Question ID 548a4929

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 548a4929

The function is defined by . The graph of in the xy-plane has an x-intercept at and a y-
intercept at , where and are constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 548a4929 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . It's given
that function is defined by . Therefore, the equation representing the graph of is
. Substituting for in the equation yields . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the x-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is . It's given that the x-intercept of the graph of
is . Therefore, . The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where
. Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is . It's given that the y-intercept of the graph of
is . Therefore, . If and , then the value of is , or .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e62cfe5f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: e62cfe5f

According to a model, the head width, in millimeters, of a worker bumblebee can

be estimated by adding 0.6 to four times the body weight of the bee, in grams.
According to the model, what would be the head width, in millimeters, of a
worker bumblebee that has a body weight of 0.5 grams?

ID: e62cfe5f Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 2.6. According to the model, the head width, in millimeters, of a worker bumblebee can be
estimated by adding 0.6 to 4 times the body weight, in grams, of the bee. Let x represent the body weight, in
grams, of a worker bumblebee and let y represent the head width, in millimeters. Translating the verbal
description of the model into an equation yields . Substituting 0.5 grams for x in this
y equals, 0 point 6 plus 4 x
equation yields , or . Therefore, a worker
y equals, 0 point 6, plus 4 times 0 point 5 y equals 2 point 6
bumblebee with a body weight of 0.5 grams has an estimated head width of 2.6 millimeters. Note that 2.6 and
13/5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a5834ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a5834ea4

For the given linear function , which table gives three values of and their corresponding values of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a5834ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. For the given linear function , must equal for all values of . Of the given choices,
only choice B gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the given linear function .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 7e3f8363
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 7e3f8363

In the xy-plane, the graph of the linear function contains the points and . Which equation defines , where
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e3f8363 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, an equation of the graph of a linear function can be written in the form
, where represents the slope and represents the y-intercept of the graph of . It’s
given that the graph of the linear function , where , in the xy-plane contains the point . Thus,
. The slope of the graph of a line containing any two points and can be found using the
slope formula, . Since it’s given that the graph of the linear function contains the points and
, it follows that the slope of the graph of the line containing these points is , or .
Substituting for and for in yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c1bd5301
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c1bd5301

A model predicts that a certain animal weighed pounds when it was born and that the animal gained pounds per
day in its first year of life. This model is defined by an equation in the form , where is the predicted
weight, in pounds, of the animal days after it was born, and and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: c1bd5301 Answer

Correct Answer: 241

Rationale

The correct answer is . For a certain animal, it's given that a model predicts the animal weighed pounds
when it was born and gained pounds per day in its first year of life. It's also given that this model is defined by
an equation in the form , where is the predicted weight, in pounds, of the animal days after
it was born, and and are constants. It follows that represents the predicted weight, in pounds, of the animal
when it was born and represents the predicted rate of weight gain, in pounds per day, in its first year of life.
Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 620fe971
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 620fe971
A team of workers has been moving cargo off of a ship. The equation below models the approximate number
of tons of cargo, y, that remains to be moved x hours after the team started working.

y equals, 120 minus 25 x

The graph of this equation in the xy-plane is a line. What is the best
interpretation of the x-intercept in this context?

A. The team will have moved all the cargo in about 4.8 hours.

B. The team has been moving about 4.8 tons of cargo per hour.

C. The team has been moving about 25 tons of cargo per hour.

D. The team started with 120 tons of cargo to move.

ID: 620fe971 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The x-intercept of the line with equation y = 120 – 25x can be found by substituting 0 for y
and finding the value of x. When y = 0, x = 4.8, so the x-intercept is at (4.8, 0). Since y represents the number of
tons of cargo remaining to be moved x hours after the team started working, it follows that the x-intercept refers
to the team having no cargo remaining to be moved after 4.8 hours. In other words, the team will have moved all
of the cargo after about 4.8 hours.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from incorrectly interpreting the value 4.8. Choices C and D are incorrect
and may result from misunderstanding the x-intercept. These statements are accurate but not directly relevant
to the x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e470e19d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: e470e19d

The function is defined by . What is the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e470e19d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given function is a linear function. Therefore, the graph of in the xy-plane
has one x-intercept at the point , where is a constant. Substituting for and for in the given
function yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Therefore, the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f7e39fe9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: f7e39fe9

The table shows four values of and their corresponding values of . There is a linear relationship between and
that is defined by the equation , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: f7e39fe9 Answer

Correct Answer: 11

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that is defined by the equation , where is a constant.
It's also given in the table that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields, . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5cf1bbc9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 5cf1bbc9

The graph of the function , where , gives the total cost , in dollars, for a certain video game system and
games. What is the best interpretation of the slope of the graph in this context?

A. Each game costs .

B. The video game system costs .

C. The video game system costs .

D. Each game costs .

ID: 5cf1bbc9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given graph is a line, and the slope of a line is defined as the change in the value of for
each increase in the value of by . It’s given that represents the total cost, in dollars, and that represents the
number of games. Therefore, the change in the value of for each increase in the value of by represents the
change in total cost, in dollars, for each increase in the number of games by . In other words, the slope
represents the cost, in dollars, per game. The graph shows that when the value of increases from to , the
value of increases from to . It follows that the slope is , or the cost per game is . Thus, the best
interpretation of the slope of the graph is that each game costs .

Choice B is incorrect. This is an interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph rather than the slope of the graph.

Choice C is incorrect. The slope of the graph is the cost per game, not the cost of the video game system.
Choice D is incorrect. Each game costs , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3e9eaffc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3e9eaffc

Caleb used juice to make popsicles. The function approximates the volume, in fluid ounces, of juice
Caleb had remaining after making popsicles. Which statement is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph
of in the xy-plane in this context?

A. Caleb used approximately fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.

B. Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

C. Caleb had approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

D. Caleb used approximately fluid ounces of juice for each popsicle.

ID: 3e9eaffc Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. An equation that defines a linear function can be written in the form ,
where represents the slope and represents the y-intercept, , of the line of in the xy-plane. The
function is linear. Therefore, the graph of the given function in the xy-plane has a y-
intercept of . It’s given that gives the approximate volume, in fluid ounces, of juice Caleb had
remaining after making popsicles. It follows that the y-intercept of means that Caleb had
approximately fluid ounces of juice remaining after making popsicles. In other words, Caleb had
approximately fluid ounces of juice when he began to make the popsicles.

Choice A is incorrect. This is an interpretation of the slope, rather than the y-intercept, of the graph of
in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a775af14
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a775af14

In the xy-plane, the graph of the linear function contains the points and . Which equation defines , where
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a775af14 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, the graph of a linear function can be written in the form ,
where represents the slope and represents the y-intercept of the graph of . It’s given that the
graph of the linear function , where , in the xy-plane contains the point . Thus, . The slope
of the graph of a line containing any two points and can be found using the slope formula,
. Since it’s given that the graph of the linear function contains the points and , it
follows that the slope of the graph of the line containing these points is , or . Substituting for
and for in yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a graph with a slope of and a y-intercept of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dae126d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: dae126d7

The boiling point of water at sea level is 212 degrees Fahrenheit . For every
550 feet above sea level, the boiling point of water is lowered by about .

Which of the following equations can be used to find the boiling point B of
water, in , x feet above sea level?

A.
B equals, 550 plus, the fraction x over 212

B.
B equals, 550 minus, the fraction x over 212

C.
B equals, 212 plus, the fraction x over 550

D.
B equals, 212 minus, the fraction x over 550

ID: dae126d7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the boiling point of water at sea level is 212°F and that for every 550 feet above
sea level, the boiling point of water is lowered by about 1°F. Therefore, the change in the boiling point of water x

feet above sea level is represented by the expression . Adding this expression to the boiling point of water

at sea level gives the equation for the boiling point B of water, in °F, x feet above sea level: , or

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from using the boiling point of water at sea level as the rate of
change and the rate of change as the initial boiling point of water at sea level. Choice C is incorrect and may
result from representing the change in the boiling point of water as an increase rather than a decrease.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 271f7e3f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 271f7e3f

f of x equals, the fraction with numerator x plus 7, and denominator 4

For the function f defined above, what is the value

of ?

A.
1

B.
2

C.
one fourth

D.
nine fourths

ID: 271f7e3f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The value of can be calculated by finding the values of and . The value of

can be found by substituting 9 for x in the given function: . This equation can be rewritten as

, or 4. Then, the value of can be found by substituting 1 for x in the given function:

. This equation can be rewritten as , or 2. Therefore, , which is equivalent to 2.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly substituting values of x in the given function or
making computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c651cc56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c651cc56

Some values of the linear function f are shown in the table

above. What is the value of ?

A. 6

B. 7

C. 8

D. 9

ID: c651cc56 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A linear function has a constant rate of change, and any two rows of the table shown can be
used to calculate this rate. From the first row to the second, the value of x is increased by 2 and the value of
is increased by . So the values of increase by 3 for every increase by 1 in the value of x. Since
, it follows that . Therefore, .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the third x-value in the table, not . Choices C and D are incorrect and may result

from errors when calculating the function’s rate of change.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c22b5f25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c22b5f25

In the xy-plane, the points and lie on the graph of

which of the following linear functions?

A.
f of x equals, x plus 5

B.
f of x equals, one half x, plus 4

C.
f of x equals, negative, four thirds x, plus one third

D.
f of x equals, negative, three halves x, plus 1

ID: c22b5f25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. A linear function can be written in the form , where m is the slope and b is the

y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. The slope of the graph can be found using the formula .

Substituting the values of the given points into this formula yields or , which simplifies

to . Only choice C shows an equation with this slope.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from computation errors or misinterpreting the given
information.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 11e1ab81
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 11e1ab81

The graph above shows the distance traveled d, in feet, by a product on a

conveyor belt m minutes after the product is placed on the belt. Which of the
following equations correctly relates d and m ?

A.
d equals 2 m

B.
d equals, one-half m

C.
d equals m, plus 2

D.
d equals 2 m, plus 2

ID: 11e1ab81 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The line passes through the origin. Therefore, this is a relationship of the form ,
where k is a constant representing the slope of the graph. To find the value of k, choose a point on the

graph of the line other than the origin and substitute the values of m and d into the equation. For example, if the
point is chosen, then , and . Therefore, the equation of the line is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from calculating the slope of the line as the change in time over the change
in distance traveled instead of the change in distance traveled over the change in time. Choices C and D are
incorrect because each of these equations represents a line with a d-intercept of 2. However, the graph shows a
line with a d-intercept of 0.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4fe4fd7c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 4fe4fd7c

c of x equals, m x plus 500

A company’s total cost , in dollars, to produce x shirts is given by the

function above, where m is a constant and . The total cost to produce 100

shirts is $800. What is the total cost, in dollars, to produce 1000 shirts?
(Disregard the $ sign when gridding your answer.)

ID: 4fe4fd7c Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 3500. The given information includes a cost, $800, to produce 100 shirts. Substituting
and into the given equation yields . Subtracting 500 from both sides of
the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 100 yields . Substituting the
value of m into the given equation yields . Substituting 1000 for x in this equation and solving for

gives the cost of 1000 shirts: , or 3500.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3122fc7b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3122fc7b

A linear model estimates the population of a city from to . The model estimates the population was
thousand in , thousand in , and thousand in . To the nearest whole number, what is the value of ?

ID: 3122fc7b Answer

Correct Answer: 257

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that a linear model estimates the population of a city from to .
Since the population can be estimated using a linear model, it follows that there is a constant rate of change for
the model. It’s also given that the model estimates the population was thousand in , thousand in
, and thousand in . The change in the population between and is , or ,
thousand. The change in the number of years between and is , or , years. Dividing
by gives , or , thousand per year. Thus, the change in population per year from to
estimated by the model is thousand. The change in the number of years between and is
, or , years. Multiplying the change in population per year by the change in number of years yields
the increase in population from to estimated by the model: , or , thousand. Adding the
change in population from to estimated by the model to the estimated population in yields the
estimated population in . Thus, the estimated population in is , or , thousand.
Therefore to the nearest whole number, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 23dedddd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 23dedddd

In the linear function , and . Which equation defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 23dedddd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since is a linear function, it can be defined by an equation of the form ,
where and are constants. It's given that . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Substituting for in the equation yields
. It's given that . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Substituting
for in the equation yields . Therefore, an equation that defines is
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c8fb6bcb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c8fb6bcb

The given function represents the perimeter, in , of a rectangle with a length of and a fixed
width. What is the width, in , of the rectangle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8fb6bcb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that represents the perimeter, in , of a

rectangle with a length of and a fixed width. If represents a fixed width, in , then the perimeter, in ,
of a rectangle with a length of and a fixed width of can be given by the function .
Therefore, . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the width, in , of the rectangle is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 56dc8045
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 56dc8045

The function models the volume of liquid, in milliliters, in a container seconds after it begins draining from a hole at
the bottom. According to the model, what is the predicted volume, in milliliters, draining from the container each
second?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 56dc8045 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the volume of liquid, in milliliters, in a container
seconds after it begins draining from a hole at the bottom. The given function can be rewritten
as . Thus, for each increase of by , the value of decreases by , or . Therefore, the
predicted volume, in milliliters, draining from the container each second is milliliters.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the amount of liquid, in milliliters, in the container before the liquid begins
draining.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c01f4a95
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: c01f4a95

For the linear function , is a constant and . What is the value of ?

ID: c01f4a95 Answer

Correct Answer: 39

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that for the linear function , is a constant and . Substituting
for and for in the given equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting
for in the given equation, , yields . Substituting for in this
equation yields , or . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 868fc236
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 868fc236

The table above gives the typical amounts of energy per gram, expressed in both
food calories and kilojoules, of the three macronutrients in food. If x food
calories is equivalent to k kilojoules, of the following, which best represents the
relationship between x and k ?

A.
k equals zero point 2 4 x

B.
k equals 4 point 2 x

C.
x equals 4 point 2 k

D.
x k equals 4 point 2

ID: 868fc236 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The relationship between x food calories and k kilojoules can be modeled as a proportional
relationship. Let and represent the values in the first two rows in the table: and

. The rate of change, or , is ; therefore, the equation that best represents the

relationship between x and k is .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of calculating the rate of change using . Choice C is
incorrect because the number of kilojoules is greater than the number of food calories. Choice D is incorrect and
may be the result of an error when setting up the equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7e1bff94
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 7e1bff94

The table gives the number of hours, , of labor and a plumber’s total charge , in dollars, for two different jobs.

There is a linear relationship between and . Which equation represents this relationship?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e1bff94 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that there is a linear relationship between a plumber's hours of labor, , and the
plumber's total charge , in dollars. It follows that the relationship can be represented by an equation of the
form , where is the rate of change of the function and is a constant. The rate of change of
can be calculated by dividing the difference in two values of by the difference in the corresponding values
of . Based on the values given in the table, the rate of change of is , or . Substituting for in the
equation yields . The value of can be found by substituting any value of and
its corresponding value of for and , respectively, in this equation. Substituting for and for
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Substituting for in the equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 0cadb20e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 0cadb20e

The function is defined by , and , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0cadb20e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that and , where is a constant. Therefore, for the given
function , when , . Substituting for and for in the given function yields
. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 042aa429
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 042aa429

If and , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 042aa429 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The value of can be found by substituting for in the given equation ,
which yields , or . The value of can be found by substituting for in the given
equation , which yields , or . The value of the expression can be
found by substituting the corresponding values into the expression, which gives . This expression is
equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from calculating as , rather than

.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1bc11c4e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 1bc11c4e

The given function models the number of gallons of gasoline that remains from a full gas tank in a car after driving
miles. According to the model, about how many gallons of gasoline are used to drive each mile?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1bc11c4e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the function models the number of gallons that remain from a full gas tank
in a car after driving miles. In the given function , the coefficient of is . This
means that for every increase in the value of by , the value of decreases by . It follows that for each
mile driven, there is a decrease of gallons of gasoline. Therefore, gallons of gasoline are used to drive
each mile.

Choice B is incorrect and represents the number of gallons of gasoline in a full gas tank.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 113b938e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 113b938e

y equals, 18, minus 5 x

The equation above represents the speed y, in feet per second, of Sheila’s bicycle
x seconds after she applied the brakes at the end of a ride. If the equation is
graphed in the xy-plane, which of the following is the best interpretation of the
x-coordinate of the line’s x-intercept in the context of the problem?

A. The speed of Sheila’s bicycle, in feet per second, before Sheila applied the brakes

B. The number of feet per second the speed of Sheila’s bicycle decreased each second after Sheila applied the brakes

C. The number of seconds it took from the time Sheila began applying the brakes until the bicycle came to a complete
stop

D. The number of feet Sheila’s bicycle traveled from the time she began applying the brakes until the bicycle came to a
complete stop

ID: 113b938e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that for each point on the graph of the given equation, the x-coordinate

represents the number of seconds after Sheila applied the brakes, and the y-coordinate represents the speed of
Sheila’s bicycle at that moment in time. For the graph of the equation, the y-coordinate of the x-intercept is 0.
Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of the given equation represents the number of
seconds it took from the time Sheila began applying the brakes until the bicycle came to a complete stop.

Choice A is incorrect. The speed of Sheila’s bicycle before she applied the brakes is represented by the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the given equation, not the x-coordinate of the x-intercept. Choice B
is incorrect. The number of feet per second the speed of Sheila’s bicycle decreased each second after Sheila
applied the brakes is represented by the slope of the graph of the given equation, not the x-coordinate of the x-
intercept. Choice D is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting x as the distance, in feet, traveled after
applying the brakes, rather than the time, in seconds, after applying the brakes.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 441558e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 441558e7

Scientists collected fallen acorns that each housed a colony of the ant species P. ohioensis and analyzed each colony's
structure. For any of these colonies, if the colony has worker ants, the equation , where ,
gives the predicted number of larvae, , in the colony. If one of these colonies has worker ants, which of the following
is closest to the predicted number of larvae in the colony?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 441558e7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the equation , where , gives the predicted
number of larvae, , in a colony of ants if the colony has worker ants. If one of these colonies has worker
ants, the predicted number of larvae in that colony can be found by substituting for in the given equation.
Substituting for in the given equation yields , or . Of the given choices, is
closest to the predicted number of larvae in the colony.

Choice B is incorrect. This is closest to the predicted number of larvae in a colony with worker ants.

Choice C is incorrect. This is closest to the number of worker ants for which the predicted number of larvae in a
colony is .

Choice D is incorrect. This is closest to the predicted number of larvae in a colony with worker ants.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f0773a55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: f0773a55

The graph represents the total charge, in dollars, by an electrician for hours of work. The electrician charges a onetime
fee plus an hourly rate. What is the best interpretation of the slope of the graph?

A. The electrician’s hourly rate

B. The electrician’s onetime fee

C. The maximum amount that the electrician charges

D. The total amount that the electrician charges

ID: f0773a55 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the electrician charges a onetime fee plus an hourly rate. It's also given that
the graph represents the total charge, in dollars, for hours of work. This graph shows a linear relationship in
the xy-plane. Thus, the total charge , in dollars, for hours of work can be represented as , where
is the slope and is the y-intercept of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane. Since the given graph
represents the total charge, in dollars, by an electrician for hours of work, it follows that its slope is , or the
electrician’s hourly rate.

Choice B is incorrect. The electrician's onetime fee is represented by the y-coordinate of the y-intercept, not the
slope, of the graph.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3ce92ce8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 3ce92ce8

For the given function , the graph of in the xy-plane is parallel to line . What is the slope of line ?

ID: 3ce92ce8 Answer

Correct Answer: 2

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that function is defined by . Therefore, the equation
representing the graph of in the xy-plane is , and the graph is a line. For a linear equation
in the form , represents the slope of the line. Since the value of in the equation is ,
the slope of the line defined by function is . It's given that line is parallel to the line defined by function .
The slopes of parallel lines are equal. Therefore, the slope of line is also .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8a6de407
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 8a6de407

The function f is defined by , where m and b are constants. If

and , what is the value of m ?

ID: 8a6de407 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 2. The slope-intercept form of an equation for a line is , where m is the slope

and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Two ordered pairs, and , can be used to compute the

slope using the formula . It’s given that and ; therefore, the two ordered pairs

for this line are and . Substituting these values for and gives , or 2.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 41fdc0b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 41fdc0b8

The table above shows the population of Greenleaf, Idaho, for the years 2000 and 2010. If the relationship between
population and year is linear, which of the following functions P models the population of Greenleaf t years after 2000?

A.
P of t equals, 862 minus 1 point 6 times t

B.
P of t equals, 862 minus 16 times t

C.
P of t equals, 862 plus 16 times, open parenthesis, t minus 2,000, close parenthesis

D.
P of t equals, 862 minus 1 point 6 times, open parenthesis, t minus 2,000, close parenthesis

ID: 41fdc0b8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It is given that the relationship between population and year is linear; therefore, the function
that models the population t years after 2000 is of the form , where m is the slope and b is the
population when . In the year 2000, . Therefore, . The slope is given by

. Therefore, , which is equivalent to the

equation in choice A.

Choice B is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly calculating the slope as just the change in the value of
P. Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of the same error as in choice B, in addition to incorrectly using t to
represent the year, instead of the number of years after 2000. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of
incorrectly using t to represent the year instead of the number of years after 2000.

Question Difficulty: Medium