medium · SAT Reading & Writing

A psychologist studied the relationship between average daily commute distance and self-reported daily stress rating among six groups of commuters: Group: Avg. Commute Distance (miles), Avg. Daily Stress Rating (scale of 1-10) Group A: 3.1, 3.2 Group B: 6.4, 4.5 Group C: 9.8, 5.7 Group D: 13.2, 6.9 Group E: 16.5, 8.0 Group F: 19.7, 8.8 The psychologist claims that groups with longer average commute distance tend to have higher (worse) daily stress ratings than groups with shorter commute distance. Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the psychologist's claim?

1. Group F commuted the farthest on average (19.7 miles) and had the highest stress rating at 8.8, while Group A commuted the least (3.1 miles) and had the lowest stress rating at 3.2.
2. Because Group F commuted farther than five miles on average and had the highest stress rating, commuting more than five miles causes irreversible elevated stress in all commuters.
3. Group F, which commuted the farthest on average (19.7 miles), had the lowest stress rating in the study at 3.2, showing that longer commutes can reduce stress.
4. Stress ratings across the six groups ranged from 3.2 to 8.8, a spread of 5.6 points.

Sign up free to see the explanation and track your rank →