SAT Reading & Writing · Command of Evidence (quantitative)
A planner claims the closely spaced design was associated with cooler surfaces after three years. Which choice most effectively supports…
A city tested two tree-planting designs on blocks with similar starting summer temperatures.
| Design | Mean afternoon surface temperature after 3 years |
|---|---|
| Closely spaced trees | 34.1 C |
| Widely spaced trees | 35.6 C |
A planner claims the closely spaced design was associated with cooler surfaces after three years. Which choice most effectively supports the claim?
| Design | Mean afternoon surface temperature after 3 years |
|---|---|
| Closely spaced trees | 34.1 C |
| Widely spaced trees | 35.6 C |
A planner claims the closely spaced design was associated with cooler surfaces after three years. Which choice most effectively supports the claim?
Answer and explanation
Answer: A: The closely spaced blocks averaged 1.5 C cooler than the widely spaced blocks.
The planner's claim is specifically a comparison between the two designs, and A supplies that exact comparison: a 1.5 degree difference favoring the closely spaced design. B is true of both designs but doesn't address which one was cooler. C reports only one design's result in isolation, which cannot by itself support a comparative claim. D is a background fact about study duration unrelated to the temperature comparison.
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