PSAT/NMSQT Data Interpretation & Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A company's revenue grows from $200,000 to $250,000 in one year. What is the percent increase?
- 25% (Correct answer)
- 20%
- 50%
- 12.5%
Correct answer: 25%
The increase is $50,000 over $200,000, which is 50000/200000 = 0.25 = 25%.
Question 2: A histogram groups ages into intervals. Which feature distinguishes a histogram from a bar graph?
- Bars represent continuous intervals with no gaps (Correct answer)
- Bars are always horizontal
- It can only show two categories
- It cannot display frequency
Correct answer: Bars represent continuous intervals with no gaps
Histograms display continuous data in adjacent intervals, while bar graphs show separate categories.
Question 3: In a box plot, the line inside the box represents which statistic?
- The median (Correct answer)
- The mean
- The maximum
- The mode
Correct answer: The median
The line inside a box plot marks the median of the data.
Question 4: A survey of 500 people reports 60% satisfaction with a margin of error of ±4%. The true value most likely falls in which range?
- 56% to 64% (Correct answer)
- 60% to 64%
- 56% to 60%
- 52% to 68%
Correct answer: 56% to 64%
The margin of error is added and subtracted: 60% ± 4% gives 56% to 64%.
Question 5: A two-way table shows 30 of 50 surveyed teens own a bike. What fraction own a bike?
- 3/5 (Correct answer)
- 2/5
- 1/2
- 3/10
Correct answer: 3/5
30 out of 50 simplifies to 3/5.
Question 6: A graph's vertical axis starts at 90 instead of 0, exaggerating differences. This is an example of what?
- A misleading or distorted scale (Correct answer)
- A correct standardized scale
- A logarithmic conversion
- A median split
Correct answer: A misleading or distorted scale
Truncating the axis exaggerates visual differences, a common misleading technique.
Question 7: If a quantity doubles every period in a table, the growth pattern is best described as what?
- Exponential (Correct answer)
- Linear
- Constant
- Decreasing
Correct answer: Exponential
Repeated doubling means the value is multiplied by a constant factor, which is exponential growth.
PSAT/NMSQT Data Interpretation & Analysis 3
A company's revenue grows from $200,000 to $250,000 in one year.
What is the percent increase?