Difficulty: Easy

Average Score: 100%

Based on information from both the article and the letter to the editor, what can the reader infer about the authors?

Rationale

The combined volume of the water and rock in the graduated cylinder is 30 mL.

The graduated cylinder's water level before placing the rock was at 9 mL. After placing the rock in the water, the water level rose to 30 mL. This change indicates that the water and rock together occupy a volume of 30 mL in the cylinder.

A (Both authors feel they have personally paid a price as women in the workplace.) YOUR ANSWER

This volume represented the level of water in the graduated cylinder before the rock was added. However, when the rock was added, it displaced some of the water, causing the water level to rise to 30 mL. Therefore, 9 mL does not represent the combined volume of the water and rock.

B (Both authors advocate for legal action to reduce pay inequity.) YOUR ANSWER

This choice could be a misinterpretation of the change in water level after the rock was added (30 mL - 9 mL = 21 mL). However, this does not represent the combined volume of the water and rock. The combined volume is represented by the final water level, which is 30 mL.

D (Both authors want businesses to be leaders in ending pay inequality) YOUR ANSWER

This choice might be an incorrect calculation of the change in the water level after the rock was added. The correct calculation is (30 mL - 9 mL = 21 mL) which represents the volume of the rock. However, the combined volume of the water and the rock is 30 mL, not 15 mL.

Conclusion

When an object is added to a liquid in a graduated cylinder, the liquid level rises. This change in volume reflects the volume of the object added. In this case, Maria's rock displaced enough water to increase the level from 9 mL to 30 mL. This final reading represents the combined volume of the rock and the water in the graduated cylinder. Thus, the combined volume of the water and rock is 30 mL.

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