Question 4·Easy·Command of Evidence
Comfort Ratings and Temperature-Adjustment Preferences from One Survey
| Participant | Comfort rating | Preferred temperature adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | −2 | Cooler |
| 1 | 1 | Cooler |
| 21 | 1 | Cooler |
Nan Gao and her team conducted multiple surveys to determine participants’ levels of comfort in a room where the temperature was regulated by a commercial climate control system. Participants filled out surveys several times a day to indicate their level of comfort on a scale from −3 (very cold) to +3 (very hot), with 0 indicating neutral (neither warm nor cool), and to indicate how they would prefer the temperature to be adjusted. The table shows three participants’ responses in one of the surveys.
According to the table, all three participants wanted the room to be cooler, ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
For SAT Reading & Writing questions that combine a brief passage with a table or chart, first summarize the data in your own words (who is higher, lower, the same). Then read the sentence stem and determine what kind of relationship it needs (contrast, cause, continuation). Test each answer choice directly against the numbers or facts in the graphic: eliminate any option that contradicts the data or adds information the graphic does not show. Always let the table or graph, not your assumptions or the surrounding narrative, decide which statement can be true.
Hints
Focus on the numbers in the table
Ignore the story about multiple surveys for a moment and look closely at the three comfort ratings given for participants 20, 1, and 21.
Recall what negative and positive ratings mean
Think about what a rating of −2 means on the scale compared with a rating of 1. Which is colder, and which is warmer?
Check each choice against the table only
For each answer option, ask: “Does the table clearly show this?” Eliminate any option that contradicts the numbers or talks about something the table doesn’t display (like changes over time).
Compare participant 20 with the others
How does participant 20’s comfort rating compare specifically to the comfort ratings of participants 1 and 21?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the sentence must do
The sentence begins: “According to the table, all three participants wanted the room to be cooler, ______”.
So the blank must add information that is directly supported by the table about how their comfort ratings compare, while keeping the sentence logical and grammatically correct.
Interpret the comfort-rating scale
The passage explains the scale:
- −3 = very cold
- 0 = neutral
- +3 = very hot
More negative numbers mean colder, and more positive numbers mean hotter.
Read the actual numbers in the table
From the table:
- Participant 20: comfort rating −2, preferred adjustment: Cooler
- Participant 1: comfort rating 1, preferred adjustment: Cooler
- Participant 21: comfort rating 1, preferred adjustment: Cooler
So:
- All three prefer “Cooler” (already stated in the sentence).
- Participant 20 feels quite cold (−2), while participants 1 and 21 feel somewhat warm (1).
- Participants 1 and 21 have the same comfort rating.
Test each choice against the table
Now compare each option to the data:
- “they each reported the same level of comfort” is wrong because −2, 1, and 1 are not all the same.
- “each participant’s ratings varied throughout the day” is not shown in the table; the table is only one survey.
- “participant 1 reported feeling warmer than the other two participants did” is wrong because participant 21 has the same rating (1) as participant 1.
The only option that correctly matches the numbers is: “but participant 20 reported feeling significantly colder than the other two participants did.” This matches −2 (colder) versus 1 and 1 (warmer), so that is the correct answer.