Question ID af2ba762

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: af2ba762
According to data provided by the US Department of Energy, the average price per gallon of regular gasoline in the
United States from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is modeled by the function F defined below, where
is the average price per gallon x months after September 1.

The constant 2.74 in this function estimates which of the following?

A. The average monthly decrease in the price per gallon

B. The difference in the average price per gallon from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014

C. The average price per gallon on September 1, 2014

D. The average price per gallon on December 1, 2014

ID: af2ba762 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since 2.74 is a constant term, it represents an actual price of gas rather than a measure of change in
gas price. To determine what gas price it represents, find x such that F(x) = 2.74, or 2.74 = 2.74 – 0.19(x – 3). Subtracting
2.74 from both sides gives 0 = –0.19(x – 3). Dividing both sides by –0.19 results in 0 = x – 3, or x = 3. Therefore, the
average price of gas is $2.74 per gallon 3 months after September 1, 2014, which is December 1, 2014.

Choice A is incorrect. Since 2.74 is a constant, not a multiple of x, it cannot represent a rate of change in price. Choice B
is incorrect. The difference in the average price from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is F(3) – F(0) = 2.74 –
0.19(3 – 3) – (2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3)) = 2.74 – (2.74 + 0.57) = –0.57, which is not 2.74. Choice C is incorrect. The average
price per gallon on September 1, 2014, is F(0) = 2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3) = 2.74 + 0.57 = 3.31, which is not 2.74.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b9835972
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: b9835972

In the xy-plane, line 𝓁 passes through the point and is parallel to the line represented by the equation .
If line 𝓁 also passes through the point , what is the value of ?

ID: b9835972 Answer

Correct Answer: 24

Rationale
The correct answer is . A line in the xy-plane can be defined by the equation , where is the slope of the
line and is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. It's given that line 𝓁 passes through the point . Therefore,
the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of line 𝓁 is . It's given that line 𝓁 is parallel to the line represented by the equation
. Since parallel lines have the same slope, it follows that the slope of line 𝓁 is . Therefore, line 𝓁 can be
defined by an equation in the form , where and . Substituting for and for in
yields the equation , or . If line 𝓁 passes through the point , then when ,
for the equation . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d1f50dbe
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: d1f50dbe

One gallon of stain will cover square feet of a surface. A yard has a total fence area of square feet. Which
equation represents the total amount of stain , in gallons, needed to stain the fence in this yard twice?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d1f50dbe Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that represents the total fence area, in square feet. Since the fence will be stained twice,
the amount of stain, in gallons, will need to cover square feet. It’s also given that one gallon of stain will cover
square feet. Dividing the total area, in square feet, of the surface to be stained by the number of square feet covered by
one gallon of stain gives the number of gallons of stain that will be needed. Dividing by yields , or .
Therefore, the equation that represents the total amount of stain , in gallons, needed to stain the fence of the yard twice
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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e1248a5c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two linear

equations in two
variables

ID: e1248a5c

In the system of equations below, a and c are constants.

If the system of equations has an infinite number of solutions , what is the
value of a ?

A.

B. 0

C.

D.

ID: e1248a5c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has infinitely many solutions if one equation is equivalent to the
other. This means that when the two equations are written in the same form, each coefficient or constant in one equation
is equal to the corresponding coefficient or constant in the other equation multiplied by the same number. The equations
in the given system of equations are written in the same form, with x and y on the left-hand side and a constant on the
right-hand side of the equation. The coefficient of y in the second equation is equal to the coefficient of y in the first
equation multiplied by 3. Therefore, a, the coefficient of x in the second equation, must be equal to 3 times the coefficient

of x in the first equation: , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. When , , or , the given system of equations has one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 05bb1af9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 05bb1af9

The graph of is shown. Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 05bb1af9 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. An equation for the graph shown can be written in slope-intercept form , where is the
slope of the graph and its y-intercept is . Since the y-intercept of the graph shown is , the value of is . Since
the graph also passes through the point , the slope can be calculated as , or . Therefore, the value of is
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . It’s given that an equation
for the graph shown is . Substituting for in the equation yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

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 cc7ffe02
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cc7ffe02

Keenan made cups of vegetable broth. Keenan then filled small jars and large jars with all the vegetable broth he
made. The equation represents this situation. Which is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The number of large jars Keenan filled

B. The number of small jars Keenan filled

C. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars

D. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars

ID: cc7ffe02 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the equation represents the situation where Keenan filled small jars
and large jars with all the vegetable broth he made, which was cups. Therefore, represents the total number of
cups of vegetable broth in the small jars and represents the total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars.

Choice A is incorrect. The number of large jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice B is incorrect. The number of small jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice D is incorrect. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars is represented by , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ae2287e2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ae2287e2

A certain product costs a company $65 to make. The product is sold by a

salesperson who earns a commission that is equal to 20% of the sales price of
the product. The profit the company makes for each unit is equal to the sales
price minus the combined cost of making the product and the commission. If
the sales price of the product is $100, which of the following equations gives the
number of units, u, of the product the company sold to make a profit of $6,840 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ae2287e2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The sales price of one unit of the product is given as $100. Because the salesperson is awarded a
commission equal to 20% of the sales price, the expression 100(1 – 0.2) gives the sales price of one unit after the
commission is deducted. It is also given that the profit is equal to the sales price minus the combined cost of making the
product, or $65, and the commission: 100(1 – 0.2) – 65. Multiplying this expression by u gives the profit of u units: (100(1
– 0.2) – 65)u. Finally, it is given that the profit for u units is $6,840; therefore (100(1 – 0.2) – 65)u = $6,840.

Choice B is incorrect. In this equation, cost is subtracted before commission and the equation gives the commission, not
what the company retains after commission. Choice C is incorrect because the number of units is multiplied only by the
cost but not by the sale price. Choice D is incorrect because the value 0.2 shows the commission, not what the company
retains after commission.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1362ccde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two linear

equations in two
variables

ID: 1362ccde

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 1362ccde Answer

Correct Answer: 35

Rationale
The correct answer is . The first equation in the given system of equations defines as . Substituting
for in the second equation in the given system of equations yields . Applying the distributive
property on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this
equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Substituting for in
the first equation of the given system of equations yields , or . Substituting for and
for into the expression yields , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 52cb8ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two linear

equations in two
variables

ID: 52cb8ea4

If is the solution to the system of equations above,

what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 5

D. 13

ID: 52cb8ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation, , results in
, or . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from miscalculating as . Choice C is incorrect and may result from
miscalculating as 5. Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding 9 to 4 instead of subtracting 9 from 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7866a908
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two linear

equations in two
variables

ID: 7866a908

A sample of a certain alloy has a total mass of grams and is silicon by mass. The sample was created by
combining two pieces of different alloys. The first piece was silicon by mass and the second piece was
silicon by mass. What was the mass, in grams, of the silicon in the second piece?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7866a908 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Let represent the total mass, in grams, of the first piece, and let represent the total mass, in
grams, of the second piece. It's given that the sample has a total mass of grams. Therefore, the equation
represents this situation. It's also given that the sample is silicon by mass. Therefore, the total
mass of the silicon in the sample is , or , grams. It's also given that the first piece was silicon by
mass and the second piece was silicon by mass. Therefore, the masses, in grams, of the silicon in the first and
second pieces can be represented by the expressions and , respectively. Since the sample was created by
combining the first and second pieces, and the total mass of the silicon in the sample is grams, the equation
represents this situation. Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields
. Substituting for in the equation yields
. Distributing on the left-hand side of this equation yields
. Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Substituting for in the expression representing the mass, in grams, of the
silicon in the second piece, , yields , or . Therefore, the mass, in grams, of the silicon in the
second piece is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the mass, in grams, of the silicon in the first piece, not the second piece.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the total mass, in grams, of the second piece, not the mass, in grams, of the silicon in the
second piece.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the total mass, in grams, of the first piece, not the mass, in grams, of the silicon in the
second piece.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0b46bad5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0b46bad5

In the equation above, a and b are constants and . Which of the

following could represent the graph of the equation in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0b46bad5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The given equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m
represents the slope of the line represented by the equation, and k represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
line. Subtracting ax from both sides of the equation yields , and dividing both sides of this equation by b

yields , or . With the equation now in slope-intercept form, it shows that , which
means the y-coordinate of the y-intercept is 1. It’s given that a and b are both greater than 0 (positive) and that .

Since , the slope of the line must be a value between and 0. Choice C is the only graph of a line that has a
y-value of the y-intercept that is 1 and a slope that is between and 0.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the slopes of the lines in these graphs aren’t between and 0.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 7d5d1b32
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 7d5d1b32

In the given equation, and are constants and . The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 7d5d1b32 Answer

Correct Answer: -.9333, -14/15

Rationale
The correct answer is . A linear equation in the form has no solution only when the coefficients
of on each side of the equation are equal and the constant terms are not equal. Dividing both sides of the given
equation by yields , or . Since it’s given that the equation has no
solution, the coefficient of on both sides of this equation must be equal, and the constant terms on both sides of this
equation must not be equal. Since , and it's given that , the second condition is true. Thus, must be equal
to . Note that -14/15, -.9333, and -0.933 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c362c210
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c362c210

The points plotted in the coordinate plane above represent the possible numbers
of wallflowers and cornflowers that someone can buy at the Garden Store in
order to spend exactly $24.00 total on the two types of flowers. The price of
each wallflower is the same and the price of each cornflower is the same. What
is the price, in dollars, of 1 cornflower?

ID: c362c210 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.5. The point corresponds to the situation where 16 cornflowers and 0 wallflowers are
purchased. Since the total spent on the two types of flowers is $24.00, it follows that the price of 16 cornflowers is
$24.00, and the price of one cornflower is $1.50. Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee7b1de1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities in

one or two variables

ID: ee7b1de1

A small business owner budgets to purchase candles. The owner must purchase a minimum of candles to
maintain the discounted pricing. If the owner pays per candle to purchase small candles and per candle to
purchase large candles, what is the maximum number of large candles the owner can purchase to stay within the budget
and maintain the discounted pricing?

ID: ee7b1de1 Answer

Correct Answer: 182

Rationale
The correct answer is . Let represent the number of small candles the owner can purchase, and let 𝓁 represent the
number of large candles the owner can purchase. It’s given that the owner pays per candle to purchase small
candles and per candle to purchase large candles. Therefore, the owner pays dollars for small candles
and 𝓁 dollars for 𝓁 large candles, which means the owner pays a total of 𝓁 dollars to purchase
candles. It’s given that the owner budgets to purchase candles. Therefore, 𝓁 . It’s also
given that the owner must purchase a minimum of candles. Therefore, 𝓁 . The inequalities
𝓁 and 𝓁 can be combined into one compound inequality by rewriting the second
inequality so that its left-hand side is equivalent to the left-hand side of the first inequality. Subtracting 𝓁 from both sides
of the inequality 𝓁 yields 𝓁. Multiplying both sides of this inequality by yields
𝓁 , or 𝓁. Adding 𝓁 to both sides of this inequality yields
𝓁 𝓁 𝓁, or 𝓁 𝓁. This inequality can be combined with
the inequality 𝓁 , which yields the compound inequality
𝓁 𝓁 . It follows that 𝓁 . Subtracting from both sides of
this inequality yields 𝓁 . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields approximately 𝓁 .
Since the number of large candles the owner purchases must be a whole number, the maximum number of large candles
the owner can purchase is the largest whole number less than , which is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 768f3b7c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 768f3b7c

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where is a constant. There is a linear
relationship between and . Which of the following equations represents this relationship?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 768f3b7c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The linear relationship between and can be represented by an equation of the form
, where is the slope of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane and is a point on the
graph. The slope of a line can be found using two points on the line and the slope formula . Each value of
and its corresponding value of in the table can be represented by a point . Substituting the points and
for and , respectively, in the slope formula yields , which gives , or
. Substituting for and the point for in the equation yields
. Distributing on the right-hand side of this equation yields . Adding
to each side of this equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields .
Adding to each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the equation represents this
relationship.

Choice A 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 18e35375
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 18e35375

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 18e35375 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as . Since
the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its minimum
value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum. For an equation
in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is . For the
equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the vertex is ,
or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-intercepts
of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the graph of
in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The midpoint
between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and is
, or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c303ad23
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: c303ad23

If , what is the value of ?

ID: c303ad23 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale
The correct answer is . Dividing each side of the given equation by yields . Adding to each side of
this equation yields . Therefore, if , the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2cb17792
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 2cb17792

In the given system of equations, is a constant. The system has exactly one distinct real solution. What is the value of
?

ID: 2cb17792 Answer

Correct Answer: 17.5, 35/2

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting the second equation from the first equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to
. It's given that the system has exactly one distinct real solution; therefore, this equation has
exactly one distinct real solution. An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
exactly one distinct real solution when the discriminant, , is equal to . The equation
is of this form, where , , and . Substituting these values into the
discriminant, , yields . Setting the discriminant equal to yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 35/2 and 17.5 are examples of ways
to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ce508fb0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce508fb0

The functions and are defined by the given equations.

If , where is a constant, what is the value of ?

ID: ce508fb0 Answer

Correct Answer: -4.9, -49/10

Rationale
The correct answer is . The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or , which is
equivalent to , or . Since it's given that , it follows that and the value of
is the value of . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or , which is equivalent to , or . Note
that -4.9 and -49/10 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 74473be4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 74473be4

Which quadratic equation has no real solutions?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 74473be4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The number of solutions to a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and
are constants, can be determined by the value of the discriminant, . If the value of the discriminant is greater
than zero, then the quadratic equation has two distinct real solutions. If the value of the discriminant is equal to zero,
then the quadratic equation has exactly one real solution. If the value of the discriminant is less than zero, then the
quadratic equation has no real solutions. For the quadratic equation in choice D, , ,
, and . Substituting for , for , and for in yields , or . Since
is less than zero, it follows that the quadratic equation has no real solutions.

Choice A is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since is greater than zero, it
follows that this quadratic equation has two real solutions.

Choice B is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since zero is equal to zero, it follows
that this quadratic equation has exactly one real solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since is greater than zero,
it follows that this quadratic equation has two real solutions.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7bd10ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 7bd10ef3

In the equation above, t is a constant. If the equation has no real solutions, which
of the following could be the value of t ?

A.

B.

C. 1

D. 3

ID: 7bd10ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The number of solutions to any quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c

are constants, can be found by evaluating the expression , which is called the discriminant. If the value of

is a positive number, then there will be exactly two real solutions to the equation. If the value of is

zero, then there will be exactly one real solution to the equation. Finally, if the value of is negative, then there
will be no real solutions to the equation.

The given equation is a quadratic equation in one variable, where t is a constant. Subtracting t from both

sides of the equation gives . In this form, , , and . The values of t for which the
equation has no real solutions are the same values of t for which the discriminant of this equation is a negative value.
The discriminant is equal to ; therefore, . Simplifying the left side of the inequality
gives . Subtracting 16 from both sides of the inequality and then dividing both sides by 8 gives . Of the
values given in the options, is the only value that is less than . Therefore, choice A must be the correct answer.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from a misconception about how to use the discriminant to determine
the number of solutions of a quadratic equation in one variable.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e11294f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: e11294f9

The solutions to are and , where . The solutions to are and , where
. The solutions to , where is a constant, are and . What is the value of ?

ID: e11294f9 Answer

Correct Answer: 31

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . To
complete the square, adding , or , to both sides of this equation yields , or
. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the solutions and to the equation are
and . Since , it follows that and . Subtracting from both sides
of the equation yields . To complete the square, adding , or , to both sides of
this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Therefore, the solutions and to the equation are and . Since , it
follows that and . It's given that the solutions to , where is a
constant, are and . It follows that this equation can be written as , which is
equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is . Substituting
for , for , for , and for in this equation yields
, which is equivalent to

, or , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the

value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03ff48d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 03ff48d2

In the given equation, is an integer constant. If the equation has no real solution, what is the least possible value of ?

ID: 03ff48d2 Answer

Correct Answer: 50

Rationale
The correct answer is . An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no real
solutions if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of
the equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields
. Substituting for , for , and for in yields a discriminant of
, or . If the given equation has no real solution, it follows that the value of
must be negative. Therefore, . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields .
Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields , or . Since it's given that is an integer, the least
possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7028c74f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 7028c74f

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

ID: 7028c74f Answer

Correct Answer: 10.33, 31/3

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from each side of the given equation yields
. Since is a common factor of each of the terms on the right-hand side
of this equation, it can be rewritten as . This is equivalent to
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Since a product of two factors is equal to if and only if at least one of the factors is , either
or . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Adding to
both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and . It follows that the sum of the solutions to the given
equation is , which is equivalent to , or . Note that 31/3 and 10.33 are examples of ways to enter
a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ce579859
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce579859

A model estimates that at the end of each year from to , the number of squirrels in a population was
more than the number of squirrels in the population at the end of the previous year. The model estimates that at the end
of , there were squirrels in the population. Which of the following equations represents this model, where is
the estimated number of squirrels in the population years after the end of and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: ce579859 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since the model estimates that the number of squirrels in the population increased by a fixed
percentage, , each year, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the form ,
where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population at the end of , and the model estimates that at the
end of each year, the number is more than the number at the end of the previous year. Since the model estimates
that at the end of each year, the number was more than the number at the end of the previous year, .
Substituting for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . It’s given that the estimated number of squirrels at the end of was . This
means that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year, and the estimated number of
squirrels at the end of , not the end of , was .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a model where the estimated number of squirrels at the end of , not
the end of , was .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 967ef685
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 967ef685

Which expression is equivalent to , where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 967ef685 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Two fractions can be added together when they have a common denominator. Since ,
multiplying the second term in the given expression by yields , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the
expression can be written as which is equivalent to . Since each term in the
numerator of this expression has a factor of , the expression can be rewritten as , or
, which is equivalent to .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9afe2370
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9afe2370
The population P of a certain city y years after the last census is modeled by the equation below, where r is a constant
and is the population when .

If during this time the population of the city decreases by a fixed percent each
year, which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9afe2370 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The term (1 + r) represents a percent change. Since the population is decreasing, the percent change
must be between 0% and 100%. When the percent change is expressed as a decimal rather than as a percent, the
percentage change must be between 0 and 1. Because (1 + r) represents percent change, this can be expressed as 0 < 1
+ r < 1. Subtracting 1 from all three terms of this compound inequality results in –1 < r < 0.

Choice A is incorrect. If r < –1, then after 1 year, the population P would be a negative value, which is not possible.
Choices C and D are incorrect. For any value of r > 0, 1 + r > 1, and the exponential function models growth for positive
values of the exponent. This contradicts the given information that the population is decreasing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e51bf5b1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e51bf5b1

Which of the following expressions has a factor of , where is a positive integer constant?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e51bf5b1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since each choice has a term of , which can be written as , and each choice has a term
of , which can be written as , the expression that has a factor of , where is a positive integer
constant, can be represented as . Using the distributive property of multiplication, this expression is
equivalent to , or . Combining the x-terms in this expression yields
. It follows that the coefficient of the x-term is equal to . Thus, from the given choices,
must be equal to , , , or . Therefore, must be equal to , , , or , respectively, and must be
equal to , , , or , respectively. Of these four values of , only , or , is a positive integer. It follows that
must be equal to because this is the only choice for which the value of is a positive integer constant. Therefore, the
expression that has a factor of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't positive.

Choice B is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't an integer.

Choice C is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't an integer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ebb717ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: ebb717ab

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no real solutions if . What is the least possible value of ?

ID: ebb717ab Answer

Correct Answer: 289

Rationale
The correct answer is . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no
real solutions when the value of the discriminant, , is less than . In the given equation, ,
and . Therefore, the discriminant of the given equation can be expressed as , or
. It follows that the given equation has no real solutions when . Adding to both sides of
this inequality yields . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields , or . It's given that
the equation has no real solutions when . Therefore, the least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 97e50fa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 97e50fa2

The graph of the function f, defined by , is shown in

the xy-plane above. If the function g (not shown) is defined by ,
what is one possible value of a such that ?

ID: 97e50fa2 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 2 or 8. Substituting in the definitions for f and g gives and

, respectively. If , then . Subtracting 10 from both sides of

this equation gives . Multiplying both sides by gives . Expanding gives

. Combining the like terms on one side of the equation gives . One way to solve

this equation is to factor by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of 16. These
numbers are and , so the quadratic equation can be factored as . Therefore, the possible
values of a are either 2 or 8. Note that 2 and 8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: Graphically, the condition implies the graphs of the functions and
intersect at . The graph is given, and the graph of may be sketched as a line with y-intercept 10
and a slope of (taking care to note the different scales on each axis). These two graphs intersect at and
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 66bce0c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 66bce0c1

What is the solution set of the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 66bce0c1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Subtracting 4 from both sides of isolates the radical expression on the left side

of the equation as follows: . Squaring both sides of yields . This

equation can be rewritten as a quadratic equation in standard form: . One way to solve this quadratic

equation is to factor the expression by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of .

These numbers are and 1. So the quadratic equation can be factored as . It follows that 5 and
are the solutions to the quadratic equation. However, the solutions must be verified by checking whether 5 and satisfy

the original equation, . When , the original equation gives , or

, which is false. Therefore, does not satisfy the original equation. When , the original equation gives

, or , which is true. Therefore, is the only solution to the original equation, and so the
solution set is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these sets contains at least one value that results in a false statement
when substituted into the given equation. For instance, in choice D, when 0 is substituted for x into the given equation, the
result is , or . This is not a true statement, so 0 is not a solution to the given
equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c81b6c57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c81b6c57

In the expression , p is a constant. This

expression is equivalent to the expression . What is the value

of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c81b6c57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the first given expression can be rewritten as 6x2 + 3px + 24 – 16px –
64x + 24, and then rewritten as 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24. Since the expression 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24 is
equivalent to 6x2 – 155x + 24, the coefficients of the x terms from each expression are equivalent to each other; thus 3p
– 16p – 64 = –155. Combining like terms gives –13p – 64 = –155. Adding 64 to both sides of the equation gives –13p =
–71. Dividing both sides of the equation by –13 yields p = 7.

Choice A is incorrect. If p = –3, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 25x + 24. Choice C is incorrect. If p
= 13, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 233x + 24. Choice D is incorrect. If p = 155, then the first
expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 2,079x + 24.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 17d0e87d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of equations
in two variables

ID: 17d0e87d

The given equation relates the distinct positive real numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms
of and ?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 17d0e87d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Dividing each side of the given equation by yields , or . Because it's
given that each of the variables is positive, squaring each side of this equation yields the equivalent equation

. Subtracting from each side of this equation yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2f51abc2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2f51abc2

The function is defined by the given equation. For which of the following values of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2f51abc2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value of for which can be found by substituting for and for in the
given equation, , which yields . For this equation to be true, either or
. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or , which isn't a
true statement. Therefore, isn't the value of . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting
for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to , or
, which is a true statement. Therefore, the value of for which 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 5355c0ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5355c0ef

The given expression can be rewritten as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5355c0ef Answer

Correct Answer: .09, 9/100

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the expression can be rewritten as
. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields .
Therefore, can be rewritten as . It follows that in the expressions
and , the coefficients of are equivalent, the coefficients of are
equivalent, and the constant terms are equivalent. Therefore, , , and . Solving any of
these equations for yields the value of . Dividing both sides of the equation by yields .
Therefore, the value of is . Note that .09 and 9/100 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

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 4626102e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and One-variable data:

Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 4626102e

The dot plot represents the values in data set A. Data set B is created by adding to each of the values in data set A.
Which of the following correctly compares the medians and the ranges of data sets A and B?

The median of data set B is equal to the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is equal to the range of
A. data set A.

The median of data set B is equal to the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is greater than the range of
B. data set A.

The median of data set B is greater than the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is equal to the range of
C. data set A.

The median of data set B is greater than the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is greater than the
D. range of data set A.

ID: 4626102e Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The median of a data set with an odd number of values, in ascending or descending order, is the
middle value of the data set, and the range of a data set is the positive difference between the maximum and minimum
values in the data set. Since the dot plot shown gives the values in data set A in ascending order and there are values
in the data set, the eighth value in data set A, , is the median. The maximum value in data set A is and the minimum
value is , so the range of data set A is , or . It’s given that data set B is created by adding to each of the
values in data set A. Increasing each of the values in data set A by will also increase its median value by
making the median of data set B . Increasing each value of data set A by does not change the range, since the
maximum value of data set B is , or , and the minimum value is , or , making the range of data set B
, or . Therefore, the median of data set B is greater than the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is
equal to the range of data set A.

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

Choice B 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 d0430601
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Two-variable data:

Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: d0430601

Each dot in the scatterplot above represents the temperature and the number of
people who visited a beach in Lagos, Nigeria, on one of eleven different days.
The line of best fit for the data is also shown. The line of best fit for the data has
a slope of approximately 57. According to this estimate, how many additional
people per day are predicted to visit the beach for each 5°C increase in average
temperature?

ID: d0430601 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 285. The number of people predicted to visit the beach each day is represented by the y-values of
the line of best fit, and the average temperature, in degrees Celsius ( ), is represented by the x-values. Since the slope
of the line of best fit is approximately 57, the y-value, or the number of people predicted to visit the beach each day,
increases by 57 for every x-value increase of 1, or every increase in average temperature. Therefore, an increase of
in average temperature corresponds to a y-value increase of additional people per day predicted to
visit the beach.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5267c3c7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Percentages

Data Analysis

ID: 5267c3c7

The result of increasing the quantity by is . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5267c3c7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the result of increasing the quantity by is . This can be written as
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields
. Therefore, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. The result of increasing the quantity by is , not .

Choice C is incorrect. The result of increasing the quantity by is , not .

Choice D is incorrect. The result of increasing the quantity by is , not .

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 6a715bed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Probability and

Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 6a715bed

The table summarizes the distribution of age and assigned group for participants in a study.

– years – years years Total

Group A

Group B

Group C

Total
One of these participants will be selected at random. What is the probability of selecting a participant from group A,
given that the participant is at least years of age? (Express your answer as a decimal or fraction, not as a percent.)

ID: 6a715bed Answer

Correct Answer: .3833, 23/60

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that one of the participants will be selected at random. The probability of selecting a
participant from group A given that the participant is at least years of age is the number of participants in group A
who are at least years of age divided by the total number of participants who are at least years of age. The table
shows that in group A, there are participants who are – years of age and participants who are years of
age. Therefore, there are , or , participants in group A who are at least years of age. The table also shows
that there are a total of participants who are – years of age and participants who are years of age.
Therefore, there are a total of , or , participants who are at least years of age. It follows that the probability
of selecting a participant from group A given that the participant is at least years of age is . Note that 23/60, .3833,
and 0.383 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7ce2830a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Evaluating statistical

Data Analysis claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 7ce2830a

A psychologist designed and conducted a study to determine whether playing a

certain educational game increases middle school students’ accuracy in adding
fractions. For the study, the psychologist chose a random sample of 35 students
from all of the students at one of the middle schools in a large city. The
psychologist found that students who played the game showed significant
improvement in accuracy when adding fractions. What is the largest group to
which the results of the study can be generalized?

A. The 35 students in the sample

B. All students at the school

C. All middle school students in the city

D. All students in the city

ID: 7ce2830a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The largest group to which the results of a study can be generalized is the population from which the
random sample was chosen. In this case, the psychologist chose a random sample from all students at one particular
middle school. Therefore, the largest group to which the results can be generalized is all the students at the school.

Choice A is incorrect because this isn’t the largest group the results can be generalized to. Choices C and D are incorrect
because these groups are larger than the population from which the random sample was chosen. Therefore, the sample
isn’t representative of these groups.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7b52985c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Two-variable data:

Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 7b52985c

The scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours, a certain bird spent in flight and the
number of days after January , .

What is the average rate of change, in hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to the
length of time the bird spent in flight on January ?

ID: 7b52985c Answer

Correct Answer: 4.5, 9/2

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours, a
certain bird spent in flight and the number of days after January , . Since January is days after January , it
follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when , the
corresponding value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight. Since January is days
after January , it follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when
, the corresponding value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight. Therefore, the
average rate of change, in hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to the length of time
the bird spent in flight on January is the difference in the length of time, in hours, the bird spent in flight divided by the
difference in the number of days after January , or , which is equivalent to . Note that 9/2 and 4.5 are examples
of ways to enter a correct answer.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 4ff597db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and One-variable data:

Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 4ff597db

The mean amount of time that the 20 employees of a construction company

have worked for the company is 6.7 years. After one of the employees leaves the
company, the mean amount of time that the remaining employees have worked
for the company is reduced to 6.25 years. How many years did the employee
who left the company work for the company?

A. 0.45

B. 2.30

C. 9.00

D. 15.25

ID: 4ff597db Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The mean amount of time that the 20 employees worked for the company is 6.7 years. This means
that the total number of years all 20 employees worked for the company is (6.7)(20) = 134 years. After the employee left,
the mean amount of time that the remaining 19 employees worked for the company is 6.25 years. Therefore, the total
number of years all 19 employees worked for the company is (6.25)(19) = 118.75 years. It follows that the number of
years that the employee who left had worked for the company is 134 – 118.75 = 15.25 years.

Choice A is incorrect; this is the change in the mean, which isn’t the same as the amount of time worked by the employee
who left. Choice B is incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20 employees, rather
than 19, at the company after the employee left and then subtracting the original mean of 6.7 from that result. Choice C
is incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20 employees, rather than 19, at the
company after the employee left.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 585de39a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving and Probability and

Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 585de39a

On May 10, 2015, there were 83 million Internet subscribers in Nigeria. The major
Internet providers were MTN, Globacom, Airtel, Etisalat, and Visafone. By
September 30, 2015, the number of Internet subscribers in Nigeria had increased
to 97 million. If an Internet subscriber in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, is
selected at random, the probability that the person selected was an MTN
subscriber is 0.43. There were p million MTN subscribers in Nigeria on
September 30, 2015. To the nearest integer, what is the value of p ?

ID: 585de39a Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 42. It’s given that in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, the probability of selecting an MTN subscriber
from all Internet subscribers is 0.43, that there were p million, or , MTN subscribers, and that there were 97
million, or 97,000,000, Internet subscribers. The probability of selecting an MTN subscriber from all Internet subscribers
can be found by dividing the number of MTN subscribers by the total number of Internet subscribers. Therefore, the

equation can be used to solve for p. Dividing 1,000,000 from the numerator and denominator of

the expression on the left-hand side yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 97 yields
, which, to the nearest integer, is 42.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f88f27e5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: f88f27e5
Intersecting lines r, s, and t are shown below.

What is the value of x ?

ID: f88f27e5 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 97. The intersecting lines form a triangle, and the angle with measure of is an exterior angle of
this triangle. The measure of an exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the two nonadjacent
interior angles of the triangle. One of these angles has measure of and the other, which is supplementary to the
angle with measure , has measure of . Therefore, the value of x is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e5c57163
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: e5c57163

Square A has side lengths that are times the side lengths of square B. The area of square A is times the area of
square B. What is the value of ?

ID: e5c57163 Answer

Correct Answer: 27556

Rationale
The correct answer is . The area of a square is , where is the side length of the square. Let represent the
length of each side of square B. Substituting for in yields . It follows that the area of square B is . It’s given
that square A has side lengths that are times the side lengths of square B. Since represents the length of each
side of square B, the length of each side of square A can be represented by the expression . It follows that the area
of square A is , or . It’s given that the area of square A is times the area of square B. Since the area
of square A is equal to , and the area of square B is equal to , an equation representing the given statement
is . Since represents the length of each side of square B, the value of must be positive. Therefore,
the value of is also positive, so it does not equal . Dividing by on both sides of the equation
yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 983412ea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 983412ea

A right square prism has a height of units. The volume of the prism is cubic units. What is the length, in units, of
an edge of the base?

ID: 983412ea Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale
The correct answer is . The volume, , of a right square prism can be calculated using the formula , where
represents the length of an edge of the base and represents the height of the prism. It’s given that the volume of the
prism is cubic units and the height is units. Substituting for and for in the formula
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Taking the square root of both
sides of this equation yields two solutions: and . The length can't be negative, so . Therefore, the
length, in units, of an edge of the base is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a4c0547f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a4c0547f

In triangle , angle is a right angle and the length of is units. If , what is the perimeter, in
units, of triangle ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a4c0547f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that angle in triangle is a right angle. Thus, side is the leg opposite angle
and side is the leg adjacent to angle . The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of
the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. It follows that . It's given that
and the length of side is units. Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The length can be calculated using
the Pythagorean theorem, which states that if a right triangle has legs with lengths of and and a hypotenuse with
length , then . Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or .
Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Since the length of the hypotenuse must be
positive, . Therefore, the length of is units. The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of all
sides. Thus, units, or units, is the perimeter of triangle .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This would be the perimeter, in units, for a right triangle where the length of side is units,
not units.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 947a3cde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 947a3cde

In the figure above, and intersect at point P, , and .

What is the measure, in degrees, of ? (Disregard the degree symbol
when gridding your answer.)

ID: 947a3cde Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 30. It is given that the measure of is . Angle MPR and are collinear and

therefore are supplementary angles. This means that the sum of the two angle measures is , and so the measure
of is . The sum of the angles in a triangle is . Subtracting the measure of from yields
the sum of the other angles in the triangle MPR. Since , the sum of the measures of and
is . It is given that , so it follows that triangle MPR is isosceles. Therefore and
must be congruent. Since the sum of the measure of these two angles is , it follows that the measure of each angle

is .

An alternate approach would be to use the exterior angle theorem, noting that the measure of is equal to the

sum of the measures of and . Since both angles are equal, each of them has a measure of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 858fd1cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 858fd1cf

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at . Line is tangent to this circle at the point . Which of the
following points also lies on line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 858fd1cf Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the circle has its center at and that line is tangent to this circle at the point
. Therefore, the points and are the endpoints of the radius of the circle at the point of tangency.
The slope of a line or line segment that contains the points and can be calculated as . Substituting
for and for in the expression yields , or . Thus, the slope of this radius is
. A line that’s tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius of the circle at the point of tangency. It follows that line
is perpendicular to the radius at the point , so the slope of line is the negative reciprocal of the slope of this
radius. The negative reciprocal of is . Therefore, the slope of line is . Since the slope of line is the same
between any two points on line , a point lies on line if the slope of the line segment connecting the point and is
. Substituting choice C, , for and for in the expression yields , or . Therefore,
the point lies on line .

Choice A is incorrect. The slope of the line segment connecting and is , or , not .

Choice B is incorrect. The slope of the line segment connecting and is , or , not .

Choice D is incorrect. The slope of the line segment connecting and is , or , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9adb86ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9adb86ed

Points and lie on a circle with center . The radius of this circle is inches. Triangle has a perimeter of
inches. What is the length, in inches, of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9adb86ed Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since it's given that is the center of a circle with a radius of inches, and that points and lie
on that circle, it follows that and of triangle each have a length of inches. Let the length of be
inches. It follows that the perimeter of triangle is inches. Since it's given that the perimeter of triangle
is inches, it follows that , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation
gives . Therefore, the length, in inches, of is .

Choice A 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 9966235e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 9966235e

A cube has an edge length of inches. A solid sphere with a radius of inches is inside the cube, such that the sphere
touches the center of each face of the cube. To the nearest cubic inch, what is the volume of the space in the cube not
taken up by the sphere?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9966235e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The volume of a cube can be found by using the formula , where is the volume and is the
edge length of the cube. Therefore, the volume of the given cube is , or cubic inches. The volume of a
sphere can be found by using the formula , where is the volume and is the radius of the sphere.
Therefore, the volume of the given sphere is , or approximately cubic inches. The volume of the
space in the cube not taken up by the sphere is the difference between the volume of the cube and volume of the sphere.
Subtracting the approximate volume of the sphere from the volume of the cube gives
cubic inches.

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 a0369739
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: a0369739

In triangle , the measure of angle is and is an altitude of the triangle. The length of is and the
length of is greater than the length of . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a0369739 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that in triangle , the measure of angle is and is an altitude of the triangle.
Therefore, the measure of angle is . It follows that angle is congruent to angle and angle is congruent
to angle . By the angle-angle similarity postulate, triangle is similar to triangle . Since triangles and
are similar, it follows that . It's also given that the length of is and the length of is
greater than the length of . Therefore, the length of is , or . Substituting for and for in
the equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of . Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a07ed090
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: a07ed090

The figure shown is a right circular cylinder with a radius of and height of . A second right circular cylinder (not
shown) has a volume that is times as large as the volume of the cylinder shown. Which of the following could
represent the radius , in terms of , and the height , in terms of , of the second cylinder?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: a07ed090 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The volume of a right circular cylinder is equal to , where is the radius of a base of the cylinder
and is the height of the cylinder. It’s given that the cylinder shown has a radius of and a height of . It follows that the
volume of the cylinder shown is equal to . It’s given that the second right circular cylinder has a radius of and a
height of . It follows that the volume of the second cylinder is equal to . Choice C gives and .
Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second cylinder yields
, or , which is equivalent to , or . This expression is equal to times
the volume of the cylinder shown, . Therefore, and could represent the radius , in terms of , and
the height , in terms of , of the second cylinder.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second
cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This expression is equal
to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second
cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This expression
is equal to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.

Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second
cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This
expression is equal to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 85f1892d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 85f1892d

In triangle , angle is a right angle, the measure of angle is , and the length of is units. If the area, in
square units, of triangle can be represented by the expression , where is a constant, what is the value
of ?

ID: 85f1892d Answer

Correct Answer: 338

Rationale
The correct answer is . The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite
the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. In triangle , it's given that angle is a right angle. Thus,
is the leg opposite of angle and is the leg adjacent to angle . It follows that . It's also given
that the measure of angle is and the length of is units. Substituting for and for in the
equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the length of is . The area of a triangle is half the product of the lengths of its legs. Since the
length of is and the length of is , it follows that the area of triangle is
square units, or square units. It's given that the area, in square units, of triangle can be represented
by the expression , where is a constant. Therefore, is the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c8345903
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: c8345903

The circle above has center O, the length of arc is , and

. What is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8345903 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The ratio of the lengths of two arcs of a circle is equal to the ratio of the measures of the central
angles that subtend the arcs. It’s given that arc is subtended by a central angle with measure 100°. Since the sum

of the measures of the angles about a point is 360°, it follows that arc is subtended by a central angle with

measure . If s is the length of arc , then s must satisfy the ratio . Reducing the

fraction to its simplest form gives . Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of by

yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of an arc consisting of exactly half of the circle, but arc is greater than half
of the circle. Choice C is incorrect. This is the total circumference of the circle. Choice D is incorrect. This is half the
length of arc , not its full length.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 901c3215
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 901c3215

In triangles and , angles and each have measure and angles and each have measure .
Which additional piece of information is sufficient to determine whether triangle is congruent to triangle ?

A. The measure of angle

B. The length of side

C. The lengths of sides and

D. No additional information is necessary.

ID: 901c3215 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Since angles and each have the same measure and angles and each have the same
measure, triangles and are similar, where side corresponds to side . To determine whether two
similar triangles are congruent, it is sufficient to determine whether one pair of corresponding sides are congruent.
Therefore, to determine whether triangles and are congruent, it is sufficient to determine whether sides
and have equal length. Thus, the lengths of and are sufficient to determine whether triangle is
congruent to triangle .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect. The given information is sufficient to determine that triangles and are similar, but not
whether they are congruent.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f7dbde16
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: f7dbde16

In triangles and , angles and each have measure , , and . Which additional
piece of information is sufficient to prove that triangle is similar to triangle ?

A. and

B. and

C. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

D. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

ID: f7dbde16 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Two triangles are similar if they have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles. It’s given that
angles and each measure , and so these corresponding angles are congruent. If angle is , then angle
must be so that the sum of the angles in triangle is . If angle is , then angle must be so
that the sum of the angles in triangle is . Therefore, if the measures of angles and are and ,
respectively, then corresponding angles and are both , and corresponding angles and are both . It
follows that triangles and have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles, and so the triangles are
similar. Therefore, the additional piece of information that is sufficient to prove that triangle is similar to triangle
is that the measures of angles and are and , respectively.

Choice A is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in another
triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the two sides given are not
proportional and the angle given is not included by the given sides.

Choice B is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in another
triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the angle given is not included
between the proportional sides.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bd87bc09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bd87bc09

Triangle above is a right triangle, and .

What is the length of side ?

ID: bd87bc09 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 24. The sine of an acute angle in a right triangle is equal to the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the sine of angle B, or , is equal to the

ratio of the length of side to the length of side . It’s given that the length of side is 26 and that .

Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 26 yields .

By the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the lengths of the sides of triangle ABC is as follows:
, or . Subtracting 100 from both sides of yields .

Taking the square root of both sides of yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d2cb85e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 2d2cb85e

In the figure, , the measure of angle is , and the measure of angle is . What is the value of
?

ID: 2d2cb85e Answer

Correct Answer: 156

Rationale
The correct answer is . In the figure shown, the sum of the measures of angle and angle is . It’s
given that the measure of angle is . Therefore, the measure of angle is , or . The sum
of the measures of the interior angles of a triangle is . In triangle , the measure of angle is and it's
given that the measure of angle is . Thus, the measure of angle is , or . It’s given
that . Therefore, triangle is an isosceles triangle and the measure of is equal to the measure of
angle . In triangle , the measure of angle is and the measure of angle is . Thus, the
measure of angle is , or . The figure shows that the measure of angle is , so the
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 345cc36a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 345cc36a

In the figure shown, and intersect at point . , , , and . What is the

length of ?

ID: 345cc36a Answer

Correct Answer: 54

Rationale
The correct answer is . The figure shown includes two triangles, triangle and triangle , such that angle
and angle are vertical angles. It follows that angle is congruent to angle . It’s also given in
the figure that the measures of angle and angle are . Therefore angle is congruent to angle . Since triangle
and triangle have two pairs of congruent angles, triangle is similar to triangle by the angle-
angle similarity postulate, where corresponds to , and corresponds to . Since the lengths of
corresponding sides in similar triangles are proportional, it follows that . It’s given that ,
, and . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields
. Multiplying each side of this equation by yields , or . Therefore, the length of
is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 76c73dbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 76c73dbf

The graph of in the xy-plane is a circle. What is the length of the circle’s radius?

ID: 76c73dbf Answer

Correct Answer: 10

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a circle. The equation of
a circle in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where the coordinates of the center of the
circle are and the length of the radius of the circle is . The term in this equation can be obtained by
adding the square of half the coefficient of to both sides of the given equation to complete the square. The coefficient
of is . Half the coefficient of is . The square of half the coefficient of is . Adding to each side of
yields , or .
Similarly, the term can be obtained by adding the square of half the coefficient of to both sides of this
equation, which yields , or .
This equation is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the length
of the circle's radius is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 52f7b898
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 52f7b898

Right triangle is shown. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 52f7b898 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. In the triangle shown, the measure of angle is and angle is a right angle, which means that
it has a measure of . Since the sum of the angles in a triangle is equal to , the measure of angle is equal to
, or . In a right triangle whose acute angles have measures and , the lengths of the legs
can be represented by the expressions , , and , where is the length of the leg opposite the angle with measure
, is the length of the leg opposite the angle with measure , and is the length of the hypotenuse. In the
triangle shown, the hypotenuse has a length of . It follows that , or . Therefore, the length of the leg
opposite angle is and the length of the leg opposite angle is . The tangent of an acute angle in a right
triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle.
The length of the leg opposite angle is and the length of the leg adjacent to angle is . Therefore, the value
of is , or .

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

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not the value of .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the length of the leg opposite angle , not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e50afdd3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: e50afdd3

The graph of the given equation is a circle in the xy-plane. The point lies on the circle. Which of the following is a
possible value for ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e50afdd3 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, represents a
circle in the xy-plane with center and radius . Therefore, the circle represented by the given equation has center
and radius . Since the center of the circle has an x-coordinate of and the radius of the circle is , the
least possible x-coordinate for any point on the circle is , or . Similarly, the greatest possible x-coordinate
for any point on the circle is , or . Therefore, if the point lies on the circle, it must be true that
. Of the given choices, only satisfies this inequality.

Choice A 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 167aff9e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 167aff9e

Right rectangular prism X is similar to right rectangular prism Y. The surface area of right rectangular prism X is
, and the surface area of right rectangular prism Y is . The volume of right
rectangular prism Y is . What is the sum of the volumes, , of right rectangular
prism X and right rectangular prism Y?

ID: 167aff9e Answer

Correct Answer: 1260

Rationale
The correct answer is . Since it's given that prisms X and Y are similar, all the linear measurements of prism Y are
times the respective linear measurements of prism X, where is a positive constant. Therefore, the surface area of prism
Y is times the surface area of prism X and the volume of prism Y is times the volume of prism X. It's given that the
surface area of prism Y is , and the surface area of prism X is , which implies that .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or . Since is a positive constant, . It's given
that the volume of prism Y is . Therefore, the volume of prism X is equal to , which is equivalent to
, or . Thus, the sum of the volumes, in , of the two prisms is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2266984b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 2266984b

The equation above defines a circle in the xy-plane. What are the
coordinates of the center of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2266984b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The standard equation of a circle in the xy-plane is of the form , where
are the coordinates of the center of the circle and r is the radius. The given equation can be rewritten in standard form by
completing the squares. So the sum of the first two terms, , needs a 100 to complete the square, and the sum

of the second two terms, , needs a 64 to complete the square. Adding 100 and 64 to both sides of the given

equation yields , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, the coordinates of the center of the circle are .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational errors made when attempting to complete the
squares or when identifying the coordinates of the center.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1429dcdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 1429dcdf

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: 1429dcdf Answer

Correct Answer: .6956, .6957, 16/23

Rationale
The correct answer is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is defined as the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the side opposite the angle with
measure is units and the length of the hypotenuse is units. Therefore, the value of is . Note that
16/23, .6956, .6957, 0.695, and 0.696 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69b0d79d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 69b0d79d

Point O is the center of the circle above, and the measure of is . If

the length of is 18, what is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69b0d79d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Because segments OA and OB are radii of the circle centered at point O, these segments have equal
lengths. Therefore, triangle AOB is an isosceles triangle, where angles OAB and OBA are congruent base angles of the
triangle. It’s given that angle OAB measures . Therefore, angle OBA also measures . Let represent the

measure of angle AOB. Since the sum of the measures of the three angles of any triangle is , it follows that
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or

radians. Therefore, the measure of angle AOB, and thus the measure of arc , is radians. Since is a

radius of the given circle and its length is 18, the length of the radius of the circle is 18. Therefore, the length of arc

can be calculated as , or .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ebbf23ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ebbf23ae

A circle in the xy-plane has a diameter with endpoints and . An equation of this circle is
, where is a positive constant. What is the value of ?

ID: ebbf23ae Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale
The correct answer is . The standard form of an equation of a circle in the xy-plane is ,
where , , and are constants, the coordinates of the center of the circle are , and the length of the radius of the
circle is . It′s given that an equation of the circle is . Therefore, the center of this circle is
. It’s given that the endpoints of a diameter of the circle are and . The length of the radius is the
distance from the center of the circle to an endpoint of a diameter of the circle, which can be found using the distance

formula, . Substituting the center of the circle and one endpoint of the diameter

in this formula gives a distance of , or , which is equivalent to . Since the

distance from the center of the circle to an endpoint of a diameter is , the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c95c7d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 4c95c7d4

A graphic designer is creating a logo for a company. The logo is shown in the
figure above. The logo is in the shape of a trapezoid and consists of
three congruent equilateral triangles. If the perimeter of the logo is
20 centimeters, what is the combined area of the shaded regions, in square
centimeters, of the logo?

A.

B.

C.

D. 16

ID: 4c95c7d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the logo is in the shape of a trapezoid that consists of three congruent equilateral
triangles, and that the perimeter of the trapezoid is 20 centimeters (cm). Since the perimeter of the trapezoid is the sum

of the lengths of 5 of the sides of the triangles, the length of each side of an equilateral triangle is . Dividing
up one equilateral triangle into two right triangles yields a pair of congruent 30°-60°-90° triangles. The shorter leg of each
right triangle is half the length of the side of an equilateral triangle, or 2 cm. Using the Pythagorean Theorem,
, the height of the equilateral triangle can be found. Substituting and and solving for b yields

cm. The area of one equilateral triangle is , where and . Therefore, the

area of one equilateral triangle is . The shaded area consists of two such triangles, so its area

is .

Alternate approach: The area of a trapezoid can be found by evaluating the expression , where is the
length of one base, is the length of the other base, and h is the height of the trapezoid. Substituting , ,

and yields the expression , or , which gives an area of for the

trapezoid. Since two-thirds of the trapezoid is shaded, the area of the shaded region is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the height of the trapezoid. Choice B is incorrect. This is the area of one of the equilateral
triangles, not two. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using a height of 4 for each triangle rather than the height of
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8a225ff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: b8a225ff

Circle A in the xy-plane has the equation . Circle B has the same center as circle A. The radius
of circle B is two times the radius of circle A. The equation defining circle B in the xy-plane is ,
where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: b8a225ff Answer

Correct Answer: 16

Rationale
The correct answer is . An equation of a circle in the xy-plane can be written as , where the
center of the circle is , the radius of the circle is , and where , , and are constants. It’s given that the equation
of circle A is , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the center of
circle A is and the radius of circle A is . It’s given that circle B has the same center as circle A and that the
radius of circle B is two times the radius of circle A. Therefore, the center of circle B is and the radius of circle B
is , or . Substituting for , for , and for into the equation yields
, which is equivalent to . It follows that the equation of circle B in
the xy-plane is . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b0a72bdc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: b0a72bdc

What is the diameter of the circle in the xy-plane with equation ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b0a72bdc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The standard form of an equation of a circle in the xy-plane is , where the
coordinates of the center of the circle are and the length of the radius of the circle is . For the circle in the xy-
plane with equation , it follows that . Taking the square root of both sides of this
equation yields or . Because represents the length of the radius of the circle and this length must be
positive, . Therefore, the radius of the circle is . The diameter of a circle is twice the length of the radius of the
circle. Thus, yields . Therefore, the diameter of the circle is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the radius of the circle. Choice C is incorrect. This is the square of the radius of the circle.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9fec9d49
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 9fec9d49

The floor of a ballroom has an area of square meters. An architect creates a scale model of the floor of the ballroom,
where the length of each side of the model is times the length of the corresponding side of the actual floor of the
ballroom. What is the area, in square meters, of the scale model?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9fec9d49 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the length of each side of a scale model is times the length of the corresponding
side of the actual floor of a ballroom. Therefore, the area of the scale model is , or , times the area of the
actual floor of the ballroom. It’s given that the area of the floor of the ballroom is square meters. Therefore, the area,
in square meters, of the scale model is , or .

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 ba8ca563
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: ba8ca563

A cube has a volume of cubic units. What is the surface area, in square units, of the cube?

ID: ba8ca563 Answer

Correct Answer: 36504

Rationale
The correct answer is . The volume of a cube can be found using the formula , where represents the
edge length of a cube. It’s given that this cube has a volume of cubic units. Substituting for in
yields . Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation yields . Thus, the edge length
of the cube is units. Since each face of a cube is a square, it follows that each face has an edge length of units.
The area of a square can be found using the formula . Substituting for in this formula yields , or
. Therefore, the area of one face of this cube is square units. Since a cube has faces, the surface
area, in square units, of this cube is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard