Question 61·Easy·Command of Evidence
Housing Starts in the US, January–April 2022 (in thousands)
| Month | Housing starts |
|---|---|
| January | 1,669 |
| February | 1,771 |
| March | 1,713 |
| April | 1,803 |
When construction of a single-family house begins, it is called a housing start. In the first four months of 2022, the highest number of housing starts in the United States was in _____
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
For SAT questions that use tables or charts, start by reading exactly what is being asked (highest, lowest, increase, etc.), then go straight to the relevant column or part of the graphic and scan the numbers to find the required value. Only after identifying the key number (like the maximum) should you match it back to the appropriate label (such as a month or category) and then to the answer choice, being careful not to pick an option just because it appears first or looks familiar.
Hints
Focus on what is being compared
Make sure you are answering the exact question: it asks for the month with the highest number of housing starts, not the first month listed or the month with the lowest number.
Look at the correct column
Ignore the month names at first and look only at the numbers in the "Housing starts" column. Which of the four numbers is the largest?
Connect the largest number back to the month
After you decide which number is largest, look back across the row to see which month it belongs to, and then find that month among the answer choices.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks: In which month was the number of housing starts the highest during the first four months of 2022? This means you are looking for the largest value in the "Housing starts" column, then identifying the month that matches that value.
Read the values from the table
Look at the "Housing starts" column and note the values for each month:
- January: 1,669
- February: 1,771
- March: 1,713
- April: 1,803
All values are in thousands, but for comparing which is largest, you just compare the numbers themselves.
Determine which value is the greatest
Compare the four numbers:
- 1,669 is less than 1,713, 1,771, and 1,803.
- 1,713 is less than 1,771 and 1,803.
- 1,771 is less than 1,803.
So the greatest value among the four is 1,803.
Match the greatest value to the correct month and answer choice
The value 1,803 appears in the row for April. Therefore, the month with the highest number of housing starts is April, so the correct answer choice is D) April.