Kaplan SAT Practice Question of the Day

SAT Question for January 3rd

A microbiologist compares the growth rates of two yeast strains. She indirectly measures the number of yeast cells by recording the optical density (OD600) of each strain every 10 hours. The measurements are presented in the graph shown. Based on the data, which of the following statements is false?

A) Between hours 30 and 80, Strain 1 had a higher OD600 reading than Strain 2.

B) The growth rate of Strain 2 was less than the growth rate of Strain 1 until hour 50, at which point Strain 1's growth rate became the lesser one.

C) Between hours 50 and 70, Strain 2's OD600 reading increased by approximately 0.03 every hour.

D) The growth rate of Strain 1 was greater than the growth rate of Strain 2 throughout the monitored period.

Correct

Incorrect

Compare each statement to the line graph one at a time, eliminating true statements as you work. Start with (A): at every reading after 20 hours, Strain 1 has a higher OD600 level than Strain 2, so this statement is true. Eliminate (A). Choice (B) states that Strain 2's growth rate (slope) overtook Strain 1's at hour 50, which is consistent with the line graph; eliminate it. It looks as though (C) requires time-consuming calculations, so skip it for now. Choice (D) states that Strain 1's growth rate was greater than Strain 2's over the entire period. This statement contradicts what you already confirmed in (B), which makes (D) false and, therefore, correct. There's no need to check (C).

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SAT Question for January 3rd

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SAT Question for January 3rd

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