Question 134·Medium·Command of Evidence
A student is researching how the frequency of very hot days has changed over time in two U.S. cities. After reviewing the data, the student concludes that both City M and City N stayed fairly steady in the number of days above 95°F from 1980 to 2000 but then increased noticeably from 2000 to 2020.
Which choice best describes data from the graph that support the student’s conclusion?
For command-of-evidence questions tied to a graph, restate the claim in your own words, then verify it with specific segments of the data (here, 1980–2000 versus 2000–2020). Choose the option that matches all parts of the claim for both data series, and be cautious of distractors that focus only on a single comparison (like which city is higher) or that shift the timing of the change.
Hints
Focus on the two time windows
Look separately at what happens from 1980 to 2000 and what happens from 2000 to 2020.
Compare patterns, not just which city is higher
The conclusion is about whether the cities change in similar ways over time, not about which city has more hot days overall.
Check whether each option addresses both cities
Eliminate choices that describe only a single detail (like a cutoff number) or a comparison between cities without describing the overall trend.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the conclusion predicts
The conclusion has two parts to verify in the graph:
- From 1980 to 2000, both cities should show only small changes.
- From 2000 to 2020, both cities should show noticeable increases.
Check each time period in the graph
From 1980 to 2000, City M stays around the low 40s (40, 42, 41) and City N stays around the low 20s (20, 22, 21), which is fairly steady.
From 2000 to 2020, both cities rise: City M increases from 41 to 55 to 70, and City N increases from 21 to 35 to 50.
Select the option that matches both parts
The option that states both cities change only slightly from 1980 to 2000 and then rise after 2000 best supports the student’s conclusion.
Therefore, the best choice is: In both City M and City N, the number of days above 95°F changes only slightly from 1980 to 2000 and then rises in both later decades, reaching the highest values in 2020.