Question 145·Easy·Command of Evidence
Effect of Weekly Peer Tutoring on Students’ Test Scores
| Student group | Average initial test score | Average score after tutoring | Percentage change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-achieving students | 92 | 95 | 3.3 |
| Midlevel students | 78 | 83 | 6.4 |
| Struggling students | 56 | 68 | 21.4 |
School researchers introduced a weekly peer-tutoring program and concluded that the program is especially beneficial for students who had previously been struggling academically.
Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researchers’ conclusion?
For evidence questions with tables, first restate the claim in your own words (for example, "the program helped struggling students more than others"). Then go straight to the row(s) and column(s) that measure that idea (like a percentage change or difference). Identify which group or pattern best matches the claim, and finally choose the answer that explicitly states that comparison, not just any true fact from the table. Ignore choices that are accurate but don’t directly support the specific conclusion in the prompt.
Hints
Focus on the claim
Underline or note the researchers’ conclusion: they say the program is especially beneficial for students who had been struggling. Which row of the table is about those students?
Choose the key column
To show who benefited the most, is it better to look at the raw scores or the Percentage change (%) column? Which column lets you compare improvement fairly across groups?
Look for comparisons in the answer choices
After you see which group improved the most, scan the answer choices for the one that both mentions that group and compares their improvement to another group in a way that supports the idea of "especially beneficial."
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the researchers’ conclusion
The conclusion says the tutoring program is especially beneficial for students who had previously been struggling academically.
This means you must find evidence that struggling students improved more (or benefited more) than other groups.
Find the struggling students’ data in the table
Look at the row labeled "Struggling students":
- Average initial test score: 56
- Average score after tutoring: 68
- Percentage change: 21.4
This row shows both their starting point (they were struggling) and how much they improved.
Compare improvements across all three groups
Now check the Percentage change (%) column for each group:
- High-achieving students: 3.3%
- Midlevel students: 6.4%
- Struggling students: 21.4%
Struggling students have the largest percentage increase by far, which strongly supports the idea that the program was especially beneficial for them.
Match the supporting data to an answer choice
You now want the choice that clearly states that struggling students’ improvement was much greater than that of at least one other group.
Choice C says that struggling students improved from 56 to 68, a 21.4% increase, while high-achieving students improved only 3.3%, directly highlighting that struggling students benefited much more. Therefore, the correct answer is: Struggling students improved from 56 to 68, a 21.4% increase, while high-achieving students improved only 3.3%.