ACT Preparation / Unit 19 ACT 1803 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Finding a Value in a Table
The idea
A table question is answered in three steps. First, identify the two things the question names: a condition, such as a temperature or a time, and a measured quantity. Second, find the row for the condition and the column for the quantity, checking the units. Third, read the cell where they meet, and if the question asks for a comparison, read the second cell the same way before subtracting or dividing.
In practice
Worked example: an invented table records how many of 50 seeds sprouted at 10, 20, 30 and 40 degrees Celsius: 6, 28, 42 and 15. How many more sprouted at 30 degrees than at 20? Row 30 gives 42 and row 20 gives 28, a difference of 14 seeds. What fraction sprouted at 40 degrees? 15 of 50, or 30%.
Where people slip
Read the heading for what a number counts. Here the cells count seeds out of 50, so 42 is a count, not a percent; as a percent it would be 84%.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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