A graph question that asks you to justify a claim tests whether the numbers support a stated comparison. Read the claim first, and identify the groups, the size of the difference, and which group should be lower. Then read the graph's title and axes to find what each bar measures. Compare the named groups by subtracting their values in the direction the claim gives. Check the numbers and what they show, since a true fact may not show the claim.
Hints
- Hint 1
Focus on the two conditions named in the underlined claim. Which chatter levels do you need to compare?
- Hint 2
Read the values for those two conditions, then subtract to test the stated drop. Does your result match the number in the claim?
Step-by-step
Compare the two named bars
Step 1Pin down the comparison
The claim says students recalled about 7 fewer words, so we're looking for a drop of about seven. Which bars should show that drop? The words in the High chatter condition than in the Quiet condition tell us to compare High with Quiet, with High lower.
- Step 2
Read the bar values
What do the axes tell us? The title and vertical axis show the average number of words recalled, and the horizontal axis names the chatter levels. Reading the labels above the two bars gives 16 words for Quiet and 9 for High.
- Step 3
Test the drop and match the evidence
Do those values show about 7 fewer words? Subtract High from Quiet: 16 − 9 = 7, so recall is seven words lower in High. The sentence with 16 words in the Quiet condition and 9 words in the High chatter condition reports both bars correctly and shows the drop the claim needs. Choice B.