Comfort Ratings and Temperature-Adjustment Preferences from One Survey
| Participant | Comfort rating | Preferred temperature adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | −2 | Cooler |
| 1 | 1 | Cooler |
| 21 | 1 | Cooler |
Nan Gao and her team conducted multiple surveys to determine participants’ levels of comfort in a room where the temperature was regulated by a commercial climate control system. Participants filled out surveys several times a day to indicate their level of comfort on a scale from −3 (very cold) to +3 (very hot), with 0 indicating neutral (neither warm nor cool), and to indicate how they would prefer the temperature to be adjusted. The table shows three participants’ responses in one of the surveys. According to the table, all three participants wanted the room to be cooler, ________
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
Explanation
Context: A table records three participants' comfort ratings on a (very cold) to (very hot) scale in a single survey, along with their preferred temperature adjustment. The sentence says all three wanted the room cooler and needs a contrast drawn from those ratings.
Answer: C) but participant 20 reported feeling significantly colder than the other two participants did.
Why? Participants 1 and 21 each rated their comfort at , on the warm side of neutral, while participant 20 rated , well down the cold end. All three still asked for cooler air, so "but" correctly marks participant 20 as the outlier.
Traps:
- A) The ratings are not the same: for participant 20 against for each of the other two.
- B) The table captures one survey, so it offers no evidence about ratings varying throughout the day.
- D) Participant 1 rated , matching participant 21 exactly, so participant 1 was not warmer than both others.