The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.



If x is a number from Column X and y is a number from Column Y in the table above, how many different values are possible for x + y?

A Nine
B Eight
C Seven
D Six
E Five

Answer is E

Here's Why:

First let x equal the first value from Column X, that is, x = 1. Then add 1 to each of the three values of y in Column Y as follows: 1 + 4 = 5, 1 + 5 = 6, and 1 + 6 = 7. Repeat this process for x = 2, for which the possible values of x + y are 6, 7, and 8; and repeat it again for x = 3, for which the possible values of x + y are 7, 8, and 9. If you compare these nine values, you see that 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are the only different possible values of the sums x + y; therefore, there are five different values possible for x + y.


Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice

(Mathematics)