Question ID c9fb15ad

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c9fb15ad

Species of Growth
tree factor

Red maple 4.5

River birch 3.5

Cottonwood 2.0

Black walnut 4.5

White birch 5.0

American
4.0
elm

Pin oak 3.0

Shagbark
7.5
hickory

One method of calculating the approximate age, in years, of a tree of a particular

species is to multiply the diameter of the tree, in inches, by a constant called the
growth factor for that species. The table above gives the growth factors for eight
species of trees. If a white birch tree and a pin oak tree each now have a
diameter of 1 foot, which of the following will be closest to the difference, in
inches, of their diameters 10 years from now? (1 foot = 12 inches)

A. 1.0

B. 1.2

C. 1.3

D. 1.4

ID: c9fb15ad Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. According to the given information, multiplying a tree species’ growth factor by the tree’s diameter is
a method to approximate the age of the tree. A white birch with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a given growth
factor of 5 and is approximately 60 years old. A pin oak with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a given growth factor
of 3 and is approximately 36 years old. The diameters of the two trees 10 years from now can be found by dividing each

tree’s age in 10 years, 70 years, and 46 years, by its respective growth factor. This yields 14 inches and inches. The

difference between and 14 is , or approximately 1.3 inches.

Alternate approach: Since a white birch has a growth factor of 5, the age increases at a rate of 5 years per inch or,

equivalently, the diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Likewise, the pin oak has a growth factor of 3, so

its diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Thus, the pin oak grows of an inch per year more than the

white birch. In 10 years it will grow of an inch more, which is approximately 1.3 inches.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and a result of incorrectly calculating the diameters of the two trees in 10 years.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69f6717f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 69f6717f

A sample of oak has a density of kilograms per cubic meter. The sample is in the shape of a cube, where each edge
has a length of meters. To the nearest whole number, what is the mass, in kilograms, of this sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69f6717f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the sample is in the shape of a cube with edge lengths of meters. Therefore, the
volume of the sample is , or , cubic meters. It’s also given that the sample has a density of kilograms per
cubic meter. Therefore, the mass of this sample is , or kilograms.
Rounding this mass to the nearest whole number gives kilograms. Therefore, to the nearest whole number, the mass,
in kilograms, of this sample is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3638f413
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3638f413

Jeremy deposited x dollars in his investment account on January 1, 2001. The

amount of money in the account doubled each year until Jeremy had 480 dollars
in his investment account on January 1, 2005. What is the value of x ?

ID: 3638f413 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The situation can be represented by the equation , where the 2 represents the fact
that the amount of money in the account doubled each year and the 4 represents the fact that there are 4 years between
January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2005. Simplifying gives . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f775bbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3f775bbf

Power capacity
State
Low Medium High Total

Texas 4 2 3 9

California 1 0 1 2

Oregon 1 0 1 2

Indiana 0 2 0 2

Colorado 1 1 0 2

Iowa 2 0 0 2

Oklahoma 1 0 0 1

Total 10 5 5 20

The table shows the distribution, by location and power capacity (maximum rate
of power generation) of the twenty largest wind projects in the United States in
2013. The total power capacity of the nine wind projects located in Texas was
4,952 megawatts (MW), and the total power capacity of the twenty wind projects
was 11,037 MW in 2013. The amount of energy produced in one hour at a rate of
one megawatt is one megawatt-hour. If each of the nine Texas wind projects in
2013 had operated continuously for 24 hours at the maximum rate of power
generation, approximately how many megawatt-hours of energy would the nine
projects have produced?

A. 200

B. 5,000

C. 11,000

D. 120,000

ID: 3f775bbf Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the total power capacity of the nine wind projects in Texas was 4,952 megawatts.
Therefore, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 1 hour, the amount of energy produced would be 4,952
megawatt-hours. It follows that, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 24 hours, the amount of energy
produced, in megawatt-hours, would be , which is closest to 120,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects divided by 24 hours.
Choice B is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects. Choice C is incorrect.
This is approximately the given amount of energy produced for all twenty projects in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8637294f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 8637294f

If and , what is the value of ?

ID: 8637294f Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that and . The equation can be rewritten as
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The equation can be rewritten
as . Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Multiplying
both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the value of is . Note that .0625, 0.062, 0.063, and 1/16 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d721177
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 7d721177

The density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter. A sample of this type of wood is in the shape of
a cube and has a mass of kilograms. To the nearest hundredth of a meter, what is the length of one edge of this
sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7d721177 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter , and
a sample of this type of wood has a mass of . Let represent the volume, in , of the sample. It follows that the
relationship between the density, mass, and volume of this sample can be written
as , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides
of this equation by yields . Therefore, the volume of this sample is . Since it’s given that the sample
of this type of wood is a cube, it follows that the length of one edge of this sample can be found using the volume
formula for a cube, , where represents the volume, in , and represents the length, in m, of one edge of the
cube. Substituting for in this formula yields . Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation yields
, or . Therefore, the length of one edge of this sample to the nearest hundredth of a meter is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c7c6445f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c7c6445f

A certain town has an area of square miles. What is the area, in square yards, of this town?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c7c6445f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since the number of yards in mile is , the number of square yards in square mile is
. Therefore, if the area of the town is square miles, it is
, in square yards.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from dividing the number of yards in a mile by the square mileage of the town.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the number of yards in a mile by the square mileage of the town.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from dividing the number of square yards in a square mile by the square mileage of
the town.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5154615f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 5154615f

To study fluctuations in composition, samples of pumice were taken from locations and cut in the shape of a cube.
The length of the edge of one of these cubes is centimeters. This cube has a density of grams per cubic
centimeter. What is the mass of this cube, in grams?

ID: 5154615f Answer

Correct Answer: 6.21

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that the samples of pumice were cut in the shape of a cube. It's also given that the
length of the edge of one of these cubes is centimeters. Therefore, the volume of this cube is
, or cubic centimeters. Since the density of this cube is grams per cubic centimeter, it
follows that the mass of this cube is , or grams.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50b99b2d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 50b99b2d

Objects R and S each travel at a constant speed. The speed of object R is half the speed of object S. Object R travels a
distance of inches in seconds. Which expression represents the time, in seconds, it takes object S to travel a
distance of inches?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 50b99b2d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that object R travels a distance of inches in seconds. This speed can be written as
. It's given that the speed of object R is half the speed of object S. It follows that the speed of object S is twice
the speed of object R, which is , or . Let represent the time, in seconds, it takes object S to travel
a distance of inches. The value of can be found by solving the equation , which can be
written as . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Dividing each side of this
equation by yields . Therefore, the expression represents the time, in seconds, it takes object S to travel a
distance of inches.

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the time, in seconds, it would take object S to travel a distance of
inches if the speed of object R were twice, not half, the speed of object S.

Choice C is incorrect. This expression represents the time, in seconds, it takes object S to travel a distance of
inches, not inches.

Choice D is incorrect. This expression represents the time, in seconds, it takes object R, not object S, to travel a distance
of inches.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c2e7fa6d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c2e7fa6d

For an electric field passing through a flat surface perpendicular to it, the electric flux of the electric field through the
surface is the product of the electric field’s strength and the area of the surface. A certain flat surface consists of two
adjacent squares, where the side length, in meters, of the larger square is times the side length, in meters, of the
smaller square. An electric field with strength volts per meter passes uniformly through this surface, which is
perpendicular to the electric field. If the total electric flux of the electric field through this surface is
, what is the electric flux, in , of the electric field through the larger square?

ID: c2e7fa6d Answer

Correct Answer: 4176

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that the side length of the larger square is times the side length of the smaller
square. This means that the area of the larger square is , or , times the area of the smaller square. If the area of the
smaller square is represented by , then the area of the larger square can be represented by . Therefore, the flat
surface of the two adjacent squares has a total area of , or . It’s given that an electric field with strength
volts per meter passes uniformly through this surface and the total electric flux of the electric field through this
surface is . Since it's given that the electric flux is the product of the electric field’s strength and the
area of the surface, the equation , or , can be used to represent this situation.
Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the expression for the area of the larger
square, , yields , or , square meters. Since the area of the larger square is square meters, the electric
flux, in , of the electric field through the larger square can be determined by multiplying the area of the
larger square by the strength of the electric field. Thus, the electric flux is , or
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20b69297
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 20b69297

Anita created a batch of green paint by mixing 2 ounces of blue paint with 3
ounces of yellow paint. She must mix a second batch using the same ratio of
blue and yellow paint as the first batch. If she uses 5 ounces of blue paint for the
second batch, how much yellow paint should Anita use?

A. Exactly 5 ounces

B. 3 ounces more than the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

C. 1.5 times the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

D. 1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch

ID: 20b69297 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first

batch. For any batch of paint that uses the same ratio, the amount of yellow paint used will be , or 1.5, times the
amount of blue paint used in the batch. Therefore, the amount of yellow paint Anita will use in the second batch will be
1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch.

Alternate approach: It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first
batch and that she will use 5 ounces of blue paint for the second batch. A proportion can be set up to solve for x, the

amount of yellow paint she will use for the second batch: . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 3 yields

, and multiplying both sides of this equation by x yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields

. Since Anita will use 7.5 ounces of yellow paint for the second batch, this is times the amount of
blue paint (5 ounces) used in the second batch.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly interpreting the ratio of blue paint to yellow paint used.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d6456c7a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Ratios, rates,

Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: d6456c7a

A certain park has an area of square yards. What is the area, in square miles, of this park?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d6456c7a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since mile is equal to yards, square mile is equal to , or , square yards.
It’s given that the park has an area of square yards. Therefore, the park has an area of
, or square miles. Thus, the area, in square miles, of the
park is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the square root of the area of the park in square yards, not the area of the park in square
miles.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from converting yards to miles, rather than converting
square yards to square miles.

Question Difficulty: Hard