Question

The following letter was sent to a candidate applying for entrance to Nathford University. Thank you for your interest in Nathford University. We regret to say that your application for entrance has been rejected. Unfortunately, because of the unusually high number of candidates this year, we were not even able to accept all those with SAT scores of 1000 or above, as has been our practice in the past. We have only a limited number of openings and must accept entering students accordingly. Which of the following can be validly concluded from the letter? A. The student receiving the letter had SAT scores of 1000 or above. B. The student receiving the letter did not have SAT scores of 1000 or above. C. Nathford University accepted only those students with SAT scores of 1000 or above. D. Nathford University rejected many students with SAT scores of 1000 or above. E. Nathford University had constraints other than SAT scores that affected selection of candidates.

Short answer

The most valid conclusion that can be drawn from the letter is option D: Nathford University rejected many students with SAT scores of 1000 or above.

Step-by-step solution

Analysis of Options

Review the given options in order to understand what is being asked.

Analyze the Letter

The letter states that Nathford University could not accept all candidates with SAT scores of 1000 or above. This suggests that the university may have rejected even those who scored this much. The letter does not mention anything about the recipient's SAT score or other selection criteria.

Match analysis with Options

Match the findings from step 2 with the given options. We can rule out option A, B, and C as they make explicit assumptions about the recipient's SAT score, which the letter does not mention. Option E implies that there were other selection criteria, which is not specifically stated in the letter. Thus, it leaves us with option D which correctly extrapolates what was mentioned in the letter.