Question 89·Medium·Command of Evidence
A student is writing a report about changes in home internet technology. The student notices that the average download speed of fiber connections in 2015 was _____
Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?
For command-of-evidence questions with graphs, read the specific category named in the sentence (here, fiber) for each relevant year, then translate the numbers into the comparison language used in the choices (higher/lower/about the same, and “twice,” “four times,” etc.). Finally, pick the option that matches every comparison the sentence requires, not just one part.
Hints
Focus on the fiber bars
Locate the black (fiber) bar in the 2015 cluster and note its value, then do the same for the 2024 cluster.
Compare within each year
For 2015, compare fiber’s height to the DSL and cable bars in that same cluster.
Check the “twice as fast” claim carefully
For 2024, compare fiber to cable by doubling cable’s value and seeing whether fiber is above or below that doubled amount.
Step-by-step Explanation
Read the fiber values from the graph
From the 2015 cluster, the fiber bar is at about 45 Mbps. From the 2024 cluster, the fiber bar is at about 280 Mbps.
Compare fiber to the other connection types
In 2015, DSL is about 12 Mbps and cable is about 30 Mbps, so fiber (45 Mbps) is higher than both.
In 2024, cable is about 110 Mbps, and twice that is 220 Mbps; fiber is about 280 Mbps, which is more than twice cable.
Choose the option that matches both comparisons
The only choice that matches both the 2015 comparison (fiber higher than DSL and cable) and the 2024 comparison (fiber more than twice cable) is:
higher than the speeds of both DSL and cable connections, and in 2024 was more than twice as fast as cable connections.