Today’s SAT question of the day is an algebra translation question.

The question:

First, 3 is subtracted from x and the square root of the difference is taken. Then, 5 is added to the result, giving a final result of 9. What is the value of x?

If we translate carefully, this problem is a breeze.

“3 is subtracted from x” means x – 3.

“the square root of the difference is taken” means √(x-3).

“5 is added to the result” means √(x-3) + 5.

“giving a final result of 9” means √(x-3) + 5 = 9.

Now we can solve:

√(x-3) + 5 = 9

√(x-3) = 4

x-3 = 16

x = 19,  or choice E