Command of Evidence: Quantitative

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 5/5

Engineers tested four new alloy compositions for use in jet turbines. They measured maximum temperature tolerance (°C) and tensile strength (MPa): Alloy I, 1,180°C, 920 MPa; Alloy II, 1,210°C, 880 MPa; Alloy III, 1,140°C, 1,050 MPa; Alloy IV, 1,235°C, 870 MPa. The team argued that for high-temperature applications, their data show no alloy can simultaneously maximize both temperature and strength—engineers must trade off. The strongest data support for this "no alloy maximizes both" claim is ______

Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?

  • A

    Alloy III's high tensile strength (1,050 MPa).

  • B

    the rank reversal: the alloy with highest tensile strength (III, 1,050 MPa) has the lowest temperature tolerance (1,140°C); the alloy with highest temperature tolerance (IV, 1,235°C) has the lowest strength (870 MPa).

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  • C

    Alloy II's intermediate values.

  • D

    Alloy IV's highest temperature tolerance (1,235°C).

Explanation

"No alloy maximizes both" is best supported by showing the top performer on one metric is the bottom performer on the other. Choice B captures this rank reversal uniquely.

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