PSAT Reading and Writing Flashcards: Evidence In Tables And Graphs

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Evidence In Tables And Graphs, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for PSAT Reading and Writing.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What does it mean when a table reports the mean of a data set?

Answer: Arithmetic average: sum of values divided by number of values. Add all values and divide by how many there are.

Flashcard 2: Find the percent change from $50$ to $60$ (nearest whole percent).

Answer: $20\%$. $\frac{60-50}{50} \times 100\% = \frac{10}{50} \times 100\% = 20\%$

Flashcard 3: What is the difference between correlation and causation in graph-based claims?

Answer: Correlation is association; causation is one variable producing change in another. Association doesn't prove one causes the other.

Flashcard 4: Find the percent increase: A value rises from $40$ to $50$. What is the percent change?

Answer: $25\%$ increase. Apply formula: $\frac{50-40}{40} \times 100\% = 25\%$.

Flashcard 5: Identify the supported claim: A line graph rises from $10$ to $25$ between 2010 and 2020. What happened?

Answer: The value increased by $15$ from 2010 to 2020. Calculate $25 - 10 = 15$ to find the increase.

Flashcard 6: What does it mean if an axis uses a truncated scale that does not start at $0$?

Answer: Visual differences may be exaggerated compared with a zero-based axis. Small differences appear larger when the baseline isn't zero.

Flashcard 7: Choose the supported inference: A chart shows Group A $=30\%$ and Group B $=20\%$. What is true?

Answer: Group A is $10$ percentage points higher than Group B. Subtract percentages: $30\% - 20\% = 10$ percentage points.

Flashcard 8: What is the first step when a question asks you to support a claim using a table or graph?

Answer: Identify the relevant variables, units, and time or categories. Start by understanding what data the visual presents before evaluating claims.

Flashcard 9: A pie chart shows $25\%$ of $80$ respondents chose option C. How many respondents chose C?

Answer: $20$. $25\%$ of $80 = 0.25 \times 80 = 20$ respondents.

Flashcard 10: Compute the rate: A graph shows $y$ goes from $8$ to $20$ as $x$ goes from $2$ to $5$. What is the slope?

Answer: $4$. Slope = $\frac{20-8}{5-2} = \frac{12}{3} = 4$.

Flashcard 11: A table shows $A=12$ and $B=9$. What is the difference $A-B$?

Answer: $3$. Subtract the smaller value from the larger: $12-9=3$.

Flashcard 12: What must you check first to avoid misreading values on a graph's vertical axis?

Answer: The axis scale and units (including whether it starts at $0$). Misreading scales is a common source of errors.

Flashcard 13: What is the key first step to interpret a table or graph question accurately?

Answer: Read the title, labels, units, and legend. Context clues in titles and labels prevent misinterpretation.

Flashcard 14: What is the percent change from an old value to a new value?

Answer: $\frac{\text{new}-\text{old}}{\text{old}}\times 100\%$. Measures relative change as a percentage of the original value.

Flashcard 15: A table shows Group A: $12$ and Group B: $18$. What is the difference $\text{B}-\text{A}$?

Answer: $6$. Simple subtraction: $18-12=6$

Flashcard 16: A chart shows total $200$ and subgroup $50$. What percent of the total is the subgroup?

Answer: $25\%$. $\frac{50}{200} \times 100\% = 0.25 \times 100\% = 25\%$

Flashcard 17: A table shows $A=50$ in 2020 and $A=65$ in 2021. What is the percent increase?

Answer: $30\%$. $\frac{65-50}{50}\times 100\% = \frac{15}{50}\times 100\% = 30\%$.

Flashcard 18: A pie chart shows Segment A is $40\%$. What fraction of the whole is Segment A?

Answer: $\frac{2}{5}$. $40\% = \frac{40}{100} = \frac{2}{5}$

Flashcard 19: Identify the value at year 2022 if the line graph shows points $(2021, 50)$ and $(2022, 60)$.

Answer:

1. Read the y-value at the given x-coordinate on the graph.

Flashcard 20: Which option is correct if a bar graph's y-axis is "thousands of dollars" and the bar is at $7$?

Answer: \7{,}000$. Multiply the scale value by the unit:$7 \times 1000 = 7000$.

Flashcard 21: Find the mean of the data values $4$, $6$, and $8$ shown in a row of a table.

Answer: $6$. $\frac{4+6+8}{3} = \frac{18}{3} = 6$.

Flashcard 22: Identify the correct average: Values are $10$, $14$, and $16$. What is the mean?

Answer: $\frac{40}{3}$. $\frac{10+14+16}{3} = \frac{40}{3}$

Flashcard 23: A graph shows a value of $50$ at $x=2$ and $45$ at $x=3$. Which statement matches the change?

Answer: It decreased by $5$ from $x=2$ to $x=3$. $45 - 50 = -5$, showing a decrease of $5$ units.

Flashcard 24: What is the first step when a question asks you to use evidence from a table or graph?

Answer: Identify the specific claim to test, then locate the relevant data. Always pinpoint what you're proving before searching for evidence.

Flashcard 25: Identify the absolute change from $120$ units in 2019 to $95$ units in 2020.

Answer: $-25$ units. $95 - 120 = -25$ shows a decrease of 25 units.

Flashcard 26: What is the best evidence if a question asks for an exception to a general upward trend?

Answer: The interval where the value decreases or stays flat against the trend. Find where the line dips or plateaus against overall rise.

Flashcard 27: What is the median of an ordered data set with an even number of values?

Answer: Average of the two middle values. For even counts, median lies between the two center values.

Flashcard 28: Find the percent change from $40$ to $50$.

Answer: $25\%$. $\frac{50-40}{40} \times 100\% = \frac{10}{40} \times 100\% = 25\%$

Flashcard 29: Compute the percent decrease: a value in a table changes from $80$ to $60$. What is the percent change?

Answer: $-25\%$. $\frac{60-80}{80}\times 100\% = \frac{-20}{80}\times 100\% = -25\%$

Flashcard 30: Choose the correct interpretation: A bar chart shows $30\%$ for category X. Out of $200$ total, how many are X?

Answer: $60$. $30\% \times 200 = 0.30 \times 200$

Flashcard 31: What is an outlier in a scatterplot?

Answer: A point far from the overall pattern or trend of the other points. Outliers deviate significantly from the general data pattern.

Flashcard 32: What does "per capita" mean when interpreting a graph or table?

Answer: Per person; the total divided by population. Divides a total by the number of people to show individual share.

Flashcard 33: What is the slope (rate of change) formula between two points on a line graph?

Answer: $m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$. Rise over run calculates rate of change between points.

Flashcard 34: What is the correct interpretation of a pie chart slice labeled $25\%$?

Answer: That category represents \frac{1}{4} of the total. $25\%$ equals one-fourth of the whole circle.

Flashcard 35: Find the correct interpretation: A line graph shows a flat segment from day $3$ to day $5$. What happened then?

Answer: The value stayed constant from day $3$ to day $5$. A horizontal line indicates no change.

Flashcard 36: What does it mean when a table reports the median of a data set?

Answer: The middle value when ordered; average of two middle if even count. Half the values are above and half below this point.

Flashcard 37: What is the best evidence choice when a question asks for the strongest support from data?

Answer: The option that cites the most direct, specific matching values. Precise data that exactly matches the claim provides strongest proof.

Flashcard 38: What does an outlier in a data set shown on a graph most directly indicate?

Answer: A value far from the overall pattern or trend. Outliers deviate significantly from the main trend.

Flashcard 39: What is the correct way to report a value read from a graph when the axis shows units?

Answer: State the number with its unit (and context, such as year or category). Include units and context to make data values meaningful and complete.

Flashcard 40: Identify the strongest support: A claim says "Most respondents chose option C." What table evidence best supports it?

Answer: Option C has the highest frequency/percentage in the table. "Most" means more than half chose that option.

Flashcard 41: What does it mean to cite evidence from a table or graph accurately?

Answer: Use the correct category, unit, and value shown in the data. Match the exact data point to its label and measurement.

Flashcard 42: Identify the best evidence: A claim says "sales peaked in June." Which table entry supports it if June is the maximum?

Answer: The June value is the largest number in the sales column. Peak means highest value in the data set.

Flashcard 43: Which option best defines correlation in a scatterplot: causation, association, or randomness?

Answer: Association between two variables. Correlation shows how two variables move together, not cause-effect.

Flashcard 44: What is the key caution when a passage claims one variable causes another using a graph?

Answer: Do not infer causation from correlation alone. Correlation doesn't prove one variable causes the other.

Flashcard 45: Identify the value: If total is $200$ and a category is $30$, what percent is the category?

Answer: $15\%$. $\frac{30}{200} \times 100\% = 15\%$

Flashcard 46: What is the formula for percent of a total for one category in a table?

Answer: $\frac{\text{category}}{\text{total}}\times 100\%$. Expresses a part as a percentage of the whole.

Flashcard 47: A table shows total $=200$ and Group A $=30$. What percent of the total is Group A?

Answer: $15\%$. $\frac{30}{200} \times 100\% = 15\%$.

Flashcard 48: What is the key difference between correlation in a scatterplot and causation in a claim?

Answer: Correlation shows association; causation claims one variable produces change. Correlation ≠ causation; one doesn't prove the other.

Flashcard 49: What does it mean to cite evidence from a table or graph in a PSAT response?

Answer: Use specific values, comparisons, or trends shown in the visual. Reference exact numbers or patterns from the visual data.

Flashcard 50: What is the range of a data set?

Answer: Maximum minus minimum. Measures the spread by finding the difference between extremes.

Flashcard 51: Find the rate: A line rises from $(2,5)$ to $(6,13)$. What is the slope?

Answer: $2$. $\frac{13-5}{6-2} = \frac{8}{4} = 2$

Flashcard 52: What is the most common mistake to avoid when reading a graph with units?

Answer: Ignoring units or scale increments on the axes. Always check what each axis measures and its scale.

Flashcard 53: A bar chart shows Category X = $30$ and Category Y = $45$. What is the ratio $\frac{Y}{X}$?

Answer: $1.5$. $\frac{45}{30} = 1.5$

Flashcard 54: Identify the percent change: old $50$, new $65$.

Answer: $30\%$ increase. $\frac{65-50}{50} \times 100\% = 30\%$

Flashcard 55: What is the correct way to compute percent change from $A$ to $B$?

Answer: $\frac{B - A}{A} \times 100\%$. Divide the change by the initial value, then multiply by 100.

Flashcard 56: Identify the correct percent change formula from an old value to a new value.

Answer: $\frac{\text{new}-\text{old}}{\text{old}}\times 100\%$. Measures relative change as a percentage of the original value.

Flashcard 57: What is the correct way to compute absolute change from $A$ to $B$?

Answer: $B - A$. Subtract the initial value from the final value.

Flashcard 58: Identify the strongest evidence for a claim about the "largest gap" between two groups.

Answer: The pair of values with the greatest difference at one $x$ value. Maximum separation occurs where the vertical distance peaks.

Flashcard 59: Which option is best supported if a table shows A: $12$, B: $15$, C: $9$ for the same year?

Answer: B is the largest value for that year. $15 > 12$ and $15 > 9$, so B has the highest value.

Flashcard 60: Choose the correct inference: If two lines cross at $(3,8)$, what is true at $x=3$?

Answer: Both series have the same value, $y=8$, at $x=3$. At intersection points, both lines share the same coordinates.

Flashcard 61: Find the median: Values are $3, 9, 5, 7, 11$. What is the median?

Answer: $7$. Order first: $3, 5, 7, 9, 11$; middle value is $7$.

Flashcard 62: Which option best describes an outlier in a scatterplot?

Answer: A point far from the overall pattern of the data. Outliers deviate significantly from the general trend.

Flashcard 63: What is the correct way to compute a rate from a graph using two points $(x_1,y_1)$ and $(x_2,y_2)$?

Answer: $\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$. Rise over run gives the slope between two points.

Flashcard 64: A bar chart shows Category A = $40$ and Category B = $10$. What is the ratio $A:B$ in simplest form?

Answer: $4:1$. $40:10$ simplifies to $4:1$ by dividing both by $10$.

Flashcard 65: What does it mean when a claim is "supported" by a table or graph in a passage?

Answer: The data directly matches and justifies the claim stated. Evidence must align with and prove the specific statement made.

Flashcard 66: What does "median" mean for a set of values shown in a table?

Answer: The middle value after ordering (or the mean of the two middles). For odd counts, it's the middle; for even, average the two middle values.

Flashcard 67: What is the mean (average) of $n$ values $x_1,\dots,x_n$?

Answer: $\bar{x}=\frac{x_1+\cdots+x_n}{n}$. Sum all values and divide by the count to find the average.

Flashcard 68: Identify the best evidence: A line graph rises from $20$ to $35$ between $2010$ and $2015$. Which statement is best?

Answer: The value increased by $15$ from $2010$ to $2015$. Direct statement of the $35-20=15$ increase shown.

Flashcard 69: Choose the correct comparison: Group A is $48$ and Group B is $36$. What is the ratio $A:B$ in simplest form?

Answer: $4:3$. Divide both by their GCD: $\frac{48}{12} : \frac{36}{12}$

Flashcard 70: Which option best supports a claim about an "overall increase" in a line graph?

Answer: A higher ending value than starting value over the full range. Compare the first and last points to show net change.

Flashcard 71: Identify the slope of a line passing through $(2,5)$ and $(6,13)$.

Answer: $2$. $m=\frac{13-5}{6-2}=\frac{8}{4}=2$ using the slope formula.

Flashcard 72: Identify the correct conclusion if a scatterplot shows points rising as $x$ increases.

Answer: There is a positive association between $x$ and $y$. Points trending upward indicate variables increase together.

Flashcard 73: What does it mean if a graph uses a truncated $y$-axis (does not start at $0$)?

Answer: Visual differences may be exaggerated compared with the data. Small changes appear larger when the axis doesn't start at zero.

Flashcard 74: Which option best describes "trend" in a graph: individual point, overall direction, or data source?

Answer: Overall direction or pattern across the data. Trend shows the general movement or behavior of data over time/range.

Flashcard 75: What is the correct formula for percent change from old to new?

Answer: $\frac{\text{new}-\text{old}}{\text{old}}\times 100\%$. This formula measures relative change as a percentage.

Flashcard 76: What does a positive correlation in a scatterplot indicate?

Answer: As $x$ increases, $y$ tends to increase. Variables move in the same direction in positive correlation.

Flashcard 77: What is the slope between points $(2, 3)$ and $(6, 11)$?

Answer: $2$. Rise over run: $(11-3) ÷ (6-2) = 8 ÷ 4$.

Flashcard 78: What should you do if an answer choice paraphrases a trend (for example, "generally increased")?

Answer: Verify the overall direction across the full range, not one interval. Check the entire data range, not just selected points.

Flashcard 79: Identify the best graph type for showing change over time with continuous data.

Answer: Line graph. Shows trends and patterns in sequential data.

Flashcard 80: What does it mean if an axis is truncated (does not start at $0$) in a bar graph?

Answer: Differences may look larger; compare using the labeled scale. Visual differences exaggerated; always check actual values on axis.

Flashcard 81: What is the median of the set $2, 3, 7, 10, 10$?

Answer: $7$. Middle value when ordered: $2, 3, 7, 10, 10$.

Flashcard 82: What is a common trap when interpreting a graph with a truncated $y$-axis?

Answer: It can exaggerate differences by starting the axis above $0$. Non-zero start makes small differences look bigger.

Flashcard 83: A graph shows $y=18$ at $x=3$ and $y=30$ at $x=7$. What is the average rate of change?

Answer: $3$ units of $y$ per $1$ unit of $x$. $\frac{30-18}{7-3} = \frac{12}{4} = 3$ units of $y$ per unit of $x$.

Flashcard 84: Compute the percent increase: a value in a table changes from $40$ to $50$. What is the percent change?

Answer: $25\%$. $\frac{50-40}{40}\times 100\% = \frac{10}{40}\times 100\% = 25\%$

Flashcard 85: What is the percent change from $50$ to $60$?

Answer: $20\%$. Change over original: $(60-50) ÷ 50 × 100\%$.

Flashcard 86: What is the slope formula between two points $(x_1,y_1)$ and $(x_2,y_2)$?

Answer: $m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$. Rise over run calculates the rate of change between points.

Flashcard 87: What is the formula for percent of a total for a category?

Answer: $\frac{\text{category}}{\text{total}}\times 100\%$. Shows what fraction of the whole a part represents.

Flashcard 88: Find the change: A table lists $75$ in April and $60$ in May. What is the absolute decrease?

Answer: $15$. $|60-75| = 15$ units decreased.

Flashcard 89: Identify the correct value: A graph point is at $(4,12)$. What is $y$ when $x=4$?

Answer: $12$. Read the $y$-coordinate at the given $x$-value.

Flashcard 90: What does a legend (key) on a graph tell you?

Answer: Which color/line/bar corresponds to each category or group. Maps visual elements to their data categories.

Flashcard 91: Which option is supported if a pie chart shows A $= 40\%$, B $= 35\%$, C $= 25\%$?

Answer: A is the largest share. A's 40% exceeds both B's 35% and C's 25%.

Flashcard 92: A line passes through $(2,10)$ and $(6,18)$. What is the slope (rate of change)?

Answer: $2$. $\frac{18-10}{6-2} = \frac{8}{4} = 2$

Flashcard 93: What is the formula for percent change from an old value to a new value?

Answer: $\frac{\text{new}-\text{old}}{\text{old}}\times 100\%$. Measures relative change as a percentage of the original.

Flashcard 94: Identify the best evidence: A table lists units sold: Store X=$120$, Store Y=$95$. Which store sold more units?

Answer: Store X. $120 > 95$ units sold.

Flashcard 95: Identify the first step you should take before using a table or graph as evidence.

Answer: Read the title, axes/headers, units, and time frame. Understanding context prevents misinterpretation of data.

Flashcard 96: Identify the best evidence type for comparing groups in a table with multiple categories.

Answer: A direct comparison using the same unit across categories. Same-unit comparisons eliminate conversion errors.

Flashcard 97: What does a negative correlation in a scatterplot indicate?

Answer: As $x$ increases, $y$ tends to decrease. Variables move in opposite directions in negative correlation.

Flashcard 98: What does the $y$-intercept of a graph represent when $x=0$ is meaningful?

Answer: The value of $y$ when $x=0$ (the starting amount). The initial value before any changes in $x$ occur.

Flashcard 99: Identify the median of the set $\{2, 4, 9, 9, 10\}$ that appears as five data points in a table.

Answer:

1. Middle value when ordered: $\{2, 4, 9, 9, 10\}$.

Flashcard 100: A table lists (Year, Value): (2020, 80), (2021, 92). What is the increase?

Answer: $12$. $92-80=12$ is the difference between the values.