Words in Context
Humans have brains that are larger proportionally than those in the rest of the animal kingdom: they comprise about two percent of our bodyweight, nearly double the measure for our nearest competitors, bottle-nose dolphins. Human brains are demanding, too, using approximately fifty percent of our energetic intake.
As it is used in the text, the word “comprise” most nearly means which of the following?
A. make up
B. stand for
C. object to
D. come from
A. make up
Kathleen Collins (1942-1988) was an African-American writer and filmmaker. Over twenty years after her death, her daughter Nina began working to bring Collins’ art to a broader audience. The 1982 film Losing Ground was remastered and given its US theatrical premiere in 2015. The next year, two books bearing Collins’s name hit the shelves: a collection of short stories, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, and a compendium of scripts and letters, Notes from a Black Woman’s Diary.
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. It contrasts the reputation Kathleen Collins had during her lifetime with the one she developed after her death.
B. It explains Nina Collins’ motivations for working to share her mother’s work more broadly.
C. It introduces the actions that led to the re-releases and new publications detailed later in the paragraph.
D. It clarifies why Collins’s art did not reach a larger audience before her daughter began publicizing it.
C. It introduces the actions that led to the re-releases and new publications detailed later in the paragraph.
On March 12, 1990, disability activists marched on the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. When they reached the tall stairway leading to the entrance of the Capitol, users of mobility devices—such as wheelchairs, walkers, or canes—set down their supports and began to crawl up the stairs. This protest, now called the Capitol Crawl, symbolically demonstrated that America was inaccessible to people with disabilities. It successfully pressured the American government to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects equal access to education, employment, transportation, and more.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal access under the law to a range of important services.
B. The Capitol Crawl was a protest that resulted in greater legal protections for Americans with disabilities.
C. A protest at the U.S. Capitol can sometimes motivate the passage of important legislation.
D. Regardless of whether the Capitol Crawl succeeded in its aims, it remains historically significant because of its dramatic tactics.
B. The Capitol Crawl was a protest that resulted in greater legal protections for Americans with disabilities.
Sloths
Sloths are well-known for their slow, almost lethargic movements. This is because they have a remarkably slow metabolic rate, meaning that their bodies take longer than most animals to process food. Since their movements are so sluggish, the average sloth moves less than 50 yards throughout the entire day. Even when they are in danger, the sloth moves at a mere .17 miles per hour; in other words, at their fastest pace, sloths would take more than 9.5 hours to travel one mile. It's not all bad, though; sloths can slow their heartrate and hold their breath four times longer than dolphins.
According to the text, what is true about sloths?
A. Sloths have a slow metabolic rate that prohibits them from moving quickly.
B. When threatened, sloths are still capable of short bursts of rapid movement.
C. Sloths do not need to breath very often because they hardly move during the day.
D. Dolphins and sloths have similar metabolic rates which helps them hold their breath.
A. Sloths have a slow metabolic rate that prohibits them from moving quickly.
ADHD Grades
A study looking to uncover the impact of COVID-19 on various groups of students during the 2020-2021 school year found that the pandemic had varying impacts. Researchers looked at high school student GPAs based on many identifiers such as race, gender, and location. What they found is that while many student groups saw reduced GPAs, impacts for students with ADHD were the greatest, falling from a 3.51 to a 3.28 on average. This suggests that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. the pandemic likely did not have an impact on student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by student GPAs.
B. GPA was likely not an indicator of student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, since many student groups saw decreases in their GPAs.
C. researchers are unable to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning because not all students saw decreases in GPA.
D. while all students struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, those with ADHD may have experienced greater academic challenges.
D. while all students struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, those with ADHD may have experienced greater academic challenges.
The novels of Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector have posed challenges for translators because of her ______ unusual syntax and counterintuitive imagery. To translate them faithfully, one must retain the strangeness of her voice in Portuguese while still rendering the text comprehensible to a foreign audience.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. association with
B. penchant for
C. avoidance of
D. ambivalence towards
B. penchant for
Spanish Version
PSAT Reading and Writing (prior version) /Craft and Structure
[CSP] Text Structure and Purpose3 - Strategic ThinkingClose
According to a study published in Nature and conducted by scientists at MIT, the Oceanography Center in the UK, and other scientists, the ocean color has changed significantly over the past twenty years, and the cause is human climate change. The color changes are subtle over time and difficult for the human eye to detect, but they add up. Researchers warn that any changes in ocean color show unhealthy changes in the plankton communities. Plankton feeds many organisms, and without plankton, the ocean cannot take up carbon. The researchers warn that the ocean is changing.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. It explains how decreasing plankton communities can impact the ocean’s health.
B. It presents the research scientists uncovered regarding the ocean’s changing color.
C. It argues that ocean color change will cause many problems, including a decrease in plankton.
D. It concludes that changes in plankton are caused by the ocean’s color and climate change.
A. It explains how decreasing plankton communities can impact the ocean’s health.
Johnny Appleseed
Apples are synonymous with America thanks to the tale of Johnny Appleseed, a story based on real-life entrepreneur John Chapman. Contrary to myth, John Chapman was not an altruistic man driven to populate the country with apple trees. Instead, Chapman was taking advantage of a law that allowed Americans to claim land if they created an orchard of 50 trees or more. Thus, Chapman would cultivate land and plant an orchard of apple trees to claim a patch of land, then sell the land to people and move on to start the next orchard.
What is the main idea of the text?
A. John Chapman, the real Johnny Appleseed, helped people start homesteads by planting orchards for them
B. Apples are deeply engrained in American culture thanks to the popular folktale about Johnny Appleseed.
C. While Johnny Appleseed is popular in children's tales, no one D. John Chapman was an opportunistic man who planted apples to build wealth and capitalize on westward expansion.person really planted apples across America.
D. John Chapman was an opportunistic man who planted apples to build wealth and capitalize on westward expansion.
Tidal Bulge
Most people who have visited the ocean will notice that the tide appears to move in and out depending on the time of day. We even have words to describe these motions: ebb and flow. However, the tide itself does not actually move; instead, what we observe as the ebb and flow of the tide is actually the Earth's rotation. Though the moon is substantially smaller than the sun, the proximity of the moon to Earth gives the moon influence over the tide. Thus, the tide swells or bulges when facing the moon.
According to the text, which of the following is true?
A. Early astronomers incorrectly attributed the ebb and flow of the tide to the Earth's rotation.
B. The Earth is spinning so fast that it creates bulges of water that move into and out from the shore.
C. Tidal bulges are primarily caused by the increasing amount of human activity in our oceans.
D. The gravitational force of the moon creates swells that give the illusion of the tide ebbing and flowing.
D. The gravitational force of the moon creates swells that give the illusion of the tide ebbing and flowing.
Food Insecurity
A variety of programs in the United States exist to help families access fresh food, such as WIC, SNAP, and Federal Free Lunch. However, a 2021 survey found that 10.2% of US households, were food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to affordable and healthy food. In 2022, food insecurity rose to 10.5% of households. Food insecurity levels also varied by state, with lows for some states of 5.4% to a 15.3% high. This suggests ____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. although federal programs exist to ensure families can access fresh food in the US, these programs are not adequately addressing food insecurity.
B. because some states have much lower percentages of food insecurity, it is only a matter of time until food insecure households decrease nationally.
C. the change between food insecurity was negligible between 2021 and 2022, meaning that food insecurity is no longer an issue in the United States.
D. individual states are all dealing with food insecurity levels by applying the same consistent mitigating measures that are used across the country.
A. although federal programs exist to ensure families can access fresh food in the US, these programs are not adequately addressing food insecurity.
Although he was a mathematician by profession, Lee Lorch’s most significant legacy stems from his lifetime of devotion to civil rights activism. He lost or was forced to resign from his academic position at four separate universities as a result of his public commitment to anti-segregation causes.
As it is used in the text, the word “position” most nearly means which of the following?
A. place
B. angle
C. job
D. stance
C. job
Hottest June Ever
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 2023 was the hottest June in 174 years. There are many reasons for this record-breaking month, according to scientists. An El Nino climate pattern, which causes extra heat and raises the temperature, is one cause. But, according to scientists, the main cause of the record-breaking temperatures is human-caused climate change and specifically trapped greenhouse gases. Dangerous heat waves are considered the most hazardous weather-related disasters in the United States.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. It concludes the summary with an explanation of how scientists study heat waves.
B. It presents evidence that shows how rising water temperatures are affecting humans.
C. It describes the hypothesis researchers used to understand the cause of heat waves.
D. It reveals a major reason why researchers study the causes of heat waves.
D. It reveals a major reason why researchers study the causes of heat waves.
PSAT Reading and Writing (prior version) /Information and Ideas
[ICD] Central Ideas and Details3 - Strategic ThinkingClose
A. Gladiatorial combat is an early predecessor to Renaissance jousting tournaments.
B. Ancient Greeks were distracted by language, but did not enjoy violent combat.
C. Western societies have used entertainment to control social behavior for millennia.
D. The roller coaster was invented to distract New Yorkers from poverty and hardship.
C. Western societies have used entertainment to control social behavior for millennia.
Great White Sharks
Previous studies have described great white sharks as largely solitary creatures with few natural predators. Recently, adult male great whites off the coast of New Zealand have been observed with significant scarring, particularly around the gills and tail. In a 2022 study, marine biologists sought to understand the scarring. Early in the study, they postulated that female great whites were aggressively establishing male great whites as lower in the social hierarchy. Ultimately, they concluded that great whites are more social than we once believed, and scarring is proof of a complex social structure.
According to the text, what is true of great white sharks?
A. Great white sharks are mostly solitary and fight when they encounter competition.
B. Male great white sharks far less social than female white sharks in general.
C. Female great whites use force to maintain social structures off the New Zealand coast.
D. Attacks to the gills and tail are playful and train juvenile great whites for hunting.
C. Female great whites use force to maintain social structures off the New Zealand coast.
Bagel
One myth about bagels is that a baker first created the popular breakfast item after the 1683 Battle of Vienna to honor Polish king John III Sobieski as he helped break a siege. Another popular story claims Prussian or Polish Jewish bakers in the ninth century began boiling their bread when the law forbade them from making it. Another finding reveals Jewish bakers were allowed to bake bread, as long as it was for their Christian neighbors and not themselves. The local laws at the time restricted tradespeople’s activities, ___________
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. which affected many aspects of the lives of the Jewish people.
B. that played a crucial role in the origin and popularity of the bagel.
C. which have now changed to allow bagel varieties everywhere.
D. and, in turn, discouraged the Jewish people from creating the bagel.
A. which affected many aspects of the lives of the Jewish people.
Many companies choose open plan designs for their offices because they want to foster collaboration among employees. However, this may be counterproductive: survey research has found that workers typically dislike such plans for their lack of privacy and frequent distractions, and as a result employees in such offices interact with their coworkers less than those in offices with a more traditional design.
As it is used in the text, the word “foster” most nearly means which of the following?
A. shelter
B. impede
C. observe
D. nurture
D. nurture
Plastics and Coral Reefs
After diving in the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines looking for a specific species of fish, marine biologist Hudson Pinheiro saw something else—lots of plastic. After that dive, Pinheiro began studying fish and plastics, and his findings were troubling. Pinheiro’s study appeared recently in Nature and is touted as one of the most comprehensive catalogs of the plastic covering the coral reefs. The type of plastics Pinheiro found included plastic bags and bottles, but an enormous number of ropes, lines, and nets showing researchers that even when the sport of fishing concluded, it continued deep in the ocean from the leftover debris.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. It summarizes how plastics can harm coral reefs, fish, and other marine mammals.
B. It states the hypothesis of the researcher Hudson Pinheiro developed to study plastics.
C. It presents the fish Hudson Pinheiro reviewed and why he dove that day in the Philippines.
D. It explains why Hudson Pinheiro conducted research to learn more about plastics in oceans.
D. It explains why Hudson Pinheiro conducted research to learn more about plastics in oceans.
Bog
Ireland is well known for its bogs, freshwater wetlands comprised of soft ground made up primarily of decayed vegetation called peat. For centuries, the people of Ireland used bogs to bury prominent leaders and warriors. Because bogs are remarkable insulators, archeologists have recovered bodies from Irish bogs that are as well-preserved as Egyptian mummies, as well as Viking ships, weaponry, and other artifacts. These naturally occurring wetlands are responsible for much of our understanding about early Irish culture. Even today, harvesting peat for fuel remains a vital part of Irish culture.
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Bogs are treacherous places and people who sink into them remain for centuries.
B. Bogs are an integral aspect of Irish culture and they have been for centuries.
C. Bog cutters harvest peat as a sustainable alternative fuel to curb green house gas.
D. There were no inhabitants in Ireland when the Vikings first frequented the island.
B. Bogs are an integral aspect of Irish culture and they have been for centuries.
Frances Harper
The following text is from the 1866 speech "We Are All Bound Up Together," by France Harper. She is describing Harriet Tubman.
We have a woman in our country who has received the name of “Moses,” not by lying about it, but by acting it out-a woman who has gone down into the Egypt of slavery and brought out hundreds of our people into liberty. The last time I saw that woman, her hands were swollen. That woman who had led one of Montgomery’s most successful expeditions, who was brave enough and secretive enough to act as a scout for the American army, had her hands all swollen from a conflict with a brutal conductor, who undertook to eject her from her place. That woman, whose courage and bravery won a recognition from our army and from every black man in the land, is excluded from every thoroughfare of travel.
According to the text, what is true of Harriet Tubman?
A. She visited Egypt to better understand Moses and the best route to freedom for slaves in America.
B. She has acute arthritis which causes her hands to swell whenever she visits warm climates.
C. Her hands are swollen from getting into a fistfight with a train conductor during the war. D. Despite her role in the Underground Railroad, she still cannot choose where she sits on the train.
D. Despite her role in the Underground Railroad, she still cannot choose where she sits on the train.
Korean war
The Korean war began on June 25, 1950, when around 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. For concerned American officials, ____________________________.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. the war lacked media attention and television shows to raise awareness.
B. the loss of 5 million lives in the war which is now forgotten was intriguing.
C. the Korean peninsula remained divided and of interest to the world.
D. it was a war against the forces of international communism itself.
D. it was a war against the forces of international communism itself.
The mixed media artist Lauren Halsey draws on influences from both modern life and antiquity in creating her imposing works: she uses imagery from her Los Angeles neighborhood and structures from pharaonic monuments of ancient Egypt to explore Black culture and art in novel ways.
As it is used in the text, the word “antiquity” most nearly means which of the following?
A. her values
B. the past
C. this concept
D. the opposite
B. the past
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. It presents a study that showed how the FDA is winning the war against vapes.
B. It argues the morality of vapes and e-cigarettes being sold illegally.
C. It explains why kids have been able to obtain illegal vapes and e-cigarettes.
D. It summarizes a study of the growth of unapproved brand products of vapes and e-cigarettes.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
D. It summarizes a study of the growth of unapproved brand products of vapes and e-cigarettes.
Midsummer
The following text is from William Shakespeare's 1600 play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
What is the main idea of the text?
A. Puck is an honest person and he feels guilty for having mislead the audience throughout the play.
B. Audience members should remember that the play is imaginative and not meant to upset anyone.
C. The only way for the audience to express their discontent with the play and its themes is to applaud.
D. Visions and dreams understandably cause significant distress for actors and playwrights.
B. Audience members should remember that the play is imaginative and not meant to upset anyone.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The following text is from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It describes Mr. Hyde from the perspective of an observer.
He had in his hand a heavy cane, with which he was trifling; but he answered never a word, and seemed to listen with an ill-contained impatience. And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman. The old gentleman took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth. And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway.
According to the text, what is true of Mr. Hyde?
A. He is an older gentleman who was attacked by surprise.
B. He is animalistic and fervently violent even when unprovoked.
C. He is an invalid and must walk with a cane when he goes out.
D. He is patient, but capable of great violence when defending himself.
B. He is animalistic and fervently violent even when unprovoked.
Ring a Ring O’ Roses
The nursery rhyme “Ring a Ring O’ Roses” is considered a gruesome parody on the horrors of the Great Plague or the Black Death of 1665. The lyrics go: Ring a Ring O’ Roses / A pocketful of posies / Atishoo! Atishoo! We all fall down! A ring of rose-colored spots was a first sign of the plague. People believed a posy of herbs protected them against the disease. Atishoo is an onomatopoeia for a sneeze, considered to be a sign that a plague victim was about to perish by falling down. The idea of little children playing around singing this song ____________________
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. stresses the idea that music makes life more bearable.
B. lets people know that history needs to be forgotten.
C. convinces people that children are disturbing beings
D. may feel uncomfortable once you discover its history.
D. may feel uncomfortable once you discover its history.