PSAT/NMSQT Prep 2022 - Eggert M.D., Strelka A. 2022

How to answer PSAT reading questions
Answering PSAT reading questions
PSAT Reading

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After this lesson, you will be able to:

· Research the answer in the passage or your big picture summary

· Predict the correct answer

· Find the one correct answer choice

To answer questions like these:

Directions: Choose the best answer choice for the following questions.

Questions 1—9 refer to the following passage and supplementary material.

Leafcutter Passage Map

This passage is adapted from an article called “Nature’s Tiny Farmers” that appeared in a popular biology magazine in 2018.

BIG PICTURE

Main Idea: Leafcutter ants are impressive environmental engineers with profound and positive effects on their environments.

Author’s Purpose: To describe the range, nests, and fungus cultivation of the ants and to summarize the research on how they alter and improve their environments

1. The passage is written from the viewpoint of someone who is

A. actively involved in conducting research on leafcutter ants.

B.an advocate for habitat restoration.

C.knowledgeable about advances in leafcutter ant research.

D. a participant in a recent conference on environmental issues.

2. According to the passage, which of the following explains the reason leafcutter ants bring cut vegetation into their nests?

A. For use as nesting material

B.To feed the vegetation to their larvae

C.To add nutrients to the nest soil

D. To cultivate edible fungus on the vegetation

3. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

A. Lines 7—11 (“These ants... nests”)

B.Lines 14—20 (“Instead... larvae”)

C.Lines 21—25 (“Remarkably... ant”)

D. Lines 31—35 (“In other... crops”)

4. As used in line 15, “dedicated” most nearly means

A. zealous.

B.enthusiastic.

C.faithful.

D. special.

5. Which of the following can most reasonably be inferred about leafcutter ant activity?

A. Leafcutter ants’ actions remain consistent across species and geographic areas.

B.Changes in environmental conditions can influence how leafcutter ants behave.

C.The leafcutter ants’ actions are the primary force for change in the environments in which they are present.

D. Compared to the activities of large grazing animals, the activities of leafcutter ants have a less important effect on the landscape.

6. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

A. Lines 7—11 (“These ants... nests”)

B.Lines 69—73 (“To do so... ecology”)

C.Lines 88—90 (“In fact... environment”)

D. Lines 105—112 (“Furthermore... land”)

7. In the fourth paragraph (lines 48—61), the mathematical figures cited serve mainly to

A. indicate the power leafcutter ants have to damage local ecosystems.

B.demonstrate that leafcutter ants are more numerous than other insect species where they are present.

C.underscore how much is known about the construction and configuration of leafcutter ant colonies.

D. emphasize the great scope of the leafcutter ants’ impact on their environment.

8. According to the graph, the ratio of refuse soil to control soil is highest for which of the following nutrients?

A. Potassium

B.Phosphorus

C.Magnesium

D. Carbon

9. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data presented in the table?

A. Leafcutter ants greatly increase the nutrients present in their refuse soil and increase it even more in their nest soil.

B.Leafcutter ants greatly increase the nutrients present in their nest soil and increase it even more in their refuse soil.

C.Potassium is critical in helping plants near leafcutter ants to grow.

D. There is approximately twice as much calcium as magnesium in refuse soil.

You need to know this:

· Use clues to direct your research to a specific portion of the passage or to your big picture summary.

o Line Numbers—Reread the indicated text and possibly the lines before and after; look for keywords indicating why the referenced text has been included or how it’s used.

o Paragraph Numbers—Consult your margin notes to see the paragraph’s purpose and scope before rereading the text. Sometimes your passage map alone is enough to find an answer.

o Quoted Text—Go back to the passage to read the entire quote if the stem or answer choices use ellipses (...). Then check the surrounding context of the quoted term or phrase to see what the author meant by it in the passage.

o Proper Nouns—Use your map or look for capital letters in the text to find the term and then check the context to see why the author included it in the passage; note whether the author had a positive, negative, or neutral evaluation of it.

o Specific Content Clues—Use your margin notes to help you search the passage for terms or ideas mentioned in the question stem; these clues will usually refer to something the author offered an opinion about or emphasized.

o Whole Passage Clues—Begin by reviewing your big picture summary, and only go back to the passage if you can’t find the information you need. If you do get stuck, the first and last paragraphs are typically the best places to go for global takeaways.

· Predicting what you’re looking for in the correct answer saves time and reduces confusion as you read each choice.

· PSAT Reading questions always have one correct answer and three incorrect answers.

o The correct answer will match what the passage says in a way that responds to the task set out in the question stem.

o Wrong answers often fall into one of five categories. Not every incorrect choice matches one of these types exactly, but learning to spot them can help you eliminate some wrong answers more quickly.

§ Out of Scope—contains a statement that is too broad, too narrow, or beyond the purview of the passage

§ Extreme—contains language that is too strong (all, never, every, none) to be supported by the passage

§ Distortion—based on details or ideas from the passage but distorts or misstates what the author says or implies

§ Opposite—directly contradicts what the correct answer must say

§ Misused Detail—accurately states something from the passage but in a manner that incorrectly answers the question

You need to do this:

We focused on step 1, unpacking the question stem, in the last chapter. Now we’ll focus on steps 2—4.

· Research the answer.

o When clues point to a specific part of the passage (line or paragraph numbers, quotations, content discussed only in particular paragraphs), begin by rereading the specified text and immediate context.

§ If the immediate context does not provide enough info to answer the question, gradually expand outward, rereading sentences that come before and after.

o With whole passage clues or questions that seem to lack clear content clues, begin by reviewing your big picture summary.

o If you can’t figure out where to research the question and your big picture summary doesn’t help either, consider using process of elimination, skipping the question and coming back to it later, or just making a guess.

· Predict or characterize what the correct answer will say or suggest.

o Don’t worry about phrasing your prediction as a complete sentence or about repeating exactly the language used in the passage. Just try to answer the question posed in your own words based on your research.

o If you struggle to predict, use your active reading of the passage to characterize the correct answer, setting expectations about characteristics it must possess.

§ For example, if the author has a negative view of a topic in the question, expect a correct answer with negative language and eliminate choices that suggest a positive or neutral view.

· Find the one correct answer.

o Identify the choice that matches your prediction, if possible.

§ Don’t expect a word-for-word match, but look for a correspondence of ideas.

§ For example, if you predict that the function of a detail is to “provide support for the main idea,” an answer choice that says it “supplies evidence for the author’s thesis” would likely be correct.

o If there is no clear match, use process of elimination.

§ Eliminate any choice that contradicts your prediction or that clearly falls into one of the five wrong answer categories.

§ Choose the only answer remaining or guess among those you were unable to eliminate.

FINDING THE CORRECT ANSWER

One correct choice—three demonstrably incorrect choices:

Great PSAT test takers know that there is always one correct answer, written to match the meaning of the passage, and three demonstrably incorrect ones. The word “demonstrably” underscores that the wrong answers aren’t merely worse than the credited choice, but that they fail, for one or more reasons, to accurately answer the question. PSAT experts don’t compare answer choices to one another; they evaluate the choices based on the passage. They never ask themselves, “Do I like (B) or (C) more?” Instead, they ask, “Does the second paragraph imply (B)? Why or why not?”

Answers and Analysis

Try on Your Own

Directions: Put the expert question strategies to work on the following passage. First, take a few minutes to refresh your memory of the passage, which first appeared in chapter 11. As you review the question stems (which you first saw in chapter 12 when you practiced step 1 of the Reading Question Method), try to recall the question type and research approach you previously identified, or simply repeat step 1 if you don’t recall. Then, for each question, 1) conduct the needed research, 2) jot down your prediction of the answer, and 3) find the one correct answer.

PREDICTIONS

On the real test, you won’t have time to write down your full prediction in complete sentences. If you feel the need to write something to help you hold on to your prediction, keep it very brief: a word or two, or even better, a single abbreviation. For example, if you predict that an author is including a detail as support for a broader point, you might just write “suppt” next to the choices.

Questions 1—10 are based on the following passage.

Norse Passage Map

This passage, about the decline of the Norse colonies that once existed in Greenland, is from a comprehensive 2015 research report examining this anthropological mystery.

BIG PICTURE

Main Idea: New information shows that factors such as climate, economy, and culture may have caused the collapse of the Norse colonies in Greenland.

Author’s Purpose: To describe current theories (and evidence for them) of what happened to the Norse in Greenland

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. discuss possible theories explaining a historical event.

B.refute a commonly held belief about a group of people.

C.chronicle the conflict between immigrant settlers and a region’s indigenous people.

D. analyze the motivations behind a number of conflicting explanations.

2. The author implies that, during the period in which the Norse settlements were initially founded, the climate in the region was

A. uncharacteristically mild.

B.typically inhospitable.

C.unusually harsh.

D. increasingly cold.

3. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

A. Lines 42—47 (“Most... region”)

B.Lines 48—51 (“Such... 1300 c.e.”)

C.Lines 56—59 (“The rise... chronology”)

D. Lines 64—67 (“Flies... inhabited”)

4. In line 63, the word “inadvertently” most nearly means

A. secretly.

B.distractedly.

C.unintentionally.

D. deliberately.

5. The passage indicates that the Inuit people on Greenland

A. were responsible for the collapse of the Norse settlements.

B.shared their knowledge with the Norse settlers.

C.struggled with the difficult local climate.

D. were recent immigrants, like the Norse themselves.

6. What function does the discussion of the trade in whale and elephant ivory serve in the passage as a whole?

A. It is evidence that strengthens the traditional view introduced in the second paragraph.

B.It is an example that challenges the theory introduced in the fourth paragraph.

C.It provides additional support for the main idea of the third paragraph.

D. It contradicts the central argument of the whole passage.

7. What can reasonably be inferred from the passage about the relationship between the shipping fleets of nations in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and the colonies established by those nations?

A. Ships never traded with colonies not founded by the same country.

B.Colonies were dependent upon deliveries by ships from their own country.

C.Colonies would surely fail without regular deliveries by ships.

D. Shipping fleets may not have prioritized deliveries to foreign colonies.

8. The author claims the Norse settlers did not adopt the successful survival tactics of the Inuit because

A. the Norse settlers had strained relations with the Inuit.

B.the Inuit did not share their knowledge with the Norse settlers.

C.the Norse settlers believed those tactics were incompatible with their culture.

D. after attempting them, the Norse settlers found the tactics to be unsuccessful.

9. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

A. Lines 22—29 (“This is... Greenland”)

B.Lines 111—115 (“Likewise... meat”)

C.Lines 115—118 (“Instead... climate”)

D. Lines 118—123 (“It seems... conditions”)

10. Which of the following best summarizes the organization of the passage?

A. An unusual event is described, the possible causes of the event are evaluated, and the most likely cause is determined.

B.A mystery is presented, an accepted explanation is proposed but challenged, and alternative explanations are introduced.

C.An anomaly is noted, the traditional interpretation of the anomaly is reported, and more recent evidence is cited to support that interpretation.

D. A paradox is reported, the historical solution is proven to be false, and a more modern resolution is proven to be correct.