PSAT 8/9 Prep with 2 practice tests - Princeton Review 2020
Chapter 9 Questions
Part III PSAT 8/9 Prep
AND THEN THE PSAT 8/9 WAS LIKE, “HEY, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION?”
In the previous two chapters, we saw most of the concepts that the PSAT 8/9 will test on the Writing and Language portion of the exam. In this chapter, we’re not going to learn a lot of new stuff in the way of grammar. Instead, we’ll look at some of the questions that the PSAT 8/9 asks.
As we’ve seen, a lot of the questions on the Writing and Language Test aren’t technically questions at all. They’re just lists of answer choices, and you start the process of answering them by asking a question of your own: “What’s changing in the answer choices?” Because you need to move quickly through this test, you may fall into the habit of not checking for questions. Even when you do read the questions, you may read them hastily or vaguely. Well, we are here to tell you that neither of these approaches will work.
The most important thing about Writing and Language questions is that you notice those questions and then answer those questions.
This may seem like just about the most obvious advice you’ve ever been given, but you’d be surprised how much less precise your brain is when you’re working quickly.
Here’s an example. Do these next 10 questions as quickly as you can.
1.2 + 1 =
2.1 + 2 =
3.3 + 1 =
4.3 + 2 ≠
5.1 + 2 =
6.2 — 1 <
7.2 ± 2 =
8.3 + 1 =
9.3 + 2 =
10.3 + 3 ≠
Now check your answers.
1.3
2.3
3.4
4.Anything but 5
5.3
6.Any number greater than 1 (but not 1!)
7.0 or 4
8.4
9.5
10.Anything but 6
Now, it’s very possible that you got at least one of those questions wrong. What happened? It’s not that the questions are hard. In fact, the questions are about as easy as can be. So why did you get some of them wrong? You were probably moving too quickly to notice that the signs changed a few times.
This is a lot like the Writing and Language section. You might miss some of the easiest points on the whole test by not reading carefully enough.
As you will see throughout this chapter, most of the questions will test concepts with which you are already familiar.
WORDS AND PUNCTUATION IN REVERSE
Many of the concepts we saw in the Punctuation and Words chapters show up explicitly with questions, but usually there’s some kind of twist.
Here’s an example.
The gate that kept Stormie confined to the hallway consisted of a wooden frame with thin vertical and horizontal 1 rods. These horizontal and vertical rods making up the frame prevented her from slipping through the fence.
1.Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?
A)rods, and these effectively prevent
B)rods; these, in contrast, prevent
C)rods, with the effect being the prevention of
D)rods, preventing
Here’s How to Crack It
First and foremost, it’s important to notice the question. This one is asking for the most effective way to combine the two sentences. Now that we have covered punctuation rules, consistency, precision, and concision, you have all the tools you need to answer this type of question. Questions on combining sentences require you to choose an option that uses correct punctuation and isn’t overly wordy. A great strategy for these questions is to start with the shortest option. In this case, that’s (D). Try reading the sentence with (D): The gate that kept Stormie penned in to the hallway consisted of a wooden frame with thin vertical and horizontal rods, preventing her from slipping through the fence. This doesn’t seem to have any punctuation or grammar errors, so keep it, but check the other options to see whether the additional words help the meaning in some way.
Choice (A) adds a few more words but doesn’t make the meaning more clear, so eliminate it because it’s not as concise as (D). Choice (B) adds the phrase in contrast, which isn’t the correct relationship between these sentences, so eliminate it. Like (A), (C) adds more words, but those words don’t make the meaning more precise. Eliminate (C) because it’s not as concise as (D). Therefore, (D) is the correct answer.
For these questions, the shortest answer is often the correct one—but not always. Start with the shortest option, but still consider the other choices. Remember that sometimes more words are necessary in order to make the meaning precise.
As you can see, questions that ask you to combine sentences are just another way to test the rules you already know.
The gate was only a few feet tall, but it posed a 2 toxic problem: if someone bumped it or knocked it over, the gate would make an extremely loud noise, frightening Stormie.
2.Which choice best maintains the style and tone of the passage?
A)NO CHANGE
B)significant
C)wicked
D)super rough
Here’s How to Crack It
Notice what the question is asking for: a word that maintains the style and tone of the passage. Do the answer choices look familiar here? In the Words chapter, we saw that PSAT 8/9 questions can test you on appropriate language. Well, you’ll see the same thing sometimes with an actual question. Sometimes the PSAT 8/9 will explicitly ask you to pick a word that is consistent with the passage’s style and tone, as in the question above, and in other cases there won’t be a question, as we saw in the Words chapter. Either way, the key is consistency!
Choices (C) and (D) are overly casual, so they aren’t consistent with the passage’s tone. Never pick an answer with slang words such as cool, super, chill, or awesome—unless the word is used in a non-slang context (for instance, weather could be described as cool, but describing an idea as cool is too casual for the PSAT).
Choice (A) is overly strong. The problem described in the sentence isn’t toxic (poisonous), so eliminate (A). On these questions, you may also see answers that are too strong, too dramatic, or too flowery to be consistent with the passage’s tone—for instance, stating that scientists “hoped with all their hearts” instead of just saying “hoped.”
Only (B) is consistent with the passage’s tone, so it’s the correct answer.
Let’s look at another that deals with one of the topics we saw earlier.
3 Today, however, Stormie recognized that the loud noise could not hurt her—she would find a way to get over the gate.
Stormie had two possible ideas for how to get over the gate: climbing and jumping. First, she tried climbing. Stormie reached her paws up and grabbed on to the horizontal wooden rods. Although she tried to use her upper body strength to pull herself up, Stormie quickly fell to the ground. It seemed that climbing wasn’t a feasible strategy after all.
3.Which sentence provides the best transition to the next paragraph?
A)NO CHANGE
B)Stormie knew that she would not be able to overcome her fear of the gate.
C)Whenever Stormie had to go near the gate, she would move slowly to avoid causing the noise.
D)Stormie knew that she would have to find another way to escape, since getting over the gate wouldn’t be an option.
Here’s How to Crack It
The question is asking for a transition to the next paragraph. This is another great example of the importance of reading the question. When we discussed transitions in the previous chapter, we considered the relationship between sentences. Likewise, when a question asks about a transition between paragraphs, you’ll think about the relationship between paragraphs.
Can we go ahead and answer this question as soon as we see the box with the number? No! We need to know what the next paragraph is about before we can figure out which option would be most consistent with that new idea. Read the paragraph after the underlined portion if you haven’t already.
The paragraph leading up to the underlined portion (questions 1 and 2) provides details about the gate. The next paragraph introduces two possible ideas for how to get over the gate and then explains what happened when Stormie tried one of them. Use Process of Elimination, looking for an answer that refers back to the details about the gate and transitions into the new topic about how she could get over it.
Choice (A) does exactly that: it uses the word however to imply a contrast between the idea that the gate was scary and the idea that she would try to get past it anyway. In addition, the phrase find a way to get over the gate is consistent with the first sentence of the following paragraph. Keep (A). Choices (B) and (D) don’t transition into the next paragraph because they both imply that Stormie won’t try to get over the gate, but the first sentence of the next paragraph indicates that she will. Choice (C) tells us more about the gate, so it’s consistent with the first paragraph, but again, it doesn’t do what the question is asking—transition into the next paragraph. Therefore, (A) is the answer.
For transition questions, the answer should move smoothly from the topic of one paragraph into the topic of the next paragraph. Make sure you read enough to know what those topics are. Similarly, you may see questions asking you what sentence would best introduce or conclude a paragraph. In the same way, you’ll need to read the entire paragraph and consider its main idea before tackling one of these questions.
If a question asks for the best introduction or conclusion to a paragraph, you MUST read the whole paragraph first. If it asks for a transition, you MUST read that paragraph and the one after.
Questions like #3 are why…
The most important thing about Writing and Language questions is that you notice that a question is being asked and answer that particular question.
PRECISION QUESTIONS
Not all questions will just be applications of punctuation and parts of speech. Some questions will ask you to do more specific things. Remember the three terms we kept repeating in the Words chapter: Consistency, Precision, and Concision. We’ll start with the Precision-related questions. Even in those where Precision is not asked about directly, or when it is mixed with Consistency or Concision, remember this:
Answer the question in the most precise way possible. Read literally!
Let’s try one.
Next, she decided to try leaping over the gate. Stormie knew she was capable of jumping high, but she was worried that if her leap wasn’t quite high enough, she would run into the gate 4 and hurt herself.
4.The writer is considering deleting the underlined portion, adjusting the punctuation as needed. Should the underlined portion be kept or deleted?
A)Kept, because it emphasizes Stormie’s ability to jump high.
B)Kept, because it explains the reason Stormie was worried.
C)Deleted, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on the need for scaling the gate.
D)Deleted, because it does not explain exactly how tall the gate was.
Here’s How to Crack It
The question asks whether we should keep or delete the phrase and hurt herself. Without the phrase, the sentence reads Stormie knew she was capable of jumping high, but she was worried that if her leap wasn’t quite high enough, she would run into the gate. This isn’t grammatically incorrect, but it’s not quite as clear as the sentence with the phrase is: when the sentence includes the phrase and hurt herself, it identifies the risk associated with running into the gate. Therefore, the phrase should be kept. You want to be as precise as possible! Eliminate (C) and (D).
Choice (A) is not a good match because the phrase doesn’t mention anything related to how high she could jump. Choice (B), however, is supported: getting hurt is a reason Stormie was worried. Therefore, (B) is the answer.
Let’s try another.
The tiled floor was hard and could be painful if she fell on it from a height of several feet. 5 Stormie decided to be confident in her jumping skills—the blue bone would be worth all of the risk and effort. She readied herself and crouched into jumping position.
5.The writer is considering adding the following sentence.
Some of the rooms in the house were carpeted, while other areas had wood floors.
Should the writer make this addition here?
A)Yes, because it supports the author’s point in the previous sentence that Stormie could fall on the ground.
B)Yes, because it provides further details on the different types of flooring within the house.
C)No, because it fails to explain why the floors were made of different materials.
D)No, because it adds a detail that is irrelevant to the paragraph’s focus on jumping over the gate.
Here’s How to Crack It
The proposed sentence might seem interesting (let’s be honest, though—probably not in this case!), but it isn’t closely related to the focus of the paragraph. Therefore, it should not be added, eliminating (A) and (B). Remember, consistency is key!
While (C) is true, it doesn’t provide a good reason not to add the sentence. The sentence doesn’t need to explain why the floors were made of different materials—even if it did, this idea still wouldn’t be relevant to the paragraph’s focus. Choice (D) provides a good reason not to add the sentence.
In general, for questions asking whether a phrase or sentence should be added or kept, ask yourself whether there is a good reason to add or keep it (i.e., is it consistent with the text?). If not, it should be removed or not added. Process of Elimination, as always, is also huge on these questions—you’ll be able to eliminate some options that simply aren’t true. For instance, if an answer choice states that the information was provided earlier in the passage, but it wasn’t, you can cross that option off right away.
CONSISTENCY QUESTIONS
Just as questions should be answered as precisely as possible, they should also be answered with information that is consistent with what’s in the passage.
When answering consistency questions, keep this general rule in mind:
Writing and Language passages should be judged on what they do say, not on what they could say. When dealing with Style, Tone, and Focus, make sure to work with the words and phrases the passage has already used.
Let’s look at two questions that deal with the idea of consistency.
[1] As Stormie rose into the air, she reached a maximum height of between 2 and 3 feet and made contact with the top of the gate. [2] She reminded herself that the gate couldn’t hurt her—it was only a noise that she was afraid of. [3] The force of her leap knocked the gate over with a thundering crash. [4] She looked around and realized that she was free. [5] 6 Once she was sure she hadn’t been hurt, Stormie sat down and chewed the toy that she loved, reveling in the satisfaction of succeeding in her adventure. 7
6.Which choice provides an important detail about what Stormie did that sets up the information given in the rest of the sentence?
A)NO CHANGE
B)After cleaning her fur and paws,
C)After locating her blue bone,
D)Sweating in the warm temperature,
7.The writer wants to add the following sentence to the paragraph.
Stormie landed on the ground on top of the gate and quickly scampered, feeling timid from the loud noise.
To make the paragraph most logical, the sentence should be placed
A)after sentence 1.
B)after sentence 2.
C)after sentence 3.
D)after sentence 5.
Here’s How to Crack Them
Let’s look at question 6 first. In this case, the question tells us exactly what to look for: something that would set up the information given in the rest of the sentence. When the question asks you to fulfill a specific purpose, it’s crucial that you understand what that purpose is. In fact, it’s a good idea to highlight the purpose stated in the question. Typically, for these questions you won’t have to worry about grammar or punctuation—it’s all about whether the meaning of the answer choice matches what the question is asking you to do.
Here, we need to see what information is in the rest of the sentence. It says that Stormie sat down and chewed the toy that she loved, so the correct answer needs to set this up. Choices (A), (B), and (D) could all be things that she did, but they don’t have anything to do with the rest of the sentence. You might like them, but they can’t be right. Only (C) mentions the toy that she loved: the blue bone. Therefore, (C) is the answer.
As for question 7, we need to find some very literal way to make the new sentence consistent with the rest of the paragraph. Look for words and phrases that will link this sentence to another sentence. Remember, it’s not what the passage could say; it’s what the passage does say. The new sentence mentions the loud noise, so it should be placed after some mention of a loud noise. Sentence 3 mentions a thundering crash. Therefore, this sentence should go after sentence 3, so (C) is correct.
As we have seen, these questions are not difficult, but they do require very specific actions on your part. Make sure you read the questions carefully and that you answer those questions as precisely and consistently as you can.
The same goes for charts and graphs on the Writing and Language Test. Don’t let the strangeness of the charts throw you off! Just read the graphs with as much precision as you can and choose the most precise answers possible.
Let’s have a look at one that we’ve added to the previous paragraph.
As Stormie rose into the air, she reached a maximum height of 8 between 2 and 3 feet and made contact with the top of the gate.
8.Which choice uses accurate information from the graph to complete the point being made in the sentence?
A)NO CHANGE
B)between 3 and 4
C)over 4
D)an unknown number of
Here’s How to Crack It
This question is asking for the choice that agrees with the graph——again, consistency is key. From what we have seen, these questions are usually pretty straightforward. You don’t have to do anything overly complex with the graphs, and that’s certainly the case here.
The sentence mentions the maximum height of Stormie’s leap, and the vertical axis of the graph describes height, so look for the peak. Then, draw a horizontal line from the peak to the axis on the left side. The line should cross the axis between 3 and 4 feet, so the correct answer is (B).
In general, graphs on the PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing and Language Tests are very straightforward, and the fundamental question they ask is this: “Can you read a graph?” These are easy points as long as you read the graphs carefully and use POE.
Take a Breather
You’ve made it through the entire Writing and Language section! Next up is Math, so feel free to take a break before diving in. Grab a snack, relax with a book, go for a walk—anything that will help you refresh before reviewing more content. Remember that study breaks can make you more productive, so don’t deprive yourself of some needed relaxation time.
CONCLUSION
As we have seen in this chapter, the PSAT 8/9 can ask a lot of different kinds of questions, but the test won’t throw anything really crazy at you. The biggest things to remember, aside from the punctuation rules, are PRECISION and CONSISTENCY. If you pick answers that are precise and consistent with other information in the passage, you should be good to go. Just make sure to answer the question!
Writing and Language Drill 4
Time: 10 minutes. Check your answers in Part IV.
Gause’s Law: It’s a Competition
By the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scientists had observed many ecological 1 principles, including the principle of competition. In this principle, different organisms or species compete for a limited supply of a certain resource. Scientists posited that whenever two species are in competition, they will not coexist with constant population sizes. 2 To prevent going extinct, a species can either evolve or develop a new niche—the species’s unique role in a certain environment. While this idea had been proposed earlier, biologist Georgy Gause was 3 born in Moscow, Russia, in 1910.
1.Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?
A)principles, this includes competition, in which
B)competition principles, in which
C)principles, competition, and
D)principles, including competition, in which
2.At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence.
That is, one species will benefit from a certain advantage it has and increase its population, and the other species could eventually go extinct.
Should the writer make this addition here?
A)Yes, because it elaborates on a concept and clarifies the connection between competition and extinction.
B)Yes, because it explains the significance of Gause’s research.
C)No, because it provides information that is unrelated to the paragraph’s main idea.
D)No, because it contradicts information given earlier in the paragraph.
3.Which choice best sets up the information that follows in the passage?
A)NO CHANGE
B)the first to prove the validity of the principle of competitive exclusion, in 1932.
C)later awarded a prize for his life-saving work on antibiotic medications.
D)an ecologist who published a number of influential books.
[1] In order to demonstrate this theory, Gause conducted a laboratory experiment. [2] He used two species of Paramecium (a type of microscopic organism) known as P. aurelia and P. caudatum. [3] To test the theory of competitive exclusion, Gause also combined the two species and observed what happened. [4] For the experiment, he created separate groups of each organism as control groups. [5] He provided the control and combined groups with the same amount of food and water and used a sample to determine the population of each species every day. [6] He wanted to see whether the two species would grow equally 4 well or whether, as the principle of competitive exclusion suggests, one group would become dominant and overtake the other. 5
4.Which choice best maintains the style and tone of the passage?
A)NO CHANGE
B)nicely
C)amazingly
D)wonderfully
5.To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 4 should be placed
A)where it is now.
B)after sentence 1.
C)after sentence 2.
D)after sentence 5.
6 The experiment contradicted scientists’ expectations. In the control groups, the two species had similar populations to each other. However, in the group that was combined, 7 Gause saw no clear pattern: as the two species competed for resources, P. aurelia emerged as the dominant organism. Initially, the two species grew at a similar rate, but P. aurelia soon surpassed P. caudatum and approached the population levels seen in the individual groups. P. caudatum decreased in population, 8 but it later increased and caused the P. aurelia to go extinct.
6.Which choice, if added here, would most effectively introduce the main topic of the paragraph?
A)NO CHANGE
B)Gause’s results confirmed the theory.
C)It is important for scientific experiments to contain control groups.
D)Gause eventually published his results in a book.
7.Which choice most effectively sets up the results that follow in the sentence?
A)NO CHANGE
B)both species continued to grow at the same rate:
C)Gause saw a difference in the populations emerge:
D)Gause decided to do more experiments:
8.Which choice uses information from the graph to accurately describe P. caudatum over the 16-day span?
A)NO CHANGE
B)never containing more than 5 cells.
C)going extinct in fewer than 10 days.
D)eventually being eliminated entirely from the sample.
Scientists continue to study competitive exclusion today, among plants, animals, and even humans, and Gause’s experiments are credited for demonstrating this ecological idea experimentally. 9 Ecologists know that, at least under the controlled conditions of a laboratory, 10 when two species compete for the same resources, one will overtake the other one.
9.At this point, the writer is considering adding the following information:
Gause had earned his first degree at Moscow University a few years before publishing his results.
Should the writer add the sentence here?
A)Yes, because it shows that Gause’s scientific research was trustworthy.
B)Yes, because it helps the reader understand the passage’s main points.
C)No, because it contradicts the author’s claim about Gause in the previous sentence.
D)No, because it adds unnecessary information that is unrelated to the main topic of the paragraph.
10.The author wants a conclusion that summarizes the main finding of Gause’s experiment. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
A)NO CHANGE
B)two species can coexist without competing for resources.
C)competition for resources causes both organisms to go extinct.
D)when two species compete, one will adapt to find a new niche.