SAT Linear equations in two variables Practice Question 10 (Medium)

Question bank / Linear equations in two variables

Math · AlgebraMedium

In the $xy$ -plane, the graph of $ax + 4y = 20$ , where $a$ is a constant, passes through the point $(2, 3)$ . What is the value of $a$ ?

Student-produced response: enter your answer.

Show answer and explanation

Answer: 4

Substitute $x = 2$ and $y = 3$ : $2a + 12 = 20$ . Subtract 12: $2a = 8$ , so $a = 4$ .

Adding 12 to both sides instead of subtracting gives $2a = 32$ and the incorrect value $a = 16$ .

Ask Owl about this question Next question

Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free.