would not necessarily be clarity on the makeup of the government

spending.
12. (B) In the year 2000, interest represented 12% of U.S. government
spending, while in 2020, interest represented 5%. So, it would be
reasonable to conclude that a federal budget analyst would be more
concerned about overspending on interest in 2000 than in 2020. The
other three categories all increased in their percentage of federal
spending from 2000 to 2020, so it would be more likely that an analyst
would be concerned about overspending in these categories in 2020,
not in 2000.

Quantitative Evidence Question

Now that we have warmed up with the previous exercise, let us do an
example of what you will actually see on the SAT for this type of question.

Example
Source: Adapted from Statista.com

Through observations of foot traffic at local shopping malls over a

five-year period between 2011 and 2016, a student concludes that most
consumers are increasingly interested in shopping at in-person
locations. The student argues that while consumers may be aware of the
possibility of Internet shopping, they are not showing an increased
interest in purchasing items using an Internet-based platform.
Which choice best describes data from the figures that would weaken
the student’s argument?
(A) The worldwide number of digital consumers and the worldwide
business to consumer sales have an inverse relationship.
 (B) Worldwide business to consumer sales and the number of digital
consumers both consistently increased from 2011–2016.
(C) While consumers increasingly spent their money on Internet-based
platforms between the years 2011–2016, consumers significantly
curtailed the amount of money they spent at physical store
locations.
(D) The amount of digital consumer spending leveled off in the years
2015 and 2016, demonstrating an increasing reluctance to
embrace a new medium for shopping.

Answer Explanation
Start by reading the text and the question. On quantitative evidence questions,
the primary claim, conclusion, or hypothesis is typically stated in the final
sentence of the text. So, while you should read the entirety of the text, be
certain to read the final sentence of the text very carefully. The main argument
expressed in the text is that while consumers are aware of Internet shopping,
they are not actually purchasing items over the Internet. The question asks us
to find data from the figures that would hurt the student’s argument—in other
words, we need data that shows that consumers are purchasing items over the
Internet. Now, let’s examine the figures to find evidence of this. Figure 1
shows that business to consumer sales consistently increased over this time.
Figure 2 shows that the number of digital buyers increased over this period.
Let’s evaluate the choices. It is not (A) because there is a positive
correlation between the sales and consumers, not an inverse relationship. It
is not (C) because there is no information in the figures about how much
money consumers spent at physical store locations. It is not (D) because the
amount of digital consumer spending increased, not leveled off; also, this
claim would support the author’s argument rather than undermine it. The
correct answer is choice (B) because it cites evidence about the increase in
Internet spending that hurts the author’s argument.

Practice Questions
1.
 Market researchers have found that consumer behavior is influenced by
many factors. Some factors, like motivation and learning, are based on
concrete mental actions over which consumers feel they have a choice.
While consumers may want to feel they are in control of their
purchasing decisions, psychological factors are only about 15% of
what influences their commercial behavior. Personal and cultural
factors, largely outside of a consumer’s psychological control,
constitute a/an __________
Which choice most effectively uses information from the graph to
complete the statement?
(A) mere 25% of what influences consumers.
(B) significant 60% of the factors affecting consumers.
(C) important component of what consumers learn.
(D) much larger 85% of what impacts consumer behavior.
2.
Depending on the time of year, different substances play a greater role
in providing ground covering. In the winter months, ice and snow can
together constitute nearly half of what covers the ground in a given
area. In the summer, the ice and snow melt away, leaving virtually
nothing but sediment on the ground. So, while the ice and snow will
vary quite a bit from month to month, the amount of sediment on the
ground __________
Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the
example?
 (A) remains roughly the same depth throughout the year.
(B) is thickest in February.
(C) is thinnest in August.
(D) increases in depth from August to December.
3.

Scientists studied 164 families over a period of five years. During that time, the researchers
recorded the families’ perceptions of well-known stressors as positive or negative. The results of
this study are summarized in th figure above.

Some researchers argue that knowledge about the typical family

perception of common stressors can be helpful to psychologists in
anticipating what life events are most likely and least likely to cause
patients stress. A college professor takes a different approach, arguing
that some events are not consistently viewed as positive or negative by
patients, making it more challenging for psychologists to predict how
patients will perceive life events.
 Which choice gives an example from the table that the college
professor would most likely cite to support her argument?
(A) Birth of a new child
(B) Marriage
(C) Moving to a new home
(D) Job loss
4.

Year
Antibiotic Discovered Year Resistant Bacteria Discovered
Penicillin 1941 1942 Penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
1967 Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
1976 Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Vancomycin 1958 1988 Plasmid-mediated vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
2002 Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Amphotericin B 1959 2016 Amphotericin B-resistant Candida auris
Methicillin 1960 1960 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Azithromycin 1980 2011 Azithromycin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Caspofungin 2001 2004 Caspofungin-resistant Candida
Daptomycin 2003 2004 Daptomycin-resistant methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Ceftazidime- 2015 2015 Ceftazidime-avibactam-resistant KPC-producing
avibactam Klebsiella pneumoniae

Information in table sourced from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html

It is critical that doctors not overprescribe antibiotics to patients. While

it is difficult for a doctor to ignore the illness of the patient in their
immediate care, they must consider that by prescribing antibiotics to
those patients not in an acute situation, they might be contributing to the
development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The increasing speed at
which antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop after the discovery of a new
antibiotic underscores the critical need for doctors to be prudent in
their prescriptions.
 Which choice best describes data from the table that supports the
writer’s argument?
(A) After all—penicillin had antibiotic-resistant bacteria discovered
not once, not twice, but three times over the years.
(B) Impressively, biologists were able to craft an antibiotic that
managed to avoid becoming antibiotic resistant for over five
decades: Amphotericin B.
(C) Some antibiotics are simply not as effective as others; methicillin,
for example, had an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria
discovered in the very same year the antibiotic was created by
scientists.
(D) While it took thirty years before an antibiotic-resistant bacteria
for vancomycin to form, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the
newer ceftazidime-avibactam developed in the same year the
drug was introduced.
5.

During the colonial era, when the Iroquois remained unified, they
represented a major obstacle to the advancement of European settlers
on the American continent. Once the Iroquois became disunited,
however, they became a less formidable opponent to settlers,
eventually leading to their conquest. The historical turning point from
the period of Iroquois unity to disunity is typically seen as __________
 Which choice most effectively uses data from the timeline to complete
the example?
(A) Turtle Island
(B) Mourning Wars
(C) the American Revolution
(D) the Dissolution of the League
6.

Tortoiseshell cats have a coat that contains a mixture of orange and

black fur, while calico cats have orange, white, and black patches. Cats
with these two coat variations have a lot in common, including the
reason why they have both orange and black fur. Nearly all tortoiseshell
and calico cats are female. This is because the gene that dictates
whether the cat’s fur is orange or black is located on the X
chromosome. Since male cats have XY chromosomes, they will usually
only have one allele coding for either orange fur or black fur. As
indicated in a recent breeding study in which a calico cat was bred
with an orange cat, with the results in the accompanying graph, it is
most likely that these two groupings of cat coloration would have some
male members: __________
Which choice most effectively uses data from the chart to complete the
example?
 (A) Calico and black
(B) Tortoiseshell and calico
(C) Orange and black
(D) Orange and tortoiseshell
7.

Adapted from pewresearch.org.

To investigate the popularity of web usage by high school students, a

sociologist utilized a study from the 2010s that asked teens not just if
they used the Internet, but how frequently they used the Internet daily.
The sociologist concluded that between the years of 2014 and 2018,
while there was not a significant change in those teens who chose to use
the Internet, the frequency of their Internet use increased significantly.
Which choice best describes data from the graphs that support the
sociologist’s conclusion?
(A) The percentage of teens who reported using the Internet almost
constantly increased from 26% to 45% between 2014 and 2018.
(B) Teens who reported using the Internet less often slightly
decreased between 2014 and 2018, going down a full percentage
point.
 (C) The total percentage of teens who either use the Internet several
times a day or almost constantly remained roughly the same
between the years 2014 and 2018.
(D) The total number of teenage Internet users increased significantly
between the years 2014 and 2018.
8.

Critical exposure periods for thalidomide-associated developmental defects during human development.
Source: Thalidomide: The Tragedy of Birth Defects and the Effective Treatment of Disease, by
James Kim. Published in 2011.

Thalidomide was marketed toward pregnant women in the mid-1900s

with promises to alleviate morning sickness. What the pharmaceutical
company that marketed this drug and consumers did not know is that the
reaction behind the making of this drug produced two products with
 remarkably similar structures. One structure was a sedative while the
other was teratogenic, meaning it could disrupt the development of a
fetus. The drug was banned from production after this fact was realized,
but not before countless children around the world had been born with
severe birth defects. In fact, if the drug had been administered at the
following interval after conception, it could potentially cause multiple
birth defects: __________
Which choice most effectively uses data from the chart to complete the
example?
(A) days 21–23.
(B) days 24–26.
(C) days 27–31.
(D) days 32–35.
9.

(Source: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

 Bedbug infestations present a major threat to the safety and comfort of
people living in major urban areas. Once bedbug infestations take hold,
they are very difficult to stop. While bedbugs are a significant concern,
sometimes residents take advantage of the fear of bedbugs to make
unwarranted complaints. One government official concludes that there
is little to no connection between bedbug complaints and actual bedbug
violations.
Which choice best describes data from the chart that would weaken the
government official’s conclusion?
(A) While there were 12,768 bedbug complaints in 2010 in New
York City, there were only 4,808 actual bedbug violations that
year.
(B) The number of bedbug violations never rose above 5,000 in any
given year between 2004 and 2010 in New York City.
(C) There is a direct correlation between bedbug complaints and
bedbug violations in New York City between 2004 and 2010.
(D) In 2012, there were no recorded bedbug violations,
demonstrating that a governmental policy to encourage bedbug
complaints is unwarranted.
10.
 Between the years 2008 and 2015, the NASA space program had
changing priorities. At the beginning of the time period, manned space
missions were a significant component of the program budget, while
towards the end of the time period, exploration missions took on a
greater role. One thing that was constant, however, was growth in the
overall NASA budget. One component of the budget consistently
mirrored the changes in the overall NASA budget over this time period:
__________
Which choice most effectively uses data from the chart to complete the
statement?
(A) exploration missions.
(B) robotic technology.
(C) space shuttles/stations.
(D) aeronautics.

Answer Explanations
1. (D) This is the only option that provides the accurate sum of the
personal and cultural factors from the graph: 25% for personal, 60%
for cultural, making a total of 85% for them both. Choices (A) and (B)
do not provide the total sum, and (C) is too vague.
2. (A) The sediment curve fluctuates between 12 and 14 inches in
thickness all year long, making (A) the correct choice. Choice (D) may
be appealing, but be careful; the overall ground covering increases, but
the amount of sediment stays pretty steady.
3. (C) The graph shows what percentage of people consider certain
stressors to be positive or negative. The central bar on the graph is
labeled “Moving to a New Home” and is split nearly in half. This tells
us that about half of people find moving to be a positive stressor, while
the other half find it to be a negative stressor. This would make it
difficult to predict how any given person would feel about moving. The
other stressors shown on the graph all have clear majorities, which
would make it much easier to predict how a person would feel about
 that event. This example would then support the approach of the college
professor, who argues that some events are not consistently viewed as
positive or negative by patients, making (C) the best option and the
other choices incorrect.
4. (D) The overall argument of the writer is that doctors need to be careful
to not overprescribe antibiotics because antibiotic-resistant bacteria
are developing increasingly quickly. Choice (D) uses data from the
table to support this argument, since it points out that it took quite a
while for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to form for an earlier antibiotic,
but it is taking much less time for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to form
for a newer antibiotic. Choice (A) is not relevant to the claim, (B)
would contradict the author’s claim, and (C) does not focus on how the
effectiveness of antibiotics has changed over time.
5. (C) The example shows that there is a historical turning point from a
period of unity to disunity. According to the timeline, the event prior to
the American Revolution is the formation of the league, indicating unity.
The event after the American Revolution is dissent among the Iroquois,
showing that the American Revolution would have been the turning
point from unity to disunity. The other options do not show this change.
6. (C) According to the text, most tortoiseshell and calico cats are female.
Therefore, choices (A), (B), and (D) are unlikely since they all mention
the tortoiseshell and/or the calico cats as being male. Choice (C) is
correct because this grouping has just orange and black coloration,
making it more likely that some of its members could be male. Further,
the text states that male cats have “one allele coding for either orange
fur or black fur,” making (C) the most appealing option.
7. (A) The sociologist concludes that while teen participation in Internet
use would remain relatively constant over this period, the amount of
Internet usage by these teens would greatly increase. Choice (A)
highlights the near doubling in the percentage of teens who used the
Internet almost constantly, which would strongly support the
sociologist’s conclusion. It is not (B) because this does not focus on
frequency of Internet use. Choice (C) would not provide evidence to
 show an increase in Internet usage. Choice (D) would contradict the
sociologist’s claim that the number of teens using the Internet remained
fairly constant.
8. (C) Looking at the figure, we can see that exposure to thalidomide in
days 27–31 could lead to nine different birth defects (excluding only
thumb aplasia). Exposure in this range, therefore, would interfere with
the most developmental processes. Choice (A) is incorrect as exposure
in this range could only lead to thumb aplasia. (B) is incorrect as
exposure in this range would only lead to five different defects. (D) is
incorrect as exposure in this range would only lead to six possible birth
defects.
9. (C) The conclusion of the government official is that there is little to no
connection between bedbug complaints and actual bedbug violations.
Since we are asked to determine what would weaken this conclusion,
we must find something that shows the government official would be
incorrect. Choice (C) does this effectively, since it states that the
bedbug complaints and bedbug violations are directly correlated,
showing a likely connection between the two statistics. The other
options do not effectively demonstrate how there would indeed be a
connection between complaints and violations, weakening the official’s
argument.
10. (D) The sum of the four curves will give the entire budget, so the budget
went from about 18 million to 21 million. We can rule out (B) and (C)
since these components show a decrease. Finally, the graph indicates
that exploration missions doubled from about 5 million (18–13) to 10
million (21–11), which is not representative of the more gradual
increase in the program budget. Aeronautics, on the other hand, went
from about 5 to 8 million, and maintained about a third of the entire
budget consistently, so it is closely mirrored with the budget itself.

Textual Evidence