Take this Exam: PSAT Reading — one passage, one question | Zestly

Question 1

"The novelist's latest work has been criticised for its lack of emotional depth. The protagonist, a cold and calculating detective, never displays vulnerability, which some readers find alienating. However, the author argues that this detachment is a deliberate choice to reflect the dehumanising nature of the detective's profession." What does the second sentence do in this account?

Accepted Answer

It provides an example of the specific criticism levelled at the novel.

Answer

It introduces a counter-argument to the author's intent.

Answer

It concedes a point about the novel's structure.

Answer

It qualifies the claim made by the critics.

Question 2

A student is writing about remote work and wants to support the claim that it has improved employee productivity. Which piece of evidence would most directly support that claim?

Accepted Answer

Across five hundred firms, measured output rose by 15 per cent in the year after the move to remote work.

Answer

A survey found that many employees working from home report feeling isolated from their colleagues.

Answer

Several managers said they found it harder to judge performance without seeing staff in the office.

Answer

Firms that adopted remote work spent less on office space than firms that did not.

Question 3

Passage 1: 'The exploration of deep-sea vents is essential for understanding the origins of life on Earth, as these environments mimic the conditions of the early planet.' Passage 2: 'While deep-sea exploration is scientifically interesting, the immense cost and potential for environmental disruption make it a lower priority than addressing urgent climate issues on the surface.' How would the writer of Passage 2 most likely respond to the claim in Passage 1?

Accepted Answer

By acknowledging the scientific interest but questioning the allocation of resources.

Answer

By agreeing that the scientific value outweighs the financial costs.

Answer

By arguing that deep-sea vents do not actually mimic early Earth conditions.

Answer

By suggesting that surface climate issues are less important than deep-sea research.

Question 4

"The report recommends that every secondary school in the county adopt the new timetable. Its final paragraph does qualify that recommendation: the authors note that all of their data come from a single town, and that a council elsewhere, with different transport and different catchment areas, might reasonably reach the opposite conclusion." As the writer uses it here, what does 'qualify' most nearly mean?

Answer

Become eligible for

Answer

Limit the force of

Answer

Describe in careful detail

Answer

Meet a required standard

Question 5

"The scientist noted that the results were anomalous compared with the previous trials. She repeated the procedure three times with the same equipment, and each time the readings deviated from the expected values by roughly the same amount and in the same direction." Which conclusion does this account most strongly support?

Answer

The deviation is unlikely to be random error, since it persisted in the same direction across three separate runs.

Answer

The equipment is faulty and every reading it has ever produced should be discarded.

Answer

The expected values were calculated wrongly, which is why the readings do not match them.

Answer

Someone made the same mistake three times while carrying out the procedure.