Question 17·Medium·Command of Evidence
Participants’ Evaluation of the Likelihood That Robots Can Work Effectively in Different Occupations
| Occupation | Somewhat or very unlikely (%) | Neutral (%) | Somewhat or very likely (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| television news anchor | 24 | 9 | 67 |
| teacher | 37 | 16 | 47 |
| firefighter | 62 | 9 | 30 |
| surgeon | 74 | 9 | 16 |
| tour guide | 10 | 8 | 82 |
Rows in table may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Georgia Tech roboticists De’Aira Bryant and Ayanna Howard, along with ethicist Jason Borenstein, were interested in people’s perceptions of robots’ competence. They recruited participants and asked them how likely they think it is that a robot could do the work required in various occupations. Participants’ evaluations varied widely depending on which occupation was being considered; for example, ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to illustrate how participants' evaluations varied?
For SAT Reading & Writing questions that ask you to pick a sentence using data from a chart or table, first read the sentence with the blank and identify exactly what the sentence is claiming (for example, that results "varied widely" or that something "stayed about the same"). Then, scan the answer choices and quickly eliminate any that (1) misread the numbers, (2) talk about the wrong categories, or (3) don’t logically support the claim (such as showing similarity when the text claims variation). Always make sure the choice is both numerically accurate and a strong, direct example of the idea stated in the passage.
Hints
Use the sentence before the blank
Reread the part right before the blank: what claim about the data is the author making that the blank must illustrate?
Focus on what “varied widely” implies
Ask yourself: To show that evaluations "varied widely depending on which occupation was being considered," should the example talk about one occupation or compare more than one? Should the numbers be similar or very different?
Match answer choices to the table
Check each choice against the table. Does it accurately report the percentages, and does it compare occupations in a way that supports the idea of wide variation?
Eliminate weak forms of evidence
Cross out any choice that either (1) only mentions one occupation, or (2) highlights numbers that are the same or very close, since those do not show strong variation across occupations.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the blank must do
Focus on the sentence before the blank: "Participants’ evaluations varied widely depending on which occupation was being considered; for example, ______".
The phrase "varied widely" tells you that the missing part should show a big contrast between evaluations for different occupations, not just restate one number or show similarity.
Identify the kind of evidence needed
Because the writers just claimed that evaluations "varied widely," the example must:
- Compare two different occupations, and
- Show a large difference in how likely people think robots can do the job.
An answer that talks only about one job, or shows the same percentage, does not support the idea of wide variation.
Check each option against the table and the claim
Now compare each choice to both the table and the idea of "varied widely depending on which occupation".
- Choice A: Talks about teacher only, comparing "somewhat or very likely" vs "somewhat or very unlikely" for the same job. That shows disagreement, but not variation between different occupations.
- Choice B: Says 9% were neutral about a robot news anchor and 9% were neutral about a robot surgeon. That shows similarity, not wide variation.
- Choice C: Compares "somewhat or very likely" responses for tour guide (82%) and surgeon (16%). This is a big difference between two occupations, exactly what "varied widely" describes.
- Choice D: Gives one statistic for firefighter only. It doesn’t compare occupations, so it can’t show that evaluations varied widely "depending on which occupation was being considered."
Select the answer that best fits the sentence
Only Choice C both matches the numbers in the table and clearly shows that responses were very different for different occupations. Therefore, the correct answer is:
82% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a tour guide, but only 16% believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work as a surgeon.