Chapters 1-2 Chapters 1-2 are based on the following passage
A) NO CHANGE B) water consumption at the Untversity Park
C) water consumption at both the University Park and Health and Sciences campuses decreased after peaking in 2007.
D) water consumption at the University Park campus decreased every year between
2005 and 2009, while it rose al the Health and Sciences campus.
hereas the previous graph only asked vou to consider how the number of jobs changed over time, this P grap y y J 5 graph requires you to compare two separate factors: the amount of water used at the Health and Sciences Campus, and the amount used at the University Park Campus.
If you think that sounds complicated, don’t worry! We can “skim” this graph too - we just have to make sure not to confuse the information presented in each bar color.
The first thing we can notice is that the two sets of bars show two very different stories. Any answer choice stating that they are similar will therefore be wrong. That eliminates C).
Next, we can notice that the bars for the Health and Sciences campus (dark gray) are a lot lower than the bars for the University Park Campus (light gray). The bars for the Health and Sciences campus also go up slightly over time; they do not drop at all. Any answer stating that water consumption decreased at the Health and Sciences campus must therefore be wrong. That eliminates A).
We can also notice that the bars for the University Park campus (light gray) go up significantly, then drop.
So any answer that mentions water consumption only increasing or decreasing is wrong. That eliminates D). The only remaining answer is B), which is correct.
Stacked Graphs
Some of the graphs you encounter on the SAT may also be in “stacked” form - that is, a single bar may convey information about more than one entity. When this is the case, you must be able to distinguish between the points on the graph where a particular color begins and ends, and the overall quantity indicated
by that color.
For an illustration of that concept, we’re going to take a look at the graph below:
Handheld Devices: Percent of Sales by
Company
100 ằ i i
60 3 # Other
40 Apple
® Microsoft
20
0
2008 2012 2016
Each bar in the above graph represents the market share of not one but three separate companies during a particular year. The bottom color (dark gray) directly corresponds to Microsoft’s market share in each year listed. In 2012, for instance, the bar stretches from 0 to about 30 (halfway between 20 and 40), indicating that around 30% of handheld device sales involved Microsoft products.
45
In order to interpret the top two colors in each bar, however, we must perform some simple calculations.
The middle bar (light gray, Apple) begins at about 30% and goes to about 50%. The difference between 30 and 50 is 20, so the graph is indicating that 20% of handheld device sales in 2012 involved Apple products.
Likewise, the medium-gray portion of the graph (“Other”) begins at about 50% and stretches to the top, indicating that about half of handheld device sales in 2012 involved products not manufactured by Microsoft or Apple. Although that is a very straightforward quantity, it is less obvious than it would be if
the bar were split evenly between two colors, or if the number 50 appeared in the y-axis.
Incorrect answers to questions testing these types of graphs are likely to play on the confusion between the lines where particular sections of a bar start/stop and the actual amounts they represent.
For example, take a look at the question below. Choices A) and B) are both based on this type of confusion.
Which choice offers an accurate interpretation
of data presented in the chart?
A) In 2012, about half of handheld device
sales involved Apple products.
B) In 2016, more than 60% of handheld
device sales involved products not
manufactured by Apple or Microsoft.
C) Between 2008 and 2016, the percentage
of handheld device sales involving Apple
products declined.
D) The percentage of handheld devices sales
involving Microsoft products was more
than twice as large in 2008 as in 2012.
In A), it is true that the bar for Apple does stop right around the 50% mark; however, that 50% represents the combined sales of Apple and Microsoft. As we saw, the actual figure for 2012 Apple sales is 20%.
B) plays on the proximity between the start of the “Other” section and the 60% mark. In reality, the bar begins at just under 60%, so “Other” sales actually comprise just over 40% of the total. lf you were confused about the graph’s organization, you could potentially misinterpret the medium-gray bar as ending just above the 60% mark rather than just below it.
C) plays on the size vs. location of the light-gray bar (Apple). Although it is situated much higher up in the graph in 2008, that location has nothing to do with the amount sold. The key factor is the height of that portion, which is larger in 2012 and 2016, indicating that sales rose rather than declined.
Note that D), the correct answer, does not cite specific figures from the graph at all. Rather, you must
perform some basic calculations involving information not explicitly labeled on the graph. In 2008, the bar
for Microsoft (dark gray) extends from zero to about 70% (not labeled). In 2012, it extends from 0 to about 30% (again, not labeled). 30 is less than half of 70, so it is accurate to say that Microsoft sales in 2008 were more than twice as high as Microsoft sales in 2012.
Non-Graph Graphics
Finally, you should be aware that the SAT occasionally includes infographics that are not in traditional bar- graph form. Because the format of these graphics varies, there is no real way to study for them, nor is there
any reliable way to predict which type might occur on a particular exam. Before you start to worry, though, you should know that any non-standard graph that appears will be relatively straightforward and self- explanatory. Although you may need a few extra seconds to figure out how the graphic works, you should keep in mind that all the information you need is right in front of you.
That said, we're going to take a look at one example:
A discipline for managing information technology systems,
information technology service management (ITSM) is
centered on the clients needs. This approach stands in
contrast to the Lechnology-cenlered approaches that often B) A)
leave clients confused and frustrated. As the graphic
indicates, a Help Desk provides large-scale structure,
while Strategy Management, Customer Support, and a C)
Service Desk play secondary roles.
S
D)
NO CHANGE Customer Support provides large-scale structure, while Strategy Management, along with Service and Help Desks, plays
a secondary role.
Help and Service Desks provide large-scale structure, while Strategy Management and Customer Support play secondary roles. Strategy Management and Customer Support provide large-scale structure, while Service and Help Desks play secondary roles.
This question might seem complicated, but in reality you only need one key piece of information to answer
it. The key phrase is large-scale structure. What’s the largest circle? Strategy Management. So Strategy Management = large-scale structure. Each answer refers to large-scale structure first, so all you need to look at
is the beginning of each answer. D) is the only choice that begins correctly, so it is the only possible answer.
47
Exercise: Infographics (answers p. 239)
1. EI Nifio is a climate pattern in which water in the |
Pacific Ocean near the equator becomes hotter than usual,
affecting the atmosphere and weather around the world.
Although El Nifio climate conditions are unpredictable, | [|
they typically occur every few years. The climate pattern Which choice is best supported by the
- ; information in the graph?
can change the weather of the United States, particularly
in California and the southern states. Although El Nifio A) NO CHANGE
B) strong El Nifios always create abnormally wel winters.
winters have occurred when El Nifio was strong. In C) the amount of rainfall in weak El Nifio years
has increased over ume.
years do not always bring heavy rains, the wettest
addition, El Nifio may bring warmer than normal winter
D) the amount of rainfall in weak El Nifio years has grown closer lo the amount of rainfall in strong El Nifio years.
temperatures to the eastern part of the United States.
Percent of Normal Rainfall in El Nifio
Years
250 T— i
20 ———$—$— I
150 †—T =
| |
100 !ẹ-|—†-IE
| 50 ' |
0 4 4, '
\O œ
\O m
t2 Có củ oO MN
El Weak El Nino
91-92 ees T | _—ơ | | —_————
82-83 | 94-95
51-52 57-58 68-69 77-78 97-98 | 05-06 |
Strong El Nino
2. Because demand for seafood cannot be adequately
met by wild-catch fish, the aquaculture industry makes up
market needs, Farmed salmon production represented less
than 10% of the total salmon volume 25 years ago,
whereas it now accounts for over 70% of the salmon
markel. Between 1979 and 2011, hatchery-raised salmon
g grew lo a volume of over 3.500 tons, while wild-catch
salmon has stagnated.
| 4,000
Wild vs. Farmed Salmon
3,500
3,000
2,500
-
Bogan
2,000
1,500
1,000 ©
500 © h Ĩ : !
0 = 2
Kà x
w5Cơ s=
49 x2 ` S 2
^ ^ + S ®
hatchery origin
® wild origin
49
Which choice offers an accurate interpretation
of data presented in the chart?
A) B) €) D)
NO CHANGE grew loa volume of over 2,500 tons, grew to a volume of 1,000 tons, grew by a volume of over 3,500 tons,
3. A glacier's life is defined by movement and change.
Glacier movement most often occurs over hundreds or
even thousands of years, but not all glaciers move slowly.
For example, surging glaciers can flow quickly,
sometimes traveling as much as 10 to 100 times faster
than regular glaciers. Others may retreat within only
a few decades, leaving once glaciated valleys blooming
with vegetation.
Glaciers helped shape the Cascade mountains, but
some reports now suggest that those glaciers could be
gone within a matter of decades. The number of
stationary glaciers decreased from 1995 and 2013, and Which choice offers an accurate interpretation
of data presented in the chart?
some glaciers have disappeared entirely. Scientists warn
that the melting ice could impact everything from tourism A) NO CHANGE
B) The number of retreating glaciers has
to agriculture, forestry, water quality, and underwater :
decreased since 1995, but
COSY SteIMss C) The number of stationary glaciers rose from
1967 to 2013, but D) There were twice as many retreating glaciers in 1995 as there were a decade earlier, and
Disappearance of Glaciers in the
Cascades, 1967-2013
60
50
40
30
od I
10 >
1967 1974 1985 1995 2007 2013 oe
=} ee Dee CD =O ơ cCE =2
OStationary #Retreat MGone
4, A few decades ago, wild gtant pandas were
considered a symbol of wildlife conservation, Large-
scale infrastructure projects were destroying the animals’
traditional habitat, found only in the Chinese provinces
of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. Now, however,
conservationists’ efforts seem to be paying off. According
to one recent survey, the panda population began to
increase during the decade beginning in 2003, rising
by several hundred to over 2,000 in 2013. The World
Wildlife Federation’s 2015-2025 giant-panda conservation Which choice offers an accurate interpretation
. l ol data presented in the chart?
strategy will set the course for panda-protection efforts
over the next decade, with a focus on improving panda A) NO CHANGE
habitats in a manner that balances conservation and B) rising by several hundred in each year, fora
total of over 1,800 sustainable local development. C) declining slightly before rebounding to over
1,800 Wild Panda Population, 2003-2013 | D) experiencing an initial drop but eventually
climbing to 2,000
2013
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
© CC
© CC
o © ©
oa AN
M Number of Pandas
51
5. ‘The process of getting energy from the wind into |
a home or business is complex and involves many
components. A modern wind turbine consists of an
estimated 8,000 parts and can be up to 300 feet high.
Turbines must be designed, built, transported, and erected
before they can start producing energy. This process can
be split into three major phases: manufacturing, project
development, and operation and maintenance. Ina
successful project, these phases overlap, and there is
substantial communication among workers in all three
phases. Currently, 5 | wind-power jobs are evenly
distributed between the financial services, construction, Which choice offers an accurate interpretation
of data presented in the chart?
and transport sectors. However, as new wind farms are
built, existing ones are upgraded, and manufacturers are A) NO CHANGE
B) only half as many people are employed in construction jobs as are employed in sectors also are expected lo experience rapid growth, manufacturing jobs.
able to lake advantage of returns to scale, other
C) there are twice as many jobs in the financial services sector as there are in the transport sector.
D) the highest number of wind-power jobs are Distribution of Wind Power Jobs concentrated in the manufacturing and
“other jobs” sectors.
Other Jobs Financial 23%
Services
16%
Operation and
Maintenance
5% Construction
12% “7U Manufacturing
33%
Shorter is Better
@`š 6/6i(6 6//6/9./59:/0/9/2/,01â 9⁄4 @ '®//®:@:/0::® ®/:9:Œ ®:® 9®2/0-4019/9;/0:9 ONO Oe 010 ẨẲ:9..©,S.9:'6.%6,6 9 6.0 00910006 Oe Oe Od Oe Oe woe Ce One Oe Bee ©
One of the most important concepts that the SAT tests is conciseness: as a general rule, short, clear constructions are preferable to long, wordy ones. To be clear, this concept does not apply to questions testing specific grammatical concepts, e.g., subject-verb agreement. However, when multiple answers are grammatically acceptable and convey the same information, the shortest one will typically be correct.
When you do not know the answer to a question immediately and are unsure of how to figure it out, you should start by checking the shortest answer and work back to the longest one in order of length. That also means that when there is a DELETE option, you should always check it first.