Which choice best describes data in the graph that support Liu et al.… | Verbal SAT Question

Verbal·Information and Ideas·Command of Evidence

hard

High entropy alloys (HEAs) typically combine five or more elements in roughly equal proportions, and medium entropy alloys (MEAs) typically combine three or four elements. Researchers have long assumed that an alloy must incorporate many different elements to achieve exceptional fracture toughness at extremely low temperatures. Working with the five-element HEA CrMnFeCoNi and the three-element MEA CrCoNi, Liu et al. measured the initiation toughness (resistance to the start of a crack) and the propagation toughness (resistance to a growing crack) of each alloy at temperatures ranging from 20 kelvins to 293 kelvins. Liu et al. concluded that an alloy need not contain a large number of elements to display outstanding fracture toughness at cryogenic temperatures.

Which choice best describes data in the graph that support Liu et al.’s conclusion?

CrCoNi outperformed CrMnFeCoNi at 20 kelvins in both initiation toughness and propagation toughness even though it is composed of fewer elements.

Both CrMnFeCoNi and CrCoNi showed substantially higher propagation toughness than initiation toughness throughout the range from 20 kelvins to 293 kelvins.

The changes in initiation toughness and propagation toughness were greater between 20 kelvins and 77 kelvins than between 77 kelvins and 198 kelvins for both CrMnFeCoNi and CrCoNi.

For both CrMnFeCoNi and CrCoNi, initiation toughness and propagation toughness were lower at 293 kelvins than at 20 kelvins.