SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Quantitative Evidence Practice

Translate the claim into a measurable comparison, then choose the data that matches it exactly.

Practice quantitative evidence in Dolphin SAT Practice questions

12-18 min practice time3 questions on pageInformation and Ideas

Practice time12-18 min

Question bank3 questions

Best forInformation and Ideas

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Identify the numerical comparison required by a claim
Read the correct row, column, category, and unit
Choose data that directly supports or weakens the claim
Avoid overstating what a table or graph demonstrates

Dolphin question bank

Practice your skill

Question 1 of 3Medium

Approximate Rates of Speech and Information Conveyed for Five Languages
Language	Rate of speech (syllables per second)	Rate of information conveyed (bits per second)
Serbian	7.2	39.1
Spanish	7.7	42.0
Vietnamese	5.3	42.5
Thai	4.7	33.8
Hungarian	5.9	34.6

A group of researchers working in Europe, Asia, and Oceania conducted a study to determine how quickly different Eurasian languages are typically spoken (in syllables per second) and how much information they can effectively convey (in bits per second). They found that, although languages vary widely in the speed at which they are spoken, the amount of information languages can effectively convey tends to vary much less. Thus, they claim that two languages with very different spoken rates can nonetheless convey the same amount of information in a given amount of time.

Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researchers’ claim?

Among the five languages in the table, Thai and Hungarian have the lowest rates of speech and the lowest rates of information conveyed.
Vietnamese conveys information at approximately the same rate as Spanish despite being spoken at a slower rate.
Among the five languages in the table, the language that is spoken the fastest is also the language that conveys information the fastest.
Serbian and Spanish are spoken at approximately the same rate, but Serbian conveys information faster than Spanish does.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerB. Vietnamese conveys information at approximately the same rate as Spanish despite being spoken at a slower rate.

Solution walkthrough

Choice B is the best answer because it provides the most direct support from the table for the claim that two languages can convey similar amounts of information even if they’re spoken at different rates. The table shows the approximate rates at which five languages are spoken and the rates at which those five languages convey information.
Vietnamese is spoken at around 5.3 syllables per second, whereas Spanish is spoken at around 7.7 syllables per second, but the two languages convey information at very similar rates: Vietnamese at a rate of around 42.5 bits per second and Spanish at a rate of around 42.0 bits per second. Thus, the description of Vietnamese conveying information at around the same rate that Spanish does despite being spoken more slowly supports the claim in the text that languages can convey the same amount of information even if spoken at different rates. Choice A is incorrect because it isn’t true that Thai and Hungarian have the lowest rates of speech of the five languages shown.
According to the table, Hungarian is spoken at around 5.9 syllables per second, which is faster than Vietnamese (5.3 syllables per second). Additionally, even if this statement were true, the assertion that two languages are spoken the slowest and convey information the slowest wouldn’t support the claim that languages can convey the same amount of information even if they’re spoken at different rates. Choice C is incorrect because it isn’t true that the fastest-spoken language (Spanish, at 7.7 syllables per second) also conveys information the fastest: Spanish conveys information at 42.0 bits per second, which is slower than the 42.5 bits-per-second rate at which Vietnamese conveys information.
Additionally, even if this statement were true, the assertion that the language spoken the fastest also conveys information the fastest has no bearing on the claim that languages can convey the same amount of information even if they’re spoken at different rates. Choice D is incorrect because it isn’t true that Serbian conveys information faster than Spanish does. According to the table, Serbian conveys information at a rate of around 39.1 bits per second, which is slower than the 42.0 bits-per-second rate at which Spanish conveys information.

Question 2 of 3Hard

Juvenile Plants Found Growing on Bare Ground and in Patches of Vegetation for Five Species
Species	Bare ground	Patches of vegetation	Total	Percent found in patches of vegetation
T. moroderi	9	13	22	59.1%
T. libanitis	83	120	203	59.1%
H. syriacim	95	106	201	52.7%
H. squamatum	218	321	539	59.6%
H. stoechas	11	12	23	52.2%

Alicia Montesinos-Navarro, Isabelle Storer, and Rocío Perez-Barrales recently examined several plots within a diverse plant community in southeast Spain. The researchers calculated that if individual plants were randomly distributed on this particular landscape, only about 15% would be with other plants in patches of vegetation. They counted the number of juvenile plants of five species growing in patches of vegetation and the number growing alone on bare ground and compared those numbers to what would be expected if the plants were randomly distributed. Based on these results, they claim that plants of these species that grow in close proximity to other plants gain an advantage at an early developmental stage.

Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researchers’ claim?

For all five species, less than 75% of juvenile plants were growing in patches of vegetation.
The species with the greatest number of juvenile plants growing in patches of vegetation was H. stoechas.
For T. libanitis and T. moroderi, the percentage of juvenile plants growing in patches of vegetation was less than what would be expected if plants were randomly distributed.
For each species, the percentage of juvenile plants growing in patches of vegetation was substantially higher than what would be expected if plants were randomly distributed.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerD. For each species, the percentage of juvenile plants growing in patches of vegetation was substantially higher than what would be expected if plants were randomly distributed.

Solution walkthrough

Choice D is the best answer because it provides the most direct support from the table for the claim that the plants growing in close proximity to other plants gained an advantage at an early developmental stage. The table shows the total number of juvenile plants from five species that were found growing on bare ground and in patches of vegetation as well as the percentage of the total number of each species that were growing in patches of vegetation.
For each of the five species, more than 50% of the juvenile plants were growing in patches of vegetation. The text notes, however, that a random distribution of plants across the landscape should result in only about 15% of the plants being found in patches of vegetation.
In other words, for each of the five species, the percentage of juvenile plants found growing in patches of vegetation was substantially higher than could be explained by chance alone. This finding supports the claim in the text: if plants growing in patches are overrepresented among plants that have survived to the juvenile stage, as the data show they are, then it suggests that it’s advantageous for plants at an early stage of development to grow in patches of vegetation. Choice A is incorrect because the statement that less than 75% of juvenile plants were found growing in patches of vegetation, while true, doesn’t clearly support the claim that the plants growing in close proximity to other plants gained an advantage at an early developmental stage.
Saying that less than 75% of plants were found in patches doesn’t indicate how the percentage growing in patches compares with the percentage that would be expected to grow in patches on the basis of chance alone, which is the information necessary to evaluate whether the claim in the text has support in the table. Put another way, if the percentage of plants found growing in patches was 15% or less, it would be true that less than 75% were found in patches, but the data would in fact weaken the claim in the text, not strengthen it, since the data would show that growing in patches wasn’t advantageous. Choice B is incorrect because only 12 plants of this species were found growing in patches, which was the lowest number of any species, not the greatest number.
Additionally, even if it were true that this species had the greatest number of plants growing in patches, the finding would be irrelevant to the claim that plants of all five species gained an advantage by growing in close proximity to other plants. Choice C is incorrect because 59.1% of the plants of these species were found growing in patches, which is a far greater percentage, not a lower percentage, than what would be expected if plants were randomly distributed (around 15%). Additionally, if it were true that the percentage of plants growing in patches was lower for these species than what would be expected from chance alone, that finding would weaken, not strengthen, the claim that growing in patches is advantageous.

Question 3 of 3Easy

Percent of Residents of City Areas in Favor of Adding More Bike Paths
City Area	Percent of area’s residents in favor of adding more bike paths
North East	12%
North Central	26%
North West	46%
South West	88%
South Central	33%

A city’s Parks and Recreation department is interested in providing residents with more opportunities for bicycling in their neighborhoods. They’re considering adding more bike paths and conducted a survey to understand where demand for more bike paths is highest. The survey indicated the highest level of demand, with 88 percent of the residents interested in adding more bike paths, is in the city’s

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

South West area.
South Central area.
North East area.
North Central area.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerA. South West area.

Solution walkthrough

Choice A is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement about the bike path survey.
The table presents the percent of residents from five city areas who are in favor of adding more bike paths.
With 88 percent of residents in favor of adding bike paths, the city’s South West area has the highest level of demand. Choice B is incorrect because, according to the data in the table, 33 percent of residents in the South Central area of the city are in favor of additional bike paths.
The area of the city that has 88 percent of its surveyed residents in favor of additional bike paths will best complete the statement.

Why the other choices miss

Choice C is incorrect because, according to the data in the table, 12 percent of residents in the North East area of the city are in favor of additional bike paths. The area of the city that has 88 percent of its surveyed residents in favor of additional bike paths will best complete the statement. Choice D is incorrect because, according to the data in the table, 26 percent of residents in the North Central area of the city are in favor of additional bike paths. The area of the city that has 88 percent of its surveyed residents in favor of additional bike paths will best complete the statement.

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Reading the nearest number instead of the right number

Match the row, column, category, time period, and unit named in the claim before calculating.

Confusing a difference with a percent change

A raw increase and a percentage increase answer different questions and use different calculations.

Overgeneralizing from an average

A group average does not prove that every individual in the group had that value.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

Underline the exact measurable claim.
Locate the relevant categories and units in the data.
Calculate only the comparison needed to test the claim.
Choose wording that matches the strength and scope of the numbers.

Practice quantitative evidence in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Quantitative Evidence Practice

What is quantitative evidence on the SAT?

It is numerical information from a table, graph, chart, or research result used to evaluate a claim in a passage.

Do quantitative evidence questions require advanced math?

Usually no. They focus more on reading data precisely and matching it to a claim than on difficult calculations.

How is this different from textual Command of Evidence?

Textual evidence uses sentences and passage details. Quantitative evidence requires interpreting numerical data and comparisons.