SAT Reading & Writing · Inferences
Because absence can result from these other underlying factors, the raw correlation between absenteeism and lower achievement ______
Students who are chronically absent from school tend to score lower on academic assessments than students with regular attendance, and missed instructional time offers one plausible explanation for this pattern. However, absence from school can itself result from factors such as illness, family instability, or disengagement from schoolwork. Which choice most logically completes the text?
Because absence can result from these other underlying factors, the raw correlation between absenteeism and lower achievement ______
Because absence can result from these other underlying factors, the raw correlation between absenteeism and lower achievement ______
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: may partly reflect the influence of these underlying factors instead of representing a pure measure of how much missed instructional time itself affects achievement.
The passage sets up exactly this tension: absence could cause lower achievement through lost instruction, but absence is also a symptom of other things that independently affect achievement, like instability or disengagement. C is the only choice that holds both possibilities open without overcommitting to either. A treats the correlation as proof of a single, complete causal story, ignoring the passage's own caution. B contradicts the passage's clear finding of a real correlation. D invents a claim about assessment quality that the passage never raises.
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