SAT Reading & Writing: Information and Ideas
Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?
A personal anecdote about customer service.
A photograph of a historical event.
A statistic showing a 20% increase in sales.
An author's opinion on a political issue.
An author uses the phrase 'Sea levels have risen by an average of 3.3 mm per year over the past decade.' What is the primary purpose of including this quantitative data?
To confuse the reader with technical information.
To show a trend and provide evidence for a claim about climate change.
To distract from the author's main argument.
To make the writing seem more sophisticated.
Which of the following best explains why an author might include the statistic that 'the company's profits increased by 150% after implementing the new strategy'?
To provide a subjective opinion about the company's performance.
To offer a qualitative assessment of employee satisfaction.
To demonstrate the scope or scale of the strategy's impact with concrete numerical evidence.
To make a prediction about the future stock prices.
In a report discussing urban development, an author includes the statistic that 'the city's population has grown by 30% in the last decade.' What is the most likely purpose of this quantitative evidence?
To demonstrate the scope of the population increase.
To provide a personal anecdote about city life.
To confuse readers with unnecessary data.
To offer a qualitative assessment of the city's culture.
A researcher claims that a new drug effectively treats a specific disease. Which piece of quantitative evidence would most strongly support this claim?
Testimonials from patients who feel better after taking the drug.
A graph showing a correlation between taking the drug and improved health outcomes in a clinical trial.
The researcher's personal belief that the drug is effective.
A list of ingredients in the drug.
Which of the following best describes a 'causal' relationship between evidence and a claim?
The evidence and claim are connected, but one does not necessarily cause the other.
The evidence provides an example to support the claim.
The evidence directly leads to the outcome stated in the claim.
The evidence and claim are completely unrelated.
A study finds that there is a relationship between ice cream sales and crime rates: as ice cream sales increase, so do crime rates. What type of relationship is most likely demonstrated here?
Causal
Correlational
Illustrative
Directly proportional

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An author argues that increased funding for the arts leads to higher student achievement. They provide examples of schools where arts programs have thrived and student performance has improved. What type of relationship is the author primarily using to support their claim?
Causal
Correlational
Illustrative
Inversely proportional
In the context of quantitative evidence, what does 'reliability' refer to?
The extent to which the data measures what it claims to measure.
The consistency of the data when repeated.
The source of the data.
The representativeness of the data to the broader population.
A researcher conducts a survey about political opinions but only surveys people in one neighborhood known to have strong political leanings. What is the most significant concern regarding the data collected?
The data may not be valid.
The data may not be reliable.
The data may not be representative.
The data may not be recent.