SATMathematics Practice Test 1

Let x represent the number of pears produced by the Type B trees.
Then the Type A trees produce 20 percent more pears than x, which is x + 0.20x = 1.20x pears.
Since Type A trees produce 144 pears, the equation 1.20x = 144 holds. Thus $\mathit{x}=\frac{144}{1.20}$.Therefore, the Type B trees produced 120 pears.
Choice A is incorrect because while 144 is reduced by approximately 20 percent, increasing 115 by 20 percent gives 138, not 144.
Choice C is incorrect; it results from subtracting 20 from the number of pears produced by the Type A trees.
Choice D is incorrect; it results from adding 20 percent of the number of pears produced by Type A trees to the number of pears produced by Type A trees.