SAT OwlIn many large college courses, students who sit in the front rows earn higher grades, on average, than students who sit in the back. To learn why, researchers studied courses in which students were randomly assigned to seats. In these courses, the gap in grades between front-row and back-row students was much smaller than in courses where students chose their own seats, though it did not disappear entirely. This finding suggests that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
sitting near the front of a classroom has no effect on students' grades.
students who are assigned seats earn lower grades overall than students who choose their own seats.
instructors tend to grade students in the front rows more generously.
much of the usual difference reflects which students choose to sit in front rather than an effect of the seats themselves.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
When students could not choose their seats, the gap shrank a lot. That means much of the usual gap comes from the kind of students who pick front seats. A small gap remained, so the seats may still matter a little. Choice D fits both points.
Choice A ignores the detail that the gap "did not disappear entirely," which leaves room for some effect of seating.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This choice is incorrect because the text states the grade gap did not disappear entirely, meaning seating still has some effect.
- B. The passage provides no information comparing the overall average grades of students in assigned-seat courses versus self-selected courses.
- C. The text does not mention instructor grading practices or bias, so this choice introduces an unsupported reason for the grade difference.
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