Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 167: Answer and Explanation

Question: 167

A social scientist would like to make a statement to demonstrate the increasing interest in folklore scholarship.

Which statement would be best supported by the information in the graph?

• A. If the number of universities offering folklore degrees and concentrations increases between 2010 and 2015 at the same rate as it did between 2000 and 2005, there will be approximately 2,000 schools in 2015 that offer such programs.
• B. If the number of universities offering folklore degrees and concentrations increases between 2010 and 2015 at the same rate as it did between 1995 and 2005, there will be approximately 1,800 schools in 2015 that offer such programs.
• C. If the number of universities offering folklore degrees and concentrations increases between 2010 and 2015 at the same rate as it did between 2005 and 2010, there will be approximately 1,700 schools in 2015 that offer such programs.
• D. If the number of universities offering folklore degrees and concentrations increases at the same rate between 2010 and 2015 as it did between 1995 and 2010, there will be approximately 1,400 schools in 2015 that offer such programs.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) Between 2005 and 2010, there is a rough increase of about 400 along the y-axis. So, if the number of universities offering folklore increases at the same rate as this between 2010 and 2015, there will be approximately 1,700 schools in 2015 that offer such programs. Choices (A), (B), and (D) do not make conclusions supported by the trends in the presented data.