Question 26·Medium·Command of Evidence
Five of the Responses to Survey about Actions to Conserve Energy
| Action | Action category | Percentage of respondents selecting action (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Use efficient cars/hybrids | efficiency | 2.8 |
| Change thermostat setting | curtailment | 6.3 |
| Use bike or public transportation instead of car | curtailment | 12.9 |
| Use efficient light bulbs | efficiency | 3.6 |
| Turn off lights | curtailment | 19.6 |
In a survey of public perceptions of energy use, researcher Shahzeen Attari and her team asked respondents to name the most effective action ordinary people can take to conserve energy. The team categorized each action as either an efficiency or a curtailment and found that respondents tended to name curtailments more often than they did efficiencies. For example, 19.6% of respondents stated that the most effective way to conserve energy is to turn off the lights, while only ______
For SAT questions that ask you to complete a sentence using information from a table or graph, first identify what kind of information the sentence needs (for example, an efficiency vs. curtailment, a large vs. small value, an increase vs. decrease). Then, go to the visual and find the row or entry that fits that description. Finally, check each answer choice carefully to be sure both the wording (the action or label) and the number (percentage or value) exactly match the source; eliminate any choice that changes either the category or the number, even slightly.
Hints
Focus on the contrast in the sentence
The sentence contrasts how often people mention curtailments versus efficiencies. Ask yourself: what kind of action should fill the blank to support that contrast?
Use the “Action category” column
Look at the "Action category" column in the table. Which actions are labeled "efficiency" and which are labeled "curtailment"?
Check that both the action and percentage match
For each answer choice, confirm that (1) the action’s category fits the sentence (it should be an efficiency) and (2) the percentage exactly matches what’s in the table for that action.
Pay attention to the word “only”
The word "only" suggests a relatively small percentage. Among the efficiency actions, look at their percentages and see which answer choice uses one of those correctly.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the sentence is trying to show
The sentence says respondents "tended to name curtailments more often than they did efficiencies." Then it gives an example: a high percentage for a curtailment (turning off lights, 19.6%) and wants to contrast that with a much lower percentage for an efficiency.
So the blank must:
- Describe an efficiency action (not a curtailment), and
- Use the exact percentage from the table for that action.
Identify efficiency actions in the table
Look at the "Action category" column:
- Use efficient cars/hybrids → efficiency
- Use efficient light bulbs → efficiency
The other actions (change thermostat setting, use bike or public transportation, turn off lights) are curtailments, so they do not fit the part of the sentence about "efficiencies."
Match efficiency actions to their correct percentages
Now check the "Percentage" column for the two efficiency actions:
- Use efficient cars/hybrids → 2.8%
- Use efficient light bulbs → 3.6%
The answer choice must pair the correct efficiency action with its correct percentage exactly as in the table.
Select the choice that matches both the table and the sentence
Compare the two efficiency rows to the answer choices:
- The table says: "Use efficient cars/hybrids" → 2.8%.
- The table says: "Use efficient light bulbs" → 3.6%.
Only choice D) 3.6% of respondents said it was most effective to use efficient light bulbs. matches the table exactly and gives an efficiency example with a low percentage, correctly contrasting the 19.6% curtailment example.