hard · SAT Reading & Writing

A botanist recorded the germination rate of a wildflower's seeds after they were kept for two weeks at each of five soil temperatures. Her results were as follows: at 10 degrees C, 22% of seeds germinated; at 15 degrees C, 48%; at 20 degrees C, 71%; at 25 degrees C, 66%; and at 30 degrees C, 39%. She concluded that germination rate did not simply rise with temperature but instead climbed to a peak at a moderate temperature and then fell. Which choice most effectively uses data from the results to support the botanist's conclusion?

1. Germination rate was highest, at 71%, when the soil temperature was 20 degrees C.
2. Germination rate increased steadily as the soil temperature rose from 10 degrees C to 30 degrees C.
3. Germination rate rose from 22% at 10 degrees C to 71% at 20, then fell to 39% at 30 degrees C.
4. At 30 degrees C, germination rate was 39%, nearly double the 22% recorded at 10 degrees C.

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