SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
| Day | Average number of visitors |
|---|---|
| Regular Tuesday | 820 |
| Free-admission Tuesday | 2,140 |
| Regular Saturday | 2,560 |
| Free-admission Saturday | 3,050 |
A museum began offering free admission on one Tuesday and one Saturday each month. Comparing average attendance on free days with average attendance on regular days, a museum analyst concluded that the free-admission policy raised attendance much more on Tuesdays than on Saturdays.
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the analyst's conclusion?
Free-admission Saturdays drew 3,050 visitors, more than the 2,140 visitors on free-admission Tuesdays.
Free-admission Tuesdays drew 2,140 visitors, while regular Saturdays drew 2,560 visitors.
Regular Saturdays drew 2,560 visitors, more than three times as many as regular Tuesdays.
Attendance rose from 820 on regular Tuesdays to 2,140 on free-admission Tuesdays, but only from 2,560 on regular Saturdays to 3,050 on free-admission Saturdays.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The conclusion is about how much free admission raised attendance on each day. That requires comparing each free day with its regular day. Choice D does this: Tuesday attendance more than doubled (820 to 2,140), while Saturday rose only modestly (2,560 to 3,050).
Choice A is accurate, but free Saturdays drawing more people than free Tuesdays says nothing about the size of the increase on each day.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This compares the two free days, but the conclusion is about the size of each day's increase over its regular attendance.
- B. This compares a free Tuesday with a regular Saturday, which doesn't measure the policy's effect on either day.
- C. This compares the two regular days and leaves out the free days, so it can't show the policy's effect.
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