Question 44·Easy·Inferences
A recent survey of 300 students at Riverdale High School asked about their lunchtime habits. The researchers learned that 90% of students who bring lunch from home at least three days a week reported believing their eating habits are healthier than those of their peers who buy lunch in the school cafeteria. The researchers also calculated that, on average, these students spend about $12 less per week on food than students who purchase cafeteria meals.
Together, the survey results most strongly suggest that
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading & Writing inference questions like this, start by underlining the concrete facts and numbers in the passage, then restate them in your own words. Next, scan the answer choices and immediately cross out any that (1) introduce topics not mentioned in the passage, (2) make strong recommendations ("should") or causal claims ("causes") that the text never supports, or (3) change beliefs or perceptions into guaranteed facts. From the remaining options, choose the one that most closely and cautiously paraphrases or combines what the passage actually says, often using moderate language like "may" or "suggests."
Hints
Focus on what the survey actually measured
Reread the description of the survey. What two main results did the researchers find about students who bring lunch from home compared to those who buy cafeteria meals?
Combine both pieces of information
The question says "Together, the survey results." Make sure the answer you choose reflects both the health-related finding and the spending-related finding, not just one of them.
Avoid answers that go beyond the data
Check each option for words like "should" or "causes," or for topics (like clubs, teams, or restaurants) that the survey never mentioned. Those are clues the choice may be making claims the data do not support.
Look for cautious language
Because a survey shows what people report and what was measured, the best answer will use careful wording and not make absolute claims about what the school must do or what definitely happens because of bringing lunch.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the two key survey findings
First, note exactly what the survey discovered:
- A large majority (90 percent) of the students who bring lunch from home at least three days a week believe their eating habits are healthier than those of students who buy lunch in the cafeteria.
- On average, these same students spend about 12 dollars less per week on food than students who buy cafeteria meals.
So we have two points: a perception of better health and a measured cost difference.
Understand what "Together, the survey results most strongly suggest" means
The question asks what the two findings together most strongly suggest.
That means the correct completion should:
- Refer to students who bring lunch from home compared with cafeteria buyers.
- Combine both ideas: the perceived health difference and the spending difference.
- Stay within what the data support (no new topics, no strong cause-and-effect claims, no recommendations for school policy).
Check each option against the evidence and level of certainty
Now compare each choice to the survey results:
- Look for a choice that mentions both health (or beliefs about health) and cost.
- Make sure it does not claim more than the survey shows (for example, it should not say the school "should" do something or that one behavior "causes" another).
- Eliminate any answer that brings in ideas the survey never measured, like extracurricular participation or restaurant food.
Match the best-supported, cautious statement
Only one option accurately and cautiously restates the combined findings: that students who bring lunch from home may gain both perceived health advantages and cost savings compared with students who buy cafeteria meals. This choice reflects the students' belief that their habits are healthier and the measured weekly savings, while using careful language like "may" and "perceived," so it does not overstate the evidence.