Question 90·Easy·Command of Evidence
Percentage of Participants Who Selected Each Snack Bar
| Snack Bar | Bold Packaging (%) | Plain Packaging (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Crunch | 34 | 18 |
| Berry Burst | 22 | 20 |
| Cocoa Delight | 17 | 16 |
| Honey Nut | 15 | 25 |
| Lemon Zest | 12 | 21 |
Researchers wanted to test whether bold, brightly colored packaging influences snack choices. They invited participants to choose one snack bar from a display. Half of the participants saw the bars in bold packaging, and the other half saw the same bars in plain white packages. The researchers concluded that bold packaging increases the likelihood that a snack will be chosen.
Which choice best describes data in the table that support the researchers’ conclusion?
For SAT questions that ask which data best support a conclusion, first restate the conclusion in your own words (what trend or effect is being claimed?). Then scan the chart or table, directly comparing the relevant numbers (e.g., bold vs. plain, before vs. after) and look for the strongest pattern that matches the claimed effect (usually the largest increase or clearest difference). Finally, eliminate answer choices that either show almost no change or show the opposite trend, even if they are factually accurate descriptions of the data.
Hints
Focus on the researchers’ conclusion
Underline or mentally note the conclusion: the researchers say that bold packaging increases how likely it is that a snack will be chosen. You need data that match this idea of an increase, not a decrease.
Compare the two columns in the table
For each snack, compare the bold-packaging percentage with the plain-packaging percentage. Ask yourself: is the bold number higher, lower, or about the same as the plain number?
Look for the strongest increase
Which snack shows the biggest jump from plain to bold packaging? That’s the kind of pattern that best supports the claim that bold packaging makes a snack more likely to be chosen.
Eliminate options that don’t show an increase
If an answer choice describes a snack that is chosen less often or at almost the same rate with bold packaging, it will not strongly support the idea that bold packaging increases choice.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate what the question is asking
The researchers concluded that bold packaging increases the likelihood that a snack will be chosen. The question asks you to pick the statement that best points to data in the table that back up this conclusion.
Compare bold vs. plain for each snack
Look at each row in the table and compare the percent of participants who chose the snack with bold packaging to the percent who chose it with plain packaging:
- Apple Crunch: bold , plain
- Berry Burst: bold , plain
- Cocoa Delight: bold , plain
- Honey Nut: bold , plain
- Lemon Zest: bold , plain
Notice which snacks are chosen more often with bold packaging and which are chosen less often.
Identify which patterns support or weaken the conclusion
The conclusion says bold packaging increases the likelihood a snack is chosen, so supporting data should show higher percentages for bold packaging than for plain packaging.
From the comparisons:
- Berry Burst and Cocoa Delight show only small increases with bold packaging.
- Honey Nut and Lemon Zest are actually chosen less often with bold packaging, which goes against the conclusion.
- One snack shows a large increase when the packaging is bold.
The strongest support will focus on the snack with the largest positive difference between bold and plain percentages.
Match the strongest supporting pattern to an answer choice
The snack with the biggest increase is Apple Crunch, where bold packaging () is far higher than plain packaging (). The answer choice that describes this pattern is:
Participants who saw the bold packaging selected Apple Crunch much more often than those who saw the plain packaging.
This directly supports the conclusion that bold packaging increases the likelihood a snack will be chosen.