Question ID d1b66ae6

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d1b66ae6

If satisfies the system of equations

above, what is the value of y ?

ID: d1b66ae6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . One method for solving the system of equations for y is to add corresponding sides of the two
equations. Adding the left-hand sides gives , or 4y. Adding the right-hand sides yields

. It follows that . Finally, dividing both sides of by 4 yields or . Note that 3/2 and 1.5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3cdbf026
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 3cdbf026

The graph of the equation is a line in the xy-plane, where a and k are
constants. If the line contains the points and , what is the value
of k ?

A.

B.

C. 2

D. 3

ID: 3cdbf026 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value of k can be found using the slope-intercept form of a linear equation, , where
m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. The equation can be rewritten in the form

. One of the given points, , is the y-intercept. Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept must be

equal to . Multiplying both sides by k gives . Dividing both sides by gives .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made rewriting the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fdee0fbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: fdee0fbf

In the xy-plane, line k intersects the y-axis at the point and passes
through the point . If the point lies on line k, what is the value of w
?

ID: fdee0fbf Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 74. The y-intercept of a line in the xy-plane is the ordered pair of the point of intersection of
the line with the y-axis. Since line k intersects the y-axis at the point , it follows that is the y-intercept of
this line. An equation of any line in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where m is the slope of the line
and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, the equation of line k can be written as , or
. The value of m can be found by substituting the x- and y-coordinates from a point on the line, such as ,
for x and y, respectively. This results in . Solving this equation for m gives . Therefore, an equation of
line k is . The value of w can be found by substituting the x-coordinate, 20, for x in the equation of line k and
solving this equation for y. This gives , or . Since w is the y-coordinate of this point, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 70feb725
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 70feb725

During a month, Morgan ran r miles at 5 miles per hour and biked b miles at
10 miles per hour. She ran and biked a total of 200 miles that month, and she
biked for twice as many hours as she ran. What is the total number of miles that
Morgan biked during the month?

A. 80

B. 100

C. 120

D. 160

ID: 70feb725 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The number of hours Morgan spent running or biking can be calculated by dividing the distance she
traveled during that activity by her speed, in miles per hour, for that activity. So the number of hours she ran can be

represented by the expression , and the number of hours she biked can be represented by the expression . It’s

given that she biked for twice as many hours as she ran, so this can be represented by the equation , which
can be rewritten as . It’s also given that she ran r miles and biked b miles, and that she ran and biked a total of 200
miles. This can be represented by the equation . Substituting for b in this equation yields , or
. Solving for r yields . Determining the number of miles she biked, b, can be found by substituting 40 for r
in , which yields . Solving for b yields .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they don’t satisfy that Morgan biked for twice as many hours as she ran. In
choice A, if she biked 80 miles, then she ran 120 miles, which means she biked for 8 hours and ran for 24 hours. In choice
B, if she biked 100 miles, then she ran 100 miles, which means she biked for 10 hours and ran for 20 hours. In choice C, if
she biked 120 miles, then she ran for 80 miles, which means she biked for 12 hours and ran for 16 hours.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e1248a5c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e1248a5c

In the system of equations below, a and c are constants.

If the system of equations has an infinite number of solutions , what is the
value of a ?

A.

B. 0

C.

D.

ID: e1248a5c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has infinitely many solutions if one equation is equivalent to the
other. This means that when the two equations are written in the same form, each coefficient or constant in one equation
is equal to the corresponding coefficient or constant in the other equation multiplied by the same number. The equations
in the given system of equations are written in the same form, with x and y on the left-hand side and a constant on the
right-hand side of the equation. The coefficient of y in the second equation is equal to the coefficient of y in the first
equation multiplied by 3. Therefore, a, the coefficient of x in the second equation, must be equal to 3 times the coefficient

of x in the first equation: , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. When , , or , the given system of equations has one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 52cb8ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 52cb8ea4

If is the solution to the system of equations above,

what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 5

D. 13

ID: 52cb8ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation, , results in
, or . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from miscalculating as . Choice C is incorrect and may result from
miscalculating as 5. Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding 9 to 4 instead of subtracting 9 from 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0b46bad5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0b46bad5

In the equation above, a and b are constants and . Which of the

following could represent the graph of the equation in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0b46bad5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The given equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m
represents the slope of the line represented by the equation, and k represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
line. Subtracting ax from both sides of the equation yields , and dividing both sides of this equation by b

yields , or . With the equation now in slope-intercept form, it shows that , which
means the y-coordinate of the y-intercept is 1. It’s given that a and b are both greater than 0 (positive) and that .

Since , the slope of the line must be a value between and 0. Choice C is the only graph of a line that has a
y-value of the y-intercept that is 1 and a slope that is between and 0.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the slopes of the lines in these graphs aren’t between and 0.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID c362c210
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c362c210

The points plotted in the coordinate plane above represent the possible numbers
of wallflowers and cornflowers that someone can buy at the Garden Store in
order to spend exactly $24.00 total on the two types of flowers. The price of
each wallflower is the same and the price of each cornflower is the same. What
is the price, in dollars, of 1 cornflower?

ID: c362c210 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.5. The point corresponds to the situation where 16 cornflowers and 0 wallflowers are
purchased. Since the total spent on the two types of flowers is $24.00, it follows that the price of 16 cornflowers is
$24.00, and the price of one cornflower is $1.50. Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d7bf55e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d7bf55e1

A movie theater sells two types of tickets, adult tickets for $12 and child tickets
for $8. If the theater sold 30 tickets for a total of $300, how much, in dollars, was
spent on adult tickets? (Disregard the $ sign when gridding your answer.)

ID: d7bf55e1 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 180. Let a be the number of adult tickets sold and c be the number of child tickets sold. Since the
theater sold a total of 30 tickets, a + c = 30. The price per adult ticket is $12, and the price per child ticket is $8. Since the
theater received a total of $300 for the 30 tickets sold, it follows that 12a + 8c = 300. To eliminate c, the first equation can
be multiplied by 8 and then subtracted from the second equation:

Because the question asks for the amount spent on adult tickets, which is 12a dollars, the resulting equation can be
multiplied by 3 to give 3(4a) = 3(60) = 180. Therefore, $180 was spent on adult tickets.

Alternate approach: If all the 30 tickets sold were child tickets, their total price would be 30($8) = $240. Since the actual
total price of the 30 tickets was $300, the extra $60 indicates that a certain number of adult tickets, a, were sold. Since
the price of each adult ticket is $4 more than each child ticket, 4a = 60, and it follows that 12a = 180.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 98d3393a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 98d3393a

Line in the xy-plane is perpendicular to the line with equation

. What is the slope of line ?

A. 0

B.

C.

D. The slope of line is undefined.

ID: 98d3393a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It is given that line is perpendicular to a line whose equation is x = 2. A line whose equation is a
constant value of x is vertical, so must therefore be horizontal. Horizontal lines have a slope of 0, so has a slope of 0.

Choice B is incorrect. A line with slope is perpendicular to a line with slope 2. However, the line with equation x = 2
is vertical and has undefined slope (not slope of 2). Choice C is incorrect. A line with slope –2 is perpendicular to a line

with slope . However, the line with equation x = 2 has undefined slope (not slope of ). Choice D is incorrect; this is
the slope of the line x = 2 itself, not the slope of a line perpendicular to it.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f718c9cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f718c9cf

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: f718c9cf Answer

Correct Answer: 1.8, 9/5

Rationale
The correct answer is . Multiplying the first equation in the given system by yields . Subtracting the
second equation in the given system, , from yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . The value of can be found by substituting for in either of the two
given equations. Substituting for in the equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, the value of is , or . Note that 9/5 and 1.8 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 466b87e3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 466b87e3

In the system of equations above, c is a constant. If the system has

no solution, what is the value of c ?

ID: 466b87e3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations have the
same slope and different y-intercepts. Each of the given linear equations is written in the slope-intercept form,
, where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the equation. For these two
linear equations, the y-intercepts are and . Thus, if the system of equations has no solution, the slopes of

the graphs of the two linear equations must be the same. The slope of the graph of the first linear equation is .

Therefore, for the system of equations to have no solution, the value of c must be . Note that 1/2 and .5 are examples
of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0366d965
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0366d965

x y

3 7

k 11

12 n

The table above shows the coordinates of three points on a line in the xy-plane,
where k and n are constants. If the slope of the line is 2, what is the value of
?

ID: 0366d965 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The slope of a line can be found by using the slope formula, . It’s given that the slope

of the line is 2; therefore, . According to the table, the points and lie on the line. Substituting the

coordinates of these points into the equation gives . Multiplying both sides of this equation by gives

, or . Solving for k gives . According to the table, the points and also

lie on the line. Substituting the coordinates of these points into gives . Solving for n gives
. Therefore, , or 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e2e3942f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e2e3942f

In the system of equations above, a is a constant. If the system of equations

has no solution, what is the value of a ?

A.

B. 0

C. 1

D. 2

ID: e2e3942f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations have the same
slope and different y-coordinates of the y-intercepts. Each of the given equations is written in the slope-intercept form of
a linear equation, , where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the
equation. For these two linear equations, the y-coordinates of the y-intercepts are different: and . Thus, if the
system of equations has no solution, the slopes of the two linear equations must be the same. The slope of the first
linear equation is 2. Therefore, for the system of equations to have no solution, the value of a must be 2.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual and computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1e11190a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 1e11190a

Store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint. Store B sells raspberries for per
pint and blackberries for per pint. A certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries would cost at Store A
or at Store B. How many pints of blackberries are in this purchase?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e11190a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint, and a
certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries at store A would cost . It’s also given that store B sells
raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint, and this purchase of raspberries and blackberries at
store B would cost . Let represent the number of pints of raspberries and represent the number of pints of
blackberries in this purchase. The equation represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store A and the equation represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store B. Solving the system of equations by elimination gives the value of and the value of that
make the system of equations true. Multiplying both sides of the equation for store A by yields
, or . Multiplying both sides of the equation
for store B by yields , or . Subtracting both
sides of the equation for store A, , from the corresponding sides of the equation for store B,
, yields , or . Dividing
both sides of this equationby yields . Thus, pints of blackberries are in
this purchase.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors. Choice D is incorrect. This is the
number of pints of raspberries, not blackberries, in the purchase.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c4ea43ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c4ea43ef

To earn money for college, Avery works two part-time jobs: A and B. She earns
$10 per hour working at job A and $20 per hour working at job B. In one week,
Avery earned a total of s dollars for working at the two part-time jobs. The graph
above represents all possible combinations of numbers of hours Avery could
have worked at the two jobs to earn s dollars. What is the value of s ?

A. 128

B. 160

C. 200

D. 320

ID: c4ea43ef Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. Avery earns $10 per hour working at job A. Therefore, if she works a hours at job A, she will earn
dollars. Avery earns $20 per hour working at job B. Therefore, if she works b hours at job B, she will earn dollars. The
graph shown represents all possible combinations of the number of hours Avery could have worked at the two jobs to
earn s dollars. Therefore, if she worked a hours at job A, worked b hours at job B, and earned s dollars from both jobs, the
following equation represents the graph: , where s is a constant. Identifying any point from the
graph and substituting the values of the coordinates for a and b, respectively, in this equation yield the value of s. For
example, the point , where and , lies on the graph. Substituting 16 for a and 0 for b in the equation
yields , or . Similarly, the point , where and , lies on the
graph. Substituting 0 for a and 8 for b in the equation yields , or .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. If the value of s is 128, 200, or 320, then no points on the graph will satisfy this
equation. For example, if the value of s is 128 (choice A), then the equation becomes .
The point , where and , lies on the graph. However, substituting 16 for a and 0 for b in
yields , or , which is false. Therefore, doesn’t satisfy the equation, and so the
value of s can’t be 128. Similarly, if (choice C) or (choice D), then substituting 16 for a and 0 for b yields
and , respectively, which are both false.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cb58833c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cb58833c

The line with the equation is graphed in the xy‑plane. What is the
x-coordinate of the x‑intercept of the line?

ID: cb58833c Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1.25. The y-coordinate of the x-intercept is 0, so 0 can be substituted for y, giving .

This simplifies to . Multiplying both sides of by 5 gives . Dividing both sides of by 4 gives

, which is equivalent to 1.25. Note that 1.25 and 5/4 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 567ac7ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 567ac7ab

One of the two equations in a linear system is . The system has no

solution. Which of the following could be the other equation in the system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 567ac7ab Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A system of two linear equations written in standard form has no solution when the equations are
distinct and the ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient for one equation is equivalent to the ratio of the x-coefficient
to the y-coefficient for the other equation. This ratio for the given equation is 2 to 6, or 1 to 3. Only choice B is an equation
that isn’t equivalent to the given equation and whose ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient is 1 to 3.

Choice A is incorrect. Multiplying each of the terms in this equation by 2 yields an equation that is equivalent to the given
equation. This system would have infinitely many solutions. Choices C and D are incorrect. The ratio of the x-coefficient
to the y-coefficient in (choice C) is to 2, or to 1. This ratio in (choice D) is 6 to 2, or 3
to 1. Since neither of these ratios is equivalent to that for the given equation, these systems would have exactly one
solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a7a14e87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a7a14e87

In the xy-plane, line k is defined by . Line j is perpendicular to line k, and

the y-intercept of line j is . Which of the following is an equation of line j ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a7a14e87 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that line j is perpendicular to line k and that line k is defined by the equation . This
equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m represents the slope of the line and b
represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line, by subtracting x from both sides of the equation, which yields
. Thus, the slope of line k is . Since line j and line k are perpendicular, their slopes are opposite reciprocals of
each other. Thus, the slope of line j is 1. It’s given that the y-intercept of line j is . Therefore, the equation for line j in
slope-intercept form is , which can be rewritten as .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a1fd2304
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a1fd2304

How many liters of a 25% saline solution must be added to 3 liters of a 10%
saline solution to obtain a 15% saline solution?

ID: a1fd2304 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 1.5. The total amount, in liters, of a saline solution can be expressed as the liters of each type of
saline solution multiplied by the percent concentration of the saline solution. This gives , , and

, where x is the amount, in liters, of 25% saline solution and 10%, 15%, and 25% are represented as 0.10,

0.15, and 0.25, respectively. Thus, the equation must be true. Multiplying 3 by 0.10 and
distributing 0.15 to yields . Subtracting 0.15x and 0.30 from each side of the
equation gives . Dividing each side of the equation by 0.10 yields . Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c8345903
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: c8345903

The circle above has center O, the length of arc is , and

. What is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8345903 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The ratio of the lengths of two arcs of a circle is equal to the ratio of the measures of the central
angles that subtend the arcs. It’s given that arc is subtended by a central angle with measure 100°. Since the sum

of the measures of the angles about a point is 360°, it follows that arc is subtended by a central angle with

measure . If s is the length of arc , then s must satisfy the ratio . Reducing the

fraction to its simplest form gives . Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of by

yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of an arc consisting of exactly half of the circle, but arc is greater than half
of the circle. Choice C is incorrect. This is the total circumference of the circle. Choice D is incorrect. This is half the
length of arc , not its full length.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bd87bc09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bd87bc09

Triangle above is a right triangle, and .

What is the length of side ?

ID: bd87bc09 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 24. The sine of an acute angle in a right triangle is equal to the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the sine of angle B, or , is equal to the

ratio of the length of side to the length of side . It’s given that the length of side is 26 and that .

Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 26 yields .

By the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the lengths of the sides of triangle ABC is as follows:
, or . Subtracting 100 from both sides of yields .

Taking the square root of both sides of yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2266984b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 2266984b

The equation above defines a circle in the xy-plane. What are the
coordinates of the center of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2266984b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The standard equation of a circle in the xy-plane is of the form , where
are the coordinates of the center of the circle and r is the radius. The given equation can be rewritten in standard form by
completing the squares. So the sum of the first two terms, , needs a 100 to complete the square, and the sum

of the second two terms, , needs a 64 to complete the square. Adding 100 and 64 to both sides of the given

equation yields , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, the coordinates of the center of the circle are .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational errors made when attempting to complete the
squares or when identifying the coordinates of the center.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1429dcdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 1429dcdf

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: 1429dcdf Answer

Correct Answer: .6956, .6957, 16/23

Rationale
The correct answer is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is defined as the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the side opposite the angle with
measure is units and the length of the hypotenuse is units. Therefore, the value of is . Note that
16/23, .6956, .6957, 0.695, and 0.696 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69b0d79d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 69b0d79d

Point O is the center of the circle above, and the measure of is . If

the length of is 18, what is the length of arc ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69b0d79d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Because segments OA and OB are radii of the circle centered at point O, these segments have equal
lengths. Therefore, triangle AOB is an isosceles triangle, where angles OAB and OBA are congruent base angles of the
triangle. It’s given that angle OAB measures . Therefore, angle OBA also measures . Let represent the
measure of angle AOB. Since the sum of the measures of the three angles of any triangle is , it follows that
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or

radians. Therefore, the measure of angle AOB, and thus the measure of arc , is radians. Since is a

radius of the given circle and its length is 18, the length of the radius of the circle is 18. Therefore, the length of arc

can be calculated as , or .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c95c7d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 4c95c7d4

A graphic designer is creating a logo for a company. The logo is shown in the
figure above. The logo is in the shape of a trapezoid and consists of
three congruent equilateral triangles. If the perimeter of the logo is
20 centimeters, what is the combined area of the shaded regions, in square
centimeters, of the logo?

A.

B.

C.

D. 16

ID: 4c95c7d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the logo is in the shape of a trapezoid that consists of three congruent equilateral
triangles, and that the perimeter of the trapezoid is 20 centimeters (cm). Since the perimeter of the trapezoid is the sum

of the lengths of 5 of the sides of the triangles, the length of each side of an equilateral triangle is . Dividing
up one equilateral triangle into two right triangles yields a pair of congruent 30°-60°-90° triangles. The shorter leg of each
right triangle is half the length of the side of an equilateral triangle, or 2 cm. Using the Pythagorean Theorem,
, the height of the equilateral triangle can be found. Substituting and and solving for b yields

cm. The area of one equilateral triangle is , where and . Therefore, the

area of one equilateral triangle is . The shaded area consists of two such triangles, so its area

is .

Alternate approach: The area of a trapezoid can be found by evaluating the expression , where is the
length of one base, is the length of the other base, and h is the height of the trapezoid. Substituting , ,

and yields the expression , or , which gives an area of for the

trapezoid. Since two-thirds of the trapezoid is shaded, the area of the shaded region is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the height of the trapezoid. Choice B is incorrect. This is the area of one of the equilateral
triangles, not two. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using a height of 4 for each triangle rather than the height of
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ab176ad6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ab176ad6

The equation defines a circle in the

xy‑plane. What is the radius of the circle?

ID: ab176ad6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 11. A circle with equation , where a, b, and r are constants, has center

and radius r. Therefore, the radius of the given circle is , or 11.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3e577e4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 3e577e4a

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at . Line is tangent to this circle at the point . What is the
slope of line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3e577e4a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A line that's tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius of the circle at the point of tangency. It's
given that the circle has its center at and line is tangent to the circle at the point . The slope of a
radius defined by the points and can be calculated as . The points and define the
radius of the circle at the point of tangency. Therefore, the slope of this radius can be calculated as , or . If a
line and a radius are perpendicular, the slope of the line must be the negative reciprocal of the slope of the radius. The
negative reciprocal of is . Thus, the slope of line is .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This is the slope of the radius of the circle at the point of tangency, not the slope of line .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 55bb437a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 55bb437a

In the figure above, . If and

, what is the length of ?

ID: 55bb437a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6. Since , and are both similar to 3-4-5 triangles. This means that
they are both similar to the right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5. Since , which is 3 times as long as the

hypotenuse of the 3-4-5 triangle, the similarity ratio of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 3:1. Therefore, the length of

(the side opposite to ) is , and the length of (the side adjacent to ) is . It is also given
that . Since and , it follows that , which means that the similarity ratio of

to the 3-4-5 triangle is 2:1 ( is the side adjacent to ). Therefore, the length of , which is the side
opposite to , is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9e44284b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9e44284b

In the xy-plane, the graph of is a

circle. What is the radius of the circle?

A. 5

B. 6.5

C.

D.

ID: 9e44284b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. One way to find the radius of the circle is to rewrite the given equation in standard form,
, where is the center of the circle and the radius of the circle is r. To do this, divide the

original equation, , by 2 to make the leading coefficients of and each equal to 1:

. Then complete the square to put the equation in standard form. To do so, first rewrite

as . Second, add 2.25 and 0.25 to

both sides of the equation: . Since ,

, and , it follows that . Therefore, the radius of the circle is

5.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of errors in manipulating the equation or of a misconception
about the standard form of the equation of a circle in the xy-plane.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6ab30ce3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6ab30ce3

Triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and corresponds to . Angles and are
right angles. If and , what is the length of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ab30ce3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Corresponding angles in similar triangles have equal measures. It's given that triangle is
similar to triangle , where corresponds to , so the measure of angle is equal to the measure of angle .
Therefore, if , then . It's given that angles and are right angles, so triangles and
are right triangles. The adjacent side of an acute angle in a right triangle is the side closest to the angle that is not
the hypotenuse. It follows that the adjacent side of angle is side . The opposite side of an acute angle in a right
triangle is the side across from the acute angle. It follows that the opposite side of angle is side . The tangent of
an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side.
Therefore, . If , the length of side can be found by substituting for and
for in the equation , which yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
. Since the length of side is times the length of side , it follows that triangle is a
special right triangle with angle measures , , and . Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse, , is times the
length of side , or . Substituting for in this equation yields , or .
Thus, if and , the length of 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. This is the length of , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ca2235f6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ca2235f6

A circle has center , and points and lie on the circle. The measure of arc is and the length of arc is
inches. What is the circumference, in inches, of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ca2235f6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the measure of arc is and the length of arc is . The arc measure
of the full circle is . If represents the circumference, in inches, of the circle, it follows that . This
equation is equivalent to , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or
. Therefore, the circumference of the circle is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of arc .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the length of arc by .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from squaring the length of arc .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 981275d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 981275d2

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation above is a circle. Point P is on the circle
and has coordinates . If is a diameter of the circle, what are the
coordinates of point Q ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 981275d2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The standard form for the equation of a circle is , where are the
coordinates of the center and r is the length of the radius. According to the given equation, the center of the circle is
. Let represent the coordinates of point Q. Since point P and point Q are the endpoints

of a diameter of the circle, the center lies on the diameter, halfway between P and Q. Therefore, the following

relationships hold: and . Solving the equations for and , respectively, yields

and . Therefore, the coordinates of point Q are .

Alternate approach: Since point P on the circle and the center of the circle have the same y-coordinate,

it follows that the radius of the circle is . In addition, the opposite end of the diameter must have the same

y-coordinate as P and be 4 units away from the center. Hence, the coordinates of point Q must be .

Choices B and D are incorrect because the points given in these choices lie on a diameter that is perpendicular to the
diameter . If either of these points were point Q, then would not be the diameter of the circle. Choice C is

incorrect because is the center of the circle and does not lie on the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 89661424
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 89661424

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at and has a radius of . An equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 89661424 Answer

Correct Answer: -52

Rationale
The correct answer is . The equation of a circle in the xy-plane with its center at and a radius of can be
written in the form . It's given that a circle in the xy-plane has its center at and has a
radius of . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields
, or . It's also given that an equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. Therefore, can be rewritten
in the form . The equation , or
, can be rewritten as .
Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields , which is equivalent to
. This equation is in the form . Therefore, the
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fb58c0db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: fb58c0db

Points A and B lie on a circle with radius 1, and arc has length . What

fraction of the circumference of the circle is the length of arc ?

ID: fb58c0db Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The circumference, C, of a circle is , where r is the length of the radius of the circle.

For the given circle with a radius of 1, the circumference is , or . To find what fraction of the

circumference the length of arc is, divide the length of the arc by the circumference, which gives . This

division can be represented by . Note that 1/6, .1666, .1667, 0.166, and 0.167 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7c25b0dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 7c25b0dc

The length of a rectangle’s diagonal is , and the length of the rectangle’s shorter side is . What is the length of the
rectangle’s longer side?

ID: 7c25b0dc Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale
The correct answer is . The diagonal of a rectangle forms a right triangle, where the shorter side and the longer side of
the rectangle are the legs of the triangle and the diagonal of the rectangle is the hypotenuse of the triangle. It's given that
the length of the rectangle's diagonal is and the length of the rectangle's shorter side is . Thus, the length of the
hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the diagonal is and the length of one of the legs is . By the
Pythagorean theorem, if a right triangle has a hypotenuse with length and legs with lengths and , then

. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or . Subtracting

from both sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields
, or . Since represents a length, which must be positive, the value of is . Thus, the length of
the rectangle's longer side is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c6dff223
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: c6dff223

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angles and are right angles.
The length of is times the length of . If , what is the value of ?

ID: c6dff223 Answer

Correct Answer: .7241, 21/29

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle
and angles and are right angles. In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal. Therefore, if
, then . In a right triangle, the tangent of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the leg
opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Therefore, in triangle , if , the ratio of
the length of to the length of is . If the lengths of and are and , respectively, then the ratio of
the length of to the length of is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the
leg opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, the value of is the ratio of the length of to
the length of . The length of can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that if the lengths
of the legs of a right triangle are and and the length of the hypotenuse is , then . Therefore, if the
lengths of and are and , respectively, then , or . Taking the
positive square root of both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, if the lengths of and are and
, respectively, then the length of is and the ratio of the length of to the length of is . Thus, if
, the value of is . Note that 21/29, .7241, and 0.724 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 92eb236a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 92eb236a

In a right triangle, the tangent of one of the two acute angles is . What
is the tangent of the other acute angle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92eb236a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The tangent of a nonright angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg
opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Using that definition for tangent, in a right triangle with

legs that have lengths a and b, the tangent of one acute angle is and the tangent for the other acute angle is . It
follows that the tangents of the acute angles in a right triangle are reciprocals of each other. Therefore, the tangent of the

other acute angle in the given triangle is the reciprocal of or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other acute angle is the negative of the
tangent of the angle described. Choice B is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other acute
angle is the negative of the reciprocal of the tangent of the angle described. Choice C is incorrect and may result from
interpreting the tangent of the other acute angle as equal to the tangent of the angle described.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2be01bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 2be01bd9

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angle corresponds to angle .
Angles and are right angles. If , what is the value of ?

ID: 2be01bd9 Answer

Correct Answer: .14, 7/50

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle
and angle corresponds to angle . In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal. Since angle
and angle are corresponding angles, if , then . It's also given that angles and are
right angles. It follows that triangle is a right triangle with acute angles and . The tangent of one acute angle
in a right triangle is the inverse of the tangent of the other acute angle in the triangle. Therefore, .
Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Thus, if , the value
of is . Note that 7/50 and .14 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dba6a25a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: dba6a25a

In the figure above, is parallel to .

What is the length of ?

ID: dba6a25a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. In the figure given, since is parallel to and both segments are intersected by , then
angle BDC and angle AEC are corresponding angles and therefore congruent. Angle BCD and angle ACE are also
congruent because they are the same angle. Triangle BCD and triangle ACE are similar because if two angles of one
triangle are congruent to two angles of another triangle, the triangles are similar. Since triangle BCD and triangle ACE are
similar, their corresponding sides are proportional. So in triangle BCD and triangle ACE, corresponds to and

corresponds to . Therefore, . Since triangle BCD is a right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem can be

used to give the value of CD: . Taking the square root of each side gives . Substituting the values

in the proportion yields . Multiplying each side by CE, and then multiplying by yields

. Therefore, the length of is 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID acd30391
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: acd30391

A circle in the xy-plane has equation . Which of the

following points does NOT lie in the interior of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: acd30391 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The circle with equation has center and radius 5. For a point to be
inside of the circle, the distance from that point to the center must be less than the radius, 5. The distance between

and is , which is greater than 5. Therefore, does NOT lie

in the interior of the circle.

Choice A is incorrect. The distance between and is ,

which is less than 5, and therefore lies in the interior of the circle. Choice B is incorrect because it is the center of
the circle. Choice C is incorrect because the distance between and is

, which is less than 5, and therefore in the interior of the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 25da87f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 25da87f8

A triangle with angle measures 30°, 60°, and 90° has a perimeter of .
What is the length of the longest side of the triangle?

ID: 25da87f8 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 12. It is given that the triangle has angle measures of 30°, 60°, and 90°, and so the triangle is a
special right triangle. The side measures of this type of special triangle are in the ratio . If x is the measure of the

shortest leg, then the measure of the other leg is and the measure of the hypotenuse is 2x. The perimeter of the

triangle is given to be , and so the equation for the perimeter can be written as .
Combining like terms and factoring out a common factor of x on the left-hand side of the equation gives
. Rewriting the right-hand side of the equation by factoring out 6 gives .

Dividing both sides of the equation by the common factor gives x = 6. The longest side of the right triangle, the
hypotenuse, has a length of 2x, or 2(6), which is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6933b3d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6933b3d9

In triangle RST above, point W (not shown) lies on . What is the value of
?

ID: 6933b3d9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 0. Note that no matter where point W is on , the sum of the measures of and

is equal to the measure of , which is . Thus, and are complementary angles. Since the

cosine of an angle is equal to the sine of its complementary angle, . Therefore,

Question Difficulty: Hard