Falls gradually to 2018, 280 submissions
    • Remains level to 2019, 280 submissions
  • The physics and space science line: 
    • Begins at 2016, 96 submissions
    • Falls gradually to 2017, 90 submissions
    • Falls gradually to 2018, 87 submissions
    • Rises gradually to 2019, 99 submissions
  • The medicine and health line:
    • Begins at 2016, 221 submissions
    • Falls gradually to 2017, 220 submissions
    • Rises gradually to 2018, 224 submissions
    • Rises sharply to 2019, 286 submissions
  • The animal science line:
    • Begins at 2016, 50 submissions
    • Remains level to 2017, 50 submissions
    • Remains level to 2018, 50 submissions
    • Rises gradually to 2019, 88 submissions

A student is researching the trends in the topics submitted to a national science fair for high school students. The graph shows the number of submissions by topic that were made each year. Based on the data in the graph, the student claims that there were more medicine and health research topics submitted in 2019 than in any other year.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to support the underlined claim?

A.

In 2016, the number of cellular and molecular biology topic submissions was the same as the number of animal science topic submissions.

B.

In 2019, there were more physics and space science topic submissions than there were medicine and health topic submissions.

C.

The lowest number of animal science topic submissions in a year was approximately 95 in 2016. 

D.

The highest number of medicine and health topic submissions during the period shown is approximately 285 in 2019. 

350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Number of submissions 2016 2017 2018 2019 Total

Medium-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Command of Evidence — Quantitative evidence: reading tables and graphs. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer because it effectively uses data from the graph to support the underlined claim that more medicine and health topics were submitted to a national science fair in 2019 than in any of the other years shown. This choice indies that the approximately 285 medicine and health topics submitted in 2019 are more than the number of medicine and health submissions in any other year shown—a description that is supported by information in the graph, which shows that medicine and health topic submissions were below 250 in 2016, 2017, and 2018, but above 250 (approximately 285 submissions) in 2019.

Choice A is incorrect because it doesn’t support the underlined claim or accurately reflect the information in the graph. This choice refers to 2016 and discusses cellular and molecular biology and animal science, whereas the underlined claim refers to 2019 and discusses medicine and health. Moreover, the claim that in 2016 there were equal numbers of submissions in the cellular and molecular biology egory and in the animal science egory is contradicted by the graph, which shows approximately 200 submissions and 50 submissions, respectively, for those egories in 2016. Choice B is incorrect because it doesn’t accurately reflect the information in the graph. This choice claims that in 2019 there were more physics and space submissions than there were medicine and health submissions, but the graph shows that there were approximately 100 space and science submissions that year and approximately 285 medicine and health submissions. Choice C is incorrect because it doesn’t accurately reflect the information in the graph or support the underlined claim about medicine and health research topics. This choice claims that there were approximately 95 submissions for the animal science egory in 2016, but the graph shows that the number was closer to 50 in 2016.