Question 8·Medium·Command of Evidence
Commuting to Work in Metroville, 2005–2020
| Mode | 2005 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| car | 78.0 | 70.0 | 60.0 |
| public transit | 15.0 | 18.0 | 17.0 |
| bicycle | 2.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| remote work | 0.5 | 1.0 | 12.0 |
| walking | 4.5 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
Analysts note that while environmentally friendly options such as bicycling gained popularity slowly over the fifteen-year span, remote work saw a sudden surge once high-speed internet became widely available in the late 2010s. This difference is best demonstrated by comparing ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to illustrate the analysts’ claim?
For “use the data to support a claim” questions, first translate the claim into specific patterns you need to see (for example, slow vs. fast growth, early vs. late years, or one category vs. another). Then scan the table to confirm which rows and year ranges actually match those patterns. Finally, go through the choices and eliminate any that (1) use the wrong categories, (2) look only at single-year percentages instead of changes when the claim is about change, or (3) focus on the wrong time period; the remaining answer should be the one that directly and precisely mirrors the claim using the correct pieces of data.
Hints
Focus on the kind of change described
Underline the phrases “gained popularity slowly over the fifteen-year span” and “sudden surge once high-speed internet became widely available in the late 2010s.” Ask yourself: do we need to compare single numbers, or changes over time?
Look at the specific years mentioned
The “fifteen-year span” refers to 2005–2020, and the “late 2010s” lines up with the 2015–2020 period. Which answer choices use those time spans for bicycling and for remote work?
Check what each choice is actually comparing
For each option, identify whether it compares (1) levels in a single year or (2) increases across years, and whether it involves both bicycle commuting and remote work. Eliminate choices that don’t show both the slow long-term bicycle trend and the late-2010s jump in remote work.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the claim is saying
The sentence describes two different patterns of change:
- Bicycle commuting: “gained popularity slowly over the fifteen-year span” (2005–2020).
- Remote work: “saw a sudden surge once high-speed internet became widely available in the late 2010s” (this points to the 2015–2020 period, not the earlier years).
So the best comparison must show:
- Bicycling increasing gradually across 2005–2020, and
- Remote work increasing rapidly in the later years (around 2015–2020).
Read how bicycle and remote work change in the table
From the table:
- Bicycle: 2.0 (2005), 4.0 (2015), 5.0 (2020)
- 2005–2015: increase of 2.0 percentage points
- 2015–2020: increase of 1.0 percentage point
- 2005–2020: increase of 3.0 percentage points total (a small, steady rise)
- Remote work: 0.5 (2005), 1.0 (2015), 12.0 (2020)
- 2005–2015: increase of 0.5 percentage point (very small)
- 2015–2020: increase of 11.0 percentage points (a big jump)
These numbers match the idea that bicycles grew slowly over 15 years, while remote work suddenly surged between 2015 and 2020.
Decide what kind of comparison the question is asking for
The question asks which choice “most effectively uses data from the table to illustrate” the claim.
That means the right choice should:
- Compare changes over time (percentage-point increases), not just single-year percentages.
- Use bicycling data over the entire 2005–2020 span to show slow growth.
- Use remote work data from the late 2010s (2015–2020) to show a sudden surge. Any option that does not do all three of these things should be eliminated.
Match the needed comparison to the answer choices
Check each option against the requirements:
- Some options compare only single-year percentages (not changes), or ignore remote work entirely, so they cannot show slow versus sudden change.
- One option compares percentage-point increase in bicycle commuting from 2005 to 2020 (slow total rise of 3 points) with the percentage-point increase in remote work from 2015 to 2020 (rapid jump of 11 points).
That option directly demonstrates the analysts’ contrast between slow long-term growth in bicycling and a sudden late-2010s surge in remote work, so the correct answer is: the percentage-point increase in bicycle commuting from 2005 to 2020 with the percentage-point increase in remote work from 2015 to 2020.