hard · SAT Reading & Writing

A team of researchers studied the relationship between average weekly exercise duration and resting heart rate among adults by age group. Their results appear below. Age Group | Avg. Weekly Exercise (hours) | Avg. Resting Heart Rate (bpm) 20s | 6.5 | 62 30s | 5.2 | 66 40s | 3.8 | 71 50s | 2.6 | 76 The researchers proposed that among these adults, more weekly exercise is associated with a lower resting heart rate. Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the researchers' proposal?

1. 20s adults, who exercised the least of any group at 6.5 hours weekly, recorded the lowest resting heart rate at 62 beats per minute, which supports the claim that less exercise is linked to a lower heart rate.
2. The results prove that adding two hours of weekly exercise will lower any adult's resting heart rate by exactly 9 beats per minute.
3. All four age groups had their resting heart rate measured by the same nurse using the same electronic monitor.
4. 50s adults, averaging only 2.6 hours of exercise weekly, had the highest heart rate, 76 bpm; 20s adults, averaging most at 6.5 hours, had the lowest, 62 bpm — holding for 30s and 40s too.

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