Information and IdeasHardCommand of evidence (quantitative)
Information and Ideas practice question
A city tested a new bus lane on its busiest route. Before the lane opened, the average trip took 42 minutes; after it opened, the average trip took 31 minutes. Ridership on the route rose by roughly 18 percent over the same period.
Which statement about the data would best support the claim that the bus lane made the route faster?
- A. Average trip time fell by 11 minutes after the lane opened.Correct
- B. Ridership on the route rose by roughly 18 percent.
- C. The route was the busiest in the city before the change.
- D. The average trip took 42 minutes before the lane opened.
Answer: A. Average trip time fell by 11 minutes after the lane opened.
The claim is specifically about speed, and the drop from 42 to 31 minutes (an 11-minute decrease) directly shows trips got faster (A). B measures popularity, not speed; C and D each give only one number without showing any change, so neither demonstrates that the route became faster.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Ridership on the route rose by roughly 18 percent.
- Ridership measures how many people chose the bus, not how quickly the trip went — more riders could show popularity even if speeds were unchanged.
- C. The route was the busiest in the city before the change.
- This describes the route's status before the change, and a single fact about how busy it was says nothing about trip times getting shorter.
- D. The average trip took 42 minutes before the lane opened.
- The 42-minute figure is only the starting point; without pairing it with the 31-minute figure after, it shows no change and so can't demonstrate the route got faster.
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