According to the above graph, students become less likely to get an A
on a given paper if
A) they start writing the paper earlier.
B) they wait longer to start writing the paper.
C) they take mostly math classes.
D) they follow the Kardashians on Twitter.
This graph is an example of the SAT sneaking into your subconscious. Don’t procrastinate.
—Samantha
We made this question intentionally tricky! When you think of
procrastination, you probably think of a clock ticking downward. But the way
this graph is presented, the x-axis counts upward from one day before the due
date to ten. Even though you should start by reading this graph from left to right,
time is moving from right to left. So, if you follow the line in that direction,
you’ll see that the likelihood of getting an A on the paper decreases the longer
students wait to start it (as common sense and experience should tell you). So the
correct answer is B.
Note: We actually didn’t mean to make the graph so confusing. We just
couldn’t figure out how to reverse the values on the x-axis because . . . well . . .
we procrastinated.
Let’s try another question: