16Hit1600
Information and IdeasVery hardCommand of evidence (quantitative)

Information and Ideas practice question

A study tracked how well two coatings resisted rust. After 500 hours in a salt spray chamber, panels with Coating A showed rust over 22 percent of their surface, while panels with Coating B showed rust over just 4 percent. The two coatings cost about the same to apply.

Which choice best uses the data to support the claim that Coating B better resists rust?

  1. A. Coating B panels rusted over far less of their surface than Coating A panels did.Correct
  2. B. The two coatings cost about the same to apply.
  3. C. Both coatings were tested for 500 hours in the same chamber.
  4. D. Coating A panels rusted over 22 percent of their surface.

Answer: A. Coating B panels rusted over far less of their surface than Coating A panels did.

The claim concerns rust resistance, and only a direct comparison — 4 percent versus 22 percent — shows Coating B resisting rust better (A). B addresses cost, not rust; C establishes that the test was fair but reports no result; D gives one coating's figure alone, which cannot show B is better without the comparison.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The two coatings cost about the same to apply.
This is true of the passage, but cost has nothing to do with rust resistance — the claim is about rust, so your evidence must report rust.
C. Both coatings were tested for 500 hours in the same chamber.
This establishes that the test was fair, but it reports no result at all; a claim that one coating resists rust better needs the rust percentages.
D. Coating A panels rusted over 22 percent of their surface.
You picked a real number from the passage, but 22 percent alone says nothing about Coating B — support for the claim requires comparing 4 percent to 22 percent.

More Information and Ideas questions

Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.