SAEE SAEE Analytical Reasoning & Data Interpretation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation between hours studied and exam scores. A student studied 8 hours and scored 92. Another studied 2 hours. What score range is most likely for the second student?
- 85–95
- 70–80
- 40–60 (Correct answer)
- 90–100
Correct answer: 40–60
A strong positive correlation means far fewer study hours should correspond to a substantially lower score, making 40–60 the most reasonable estimate.
Question 2: A frequency table shows: Score 60–69 (5 students), 70–79 (12 students), 80–89 (8 students), 90–99 (5 students). What percentage of students scored 80 or above?
- 56.7%
- 43.3% (Correct answer)
- 40%
- 33.3%
Correct answer: 43.3%
Students scoring 80+ = 8 + 5 = 13 out of 30 total = 43.3%.
Question 3: Three friends split a restaurant bill totaling $70. Ana pays twice as much as Ben, and Carlos pays $10 more than Ben. How much does Ben pay?
- $15 (Correct answer)
- $20
- $25
- $18
Correct answer: $15
Let Ben = x; then x + 2x + (x+10) = 70 → 4x = 60 → x = $15.
Question 4: A Venn diagram shows 30 people like coffee, 20 like tea, and 10 like both. How many people like only coffee or only tea (but not both)?
- 50
- 40 (Correct answer)
- 30
- 60
Correct answer: 40
Only coffee = 30 − 10 = 20; Only tea = 20 − 10 = 10; combined = 40.
Question 5: Which of the following arguments contains a logical flaw?
- All mammals breathe air; whales are mammals; therefore whales breathe air.
- Some birds can fly; penguins are birds; therefore penguins can fly. (Correct answer)
- No fish are mammals; sharks are fish; therefore sharks are not mammals.
- All squares are rectangles; this shape is a square; therefore it is a rectangle.
Correct answer: Some birds can fly; penguins are birds; therefore penguins can fly.
The argument incorrectly applies a statement about 'some birds' to a specific bird, drawing an invalid universal conclusion.
Question 6: A data table shows population: 2010: 50,000; 2020: 72,000. What is the average annual rate of change over that period?
- 1,200 per year
- 2,200 per year (Correct answer)
- 2,000 per year
- 1,800 per year
Correct answer: 2,200 per year
Total change = 72,000 − 50,000 = 22,000 over 10 years = 2,200 per year.
Question 7: If the average of five numbers is 14, and four of the numbers are 10, 12, 18, and 16, what is the fifth number?
- 12
- 14 (Correct answer)
- 16
- 10
Correct answer: 14
Total sum = 5 × 14 = 70; known sum = 10 + 12 + 18 + 16 = 56; fifth number = 70 − 56 = 14.
SAEE SAEE Analytical Reasoning & Data Interpretation 4
A scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation between hours studied and exam scores.
A student studied 8 hours and scored 92.
Another studied 2 hours.
What score range is most likely for the second student?