A graph question asking for an example tests whether you can use data to support a claim. Read the claim first to find which groups it needs you to compare. For a claim about speed, more progress by the same time means faster change. Read the title, axes, and key so you can compare the right points. Then check every number, because a value from the wrong line or day can't support the claim.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with the claim after the first paragraph. Say what faster ripening would mean for the percentage of red fruits.
- Hint 2
Use the graph's key to identify the temperature groups, then check the axes for what each point measures.
- Hint 3
Pick a day on the graph and compare the temperature groups at that same day. Keep each percentage attached to its own group's line.
Step-by-step
Compare temperatures at the same day
Step 1Translate faster ripening
Read Warmer nighttime temperatures were associated with accelerated ripening, the claim the example must support. What would faster ripening look like? Red is a sign of ripeness, so the warmer group should have a higher percentage of red fruits at the same time after fruit set.
- Step 2
Match groups to lines
The graph's title and axes show the percentage of fruits in each group that had turned red against days after fruit set. Which line belongs to each temperature? The key uses different markers for the groups: circles show 18°C, squares show 20°C, and triangles show 22°C.
- Step 3
Check each percentage
Does each choice report the percentage of fruits in each group at the right day? The choice with about 40% for 18°C at 20 days misreads the line: 18°C is at 25%. At 25 days, the choice with about 80% for 18°C is wrong because that line is at 60%. At 30 days, about 60% for 18°C is also wrong because that line is at 85%.
- Step 4
Link the accurate comparison to the claim
At 15 days, do the numbers support accelerated ripening? About 20% of fruits are red at 22°C, compared with about 5% at 18°C. The warmer group is further along at the same time, which supports faster ripening. Choice A.