Question ID 7a5a74a6 2.

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 7a5a74a6

If x is the solution to the equation above,

what is the value of ?
A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7a5a74a6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Because 2 is a factor of both and 6, the expression can be rewritten as .

Substituting for on the left-hand side of the given equation yields

, or . Subtracting from both sides of this

equation yields . Adding 11 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both

sides of this equation by 2 yields .

Alternate approach: Distributing 3 to the quantity on the left-hand side of the given equation and
distributing 4 to the quantity on the right-hand side yields , or

. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Adding 29 to both sides

of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields . Therefore, the value of

is , or .
Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of x, not . Choices C and D are incorrect. If the value of is

or , it follows that the value of x is or , respectively. However, solving the given equation

for x yields . Therefore, the value of can’t be or .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID aa85b138 2.2

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: aa85b138

A tree had a height of 6 feet when it was planted. The equation above can
be used to find how many years n it took the tree to reach a height of 14
feet. Which of the following is the best interpretation of the number 2 in this
context?
A. The number of years it took the tree to double its height
B. The average number of feet that the tree grew per year
C. The height, in feet, of the tree when the tree was 1 year old
D. The average number of years it takes similar trees to grow 14 feet

ID: aa85b138 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The height of the tree at a given time is equal to its height when it was planted plus the
number of feet that the tree grew. In the given equation, 14 represents the height of the tree at the given time,
and 6 represents the height of the tree when it was planted. It follows that represents the number of feet

the tree grew from the time it was planted until the time it reached a height of 14 feet. Since n represents the
number of years between the given time and the time the tree was planted, 2 must represent the average
number of feet the tree grew each year.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from interpreting the coefficient 2 as doubling instead of as increasing by
2 each year. Choice C is incorrect. The height of the tree when it was 1 year old was feet, not 2 feet.

Choice D is incorrect. No information is given to connect the growth of one particular tree to the growth of
similar trees.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 15daa8d6 2.3

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 15daa8d6

In the given equation, is a constant. If the equation has infinitely many solutions, what is the value of ?
ID: 15daa8d6 Answer
Correct Answer: 2

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equation with one variable, , has infinitely many solutions only when both sides
of the equation are equal for any defined value of . It's given that , where is a constant.
This equation can be rewritten as . If this equation has infinitely many solutions, then
both sides of this equation are equal for any defined value of . Both sides of this equation are equal for any
defined value of when . Therefore, if the equation has infinitely many solutions, the value of is .

Alternate approach: If the given equation, , has infinitely many solutions, then both sides
of this equation are equal for any value of . If , then substituting for in yields
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 12ee1edc 2.4

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 12ee1edc

In the given equation, b is a constant. If the equation has no

solution, what is the value of b ?
A. 2
B. 4
C. 6
D. 10

ID: 12ee1edc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. This equation has no solution when there is no value of x that produces a true statement.

Solving the given equation for x by dividing both sides by gives . When , the
right-hand side of this equation will be undefined, and the equation will have no solution. Therefore, when
, there is no value of x that satisfies the given equation.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Substituting 4, 6, and 10 for b in the given equation yields exactly one
solution, rather than no solution, for x. For example, substituting 4 for b in the given equation yields
, or . Dividing both sides of by 2 yields . Similarly, if or , and
, respectively.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70e29454 2.5

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 70e29454

In the equation above, a and b are constants. If the equation has infinitely
many solutions, what are the values of a and b ?
A. and
B. and
C. and
D. and

ID: 70e29454 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Distributing the a on the left-hand side of the equation gives 3a – b – ax = –1 – 2x.
Rearranging the terms in each side of the equation yields –ax + 3a – b = –2x –1. Since the equation has
infinitely many solutions, it follows that the coefficients of x and the free terms on both sides must be equal.
That is, –a = –2, or a = 2, and 3a – b = –1. Substituting 2 for a in the equation 3a – b = –1 gives 3(2) – b = –1, so b
= 7.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of a conceptual error when finding the value of b. Choices C and D
are incorrect and may result from making a sign error when simplifying.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f09097b1 2.6

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: f09097b1
An agricultural scientist studying the growth of corn plants recorded the
height of a corn plant at the beginning of a study and the height of the plant
each day for the next 12 days. The scientist found that the height of the
plant increased by an average of 1.20 centimeters per day for the 12 days. If
the height of the plant on the last day of the study was 36.8 centimeters,
what was the height, in centimeters, of the corn plant at the beginning of
the study?
ID: f09097b1 Answer
Rationale

The correct answer is 22.4. If the height of the plant increased by an average of 1.20 centimeters per day for 12
days, then its total growth over the 12 days was centimeters. The plant was 36.8 centimeters
tall after 12 days, so at the beginning of the study its height was centimeters. Note that 22.4
and 112/5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: The equation can be used to represent this situation, where h is the
height of the plant, in centimeters, at the beginning of the study. Solving this equation for h yields 22.4
centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4f669597 2.7

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 4f669597

What value of p is the solution of

the equation above?
ID: 4f669597 Answer
Rationale

The correct answer is 1.2. One way to solve the equation is to first distribute the terms
outside the parentheses to the terms inside the parentheses: . Next, combine like terms
on the left side of the equal sign: . Subtracting 10p from both sides yields . Finally,

dividing both sides by gives , which is equivalent to . Note that 1.2 and 6/5 are examples of
ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ce314070 2.8

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ce314070
If , what is the
value of ?
A.

B.

C.
D.

ID: ce314070 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Multiplying the given equation by 2 on each side yields . Applying the

distributive property, this equation can be rewritten as , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors in solving the given equation for and
then substituting that value of x in the expression .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 36ab4122 2.9

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 36ab4122
Megan’s regular wage at her job is p dollars per hour for the first 8 hours of
work in a day plus 1.5 times her regular hourly wage for work in excess of
8 hours that day. On a given day, Megan worked for 10 hours, and her total
earnings for that day were $137.50. What is Megan’s regular hourly wage?
A. $11.75
B. $12.50
C. $13.25
D. $13.75

ID: 36ab4122 Answer

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since p represents Megan’s regular pay per hour, 1.5p represents the pay per hour in excess
of 8 hours. Since Megan worked for 10 hours, she must have been paid p dollars per hour for 8 of the hours plus
1.5p dollars per hour for the remaining 2 hours. Therefore, since Megan earned $137.50 for the 10 hours, the
situation can be represented by the equation 137.5 = 8p + 2(1.5)p. Distributing the 2 in the equation gives 137.5 =
8p + 3p, and combining like terms gives 137.5 = 11p. Dividing both sides by 11 gives p = 12.5. Therefore, Megan’s
regular wage is $12.50.

Choices A and C are incorrect and may be the result of calculation errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result
from finding the average hourly wage that Megan earned for the 10 hours of work.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5ad9eff0 2.10

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 5ad9eff0
The width of a rectangular dance floor is w feet. The length of the floor is 6
feet longer than its width. Which of the following expresses the perimeter,
in feet, of the dance floor in terms of w ?
A.
B.
C.
D.

ID: 5ad9eff0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It is given that the width of the dance floor is w feet. The length is 6 feet longer than the
width; therefore, the length of the dance floor is . So the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because it is the sum of one length and one width, which is only half the perimeter.
Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the formula for the area instead of the formula for the
perimeter and making a calculation error. Choice D is incorrect because this is the area, not the perimeter, of
the dance floor.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 45bba652 2.11

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 45bba652
If , what is
the value of ?
A. 2
B. 5
C. 7
D. 12

ID: 45bba652 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Adding the like terms on the left-hand side of the given equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by 5 yields .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from subtracting 5, not dividing by 5, on both sides of the equation
. Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of x, not the value of . Choice D is incorrect. This is
the value of , not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID eafdbbbd 2.12

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: eafdbbbd

What value of is the solution to the given equation?

A.
B.
C.
D.

ID: eafdbbbd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For the given equation, is a factor of both terms on the left-hand side. Therefore,
the given equation can be rewritten as , or , which is
equivalent to . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not
.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of for which the left-hand side of the given equation equals , not
.

Question Difficulty: Medium