PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 3
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
When Susan, the manager of the clothing store where Nathan shopped, ------- his complaints, he became so ------- that
he resolved to take his business to a competing retailer.
(A) exaggerated . . exhilarated
(B) disregarded . . gratified
(C) heeded . . despondent
(D) ridiculed . . unscrupulous
(E) trivialized . . exasperated
Answer Explanation:
Choice (E) is correct. To trivialize something is to treat it as trivial or unimportant. “Exasperated” means greatly annoyed
or irritated. The sentence indicates that Susan, the store manager, did something having to do with Nathan’s complaints;
as a result, Nathan “resolved to take his business to a competing retailer.” The terms “trivialized” and “exasperated”
logically complete the sentence. If Susan treated Nathan’s complaints as unimportant, it makes sense that Nathan would
have become so irritated that he started shopping at a different store.
Choice (A) is incorrect. To exaggerate is to overstate something or to represent something as more than it is.
“Exhilarated” means cheerful and excited. The sentence indicates that Susan, the store manager, did something having to
do with Nathan’s complaints; as a result, Nathan “resolved to take his business to a competing retailer.” The terms
“exaggerated” and “exhilarated” do not logically complete the sentence. Although it is possible that Susan exaggerated or
overstated Nathan’s complaints when speaking with Nathan or to someone else, it is unlikely that this would have caused
Nathan to feel cheerful. Further, if Nathan felt exhilarated, he might not have decided to start shopping at a different store.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To disregard something is to ignore it. “Gratified” means satisfied. The sentence indicates that
Susan, the store manager, did something having to do with Nathan’s complaints; as a result, Nathan “resolved to take his
business to a competing retailer.” Susan certainly could have ignored Nathan’s complaints, so the term “disregarded” fits
the first blank. However, it is illogical to suggest that Nathan would have felt satisfied as a result of having his
complaints ignored. Further, if Nathan felt satisfied, he might not have decided to start shopping at a different store. The
term “gratified” does not logically complete the sentence.
Choice (C) is incorrect. To heed something is to pay attention to it. “Despondent” means extremely discouraged or
depressed. The sentence indicates that Susan, the store manager, did something having to do with Nathan’s complaints; as
a result, Nathan “resolved to take his business to a competing retailer.” Susan could have paid attention to Nathan’s
complaints, so the term “heed” could fit the first blank. However, it does not make much sense to suggest that Nathan
would have been extremely discouraged by having his complaints heeded. Indeed, if Susan had paid attention to Nathan’s
concerns, he might have felt pleased and continued shopping at her store. The term “despondent” does not logically
complete the sentence.
Choice (D) is incorrect. To ridicule something is to mock it or make fun of it. “Unscrupulous” means unethical or
immoral. The sentence indicates that Susan, the store manager, did something having to do with Nathan’s complaints; as a
result, Nathan “resolved to take his business to a competing retailer.” Susan certainly could have mocked Nathan’s
complaints, so the term “ridiculed” fits the first blank. However, there is no reason to suggest that Nathan became very
unethical as a result of being mocked; indeed, there is nothing unethical or immoral about choosing to shop at one store
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instead of another, especially if one has been treated poorly. The term “unscrupulous” does not logically complete the
sentence.
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PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 4
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
There has been a recent ------- of interest in the art of painter Yayoi Kusama: once at the ------- of critical
consciousness, her work is now very near the center.
(A) restoration . . hub
(B) subsidence . . boundary
(C) resurgence . . periphery
(D) renewal . . core
(E) deterioration . . edge
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. A “resurgence” is a rising again to life, activity, or prominence. “Periphery” refers to the outer
edges of something. The structure of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon explains or elaborates on the idea
in the first part of the sentence. It makes sense to suggest that certain artworks “once at the periphery of critical
consciousness,” or on the outer edges of art critics’ awareness, could now be “very near the center.” That statement does
elaborate on the idea that “There has been a recent resurgence of interest” in that artist’s work, or that interest in that
artist’s work has recently risen in prominence.
Choice (A) is incorrect. “Restoration” refers to bringing something back to a former or improved condition. In this
context, a “hub” is a center of activity. It might make sense to say that “There has been a recent restoration of interest” in
the work of “painter Yayoi Kusama”; interest in Kusama’s work could have lessened at some point and then returned to
previous levels. However, the idea that Kusama’s work was “once at the hub of critical consciousness,” or at the center of
art critics’ awareness, and is now “very near the center” does not elaborate on the idea that interest in the work has
improved. If Kusama’s work had been at the center of critics’ awareness, there would have been no need for interest to
improve. Further, going from the center of critical consciousness to only near the center would not be an improvement.
Choice (B) is not correct. In this context, “subsidence” refers to a gradual lessening or decrease. A “boundary” is the outer
edge or limit of something. It might make sense to say that “There has been a recent subsidence of interest” in the work of
“painter Yayoi Kusama,” or that interest in Kusama’s work has been gradually decreasing. However, the idea that
Kusama’s work was “once at the boundary of critical consciousness,” or at the edge of art critics’ awareness, and is now
“very near the center” does not elaborate on the idea that interest in the work has decreased. On the contrary, one would
say that interest in Kusama’s work has increased if the work was on the boundary of critics’ awareness and is now very
close to the center.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In this context, “renewal” refers to being given fresh life or strength. In this context, a “core” is
the center of something. It might make sense to say that “There has been a recent renewal of interest” in the work of
“painter Yayoi Kusama,” or that interest in Kusama’s work has become stronger. However, the idea that Kusama’s work
was “once at the core of critical consciousness,” or at the center of art critics’ awareness, and is now “very near the
center” does not elaborate on the idea that interest in the work has been renewed. If Kusama’s work had been at the center
of critics’ awareness, there would have been no need for interest to become stronger. Further, going from the center of
critical consciousness to only near the center would not indicate a strengthened interest.
Choice (E) is incorrect. “Deterioration” refers to decaying or decline. In this context, an “edge” is the outer limit of
something. It might make sense to say that “There has been a recent deterioration of interest” in the work of “painter
Yayoi Kusama,” or that interest in Kusama’s work has been declining. However, the idea that Kusama’s work was “once
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
at the edge of critical consciousness,” or at the outer limit of art critics’ awareness, and is now “very near the center” does
not elaborate on the idea that interest in the work has declined. On the contrary, one would say that interest in Kusama’s
work has increased if the work was on the edge of critics’ awareness and is now very close to the center.
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WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 5
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
When we act unselfishly toward others, our ------- is rewarded by the release of pleasure-inducing chemicals in the brain.
(A) duplicity
(B) altruism
(C) discernment
(D) effusiveness
(E) subservience
Answer Explanation:
Choice (B) is correct. “Altruism” is unselfish behavior that benefits others. The structure of the sentence indicates that the
word in the blank refers to “act[ing] unselfishly toward others.” Because altruism is a display of unselfish behavior
towards others, that term fits in the blank.
Choice (A) is incorrect. “Duplicity” is deceitful behavior. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word in the
blank refers to “act[ing] unselfishly toward others.” Duplicitous behavior is not unselfish—in fact, a duplicitous person is
likely acting in his or her best interest. Therefore, the term “duplicity” does not fit the blank.
Choice (C) is incorrect. “Discernment” refers to someone’s ability to “discern” something—to make a fine and careful
observation or distinction. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word in the blank refers to “act[ing] unselfishly
toward others.” There is no reason to believe that a person making careful observations would be acting in an unselfish
manner. Therefore, “discernment” does not fit in the blank.
Choice (D) is incorrect. “Effusiveness” is great joy or enthusiasm. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word in
the blank refers to “act[ing] unselfishly toward others.” Though the sentence indicates that our unselfish behavior “is
rewarded by the release of pleasure-inducing chemicals,” this unselfish behavior would not necessarily be characterized
by a display of great joy.
Choice (E) is incorrect. “Subservience” is putting oneself under another person’s command or control. The structure of the
sentence indicates that the word in the blank refers to “act[ing] unselfishly toward others.” According to the sentence,
when we do this, our unselfish behavior “is rewarded by the release of pleasure-inducing chemicals.” There is no
connection between submitting to the demands of another person and acting unselfishly. Rather, a person who acts
unselfishly displays altruism.
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Critical Reading: Question 6
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
Although scientists occasionally receive reports of snowflakes the size of dinner plates falling from the sky, the accounts
are always ------- because of the ------- nature of snowflakes.
(A) circumstantial . . complicated
(B) definitive . . unreliable
(C) uncorroborated . . ephemeral
(D) substantive . . intrinsic
(E) anecdotal . . precipitous
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. “Uncorroborated” means unsupported by evidence; “ephemeral” means lasting a very short time.
The word “Although” at the beginning of the sentence suggests that the “reports of snowflakes the size of dinner plates”
are problematic in some way. Furthermore, the sentence indicates that this problem is due to the “nature of snowflakes.”
Of the options, only “uncorroborated” and “ephemeral” fit the sentence: the reports of giant snowflakes are always
unsupported by evidence because snowflakes melt and, therefore, do not last a long time—in other words, “because of the
ephemeral nature of snowflakes.”
Choice (A) is incorrect. In this context, “circumstantial” means relevant but not essential; “complicated” means difficult
or intricate. The word “Although” at the beginning of the sentence suggests that the “reports of snowflakes the size of
dinner plates” are problematic in some way. Furthermore, the sentence indicates that this problem is due to the “nature of
snowflakes.” While “circumstantial” fits the first blank, “complicated” does not fit the second blank: reports of giant
snowflakes might be circumstantial, or inessential, but not because snowflakes are complicated.
Choice (B) is incorrect. “Definitive” means conclusive or authoritative; “unreliable” means not dependable. The word
“Although” at the beginning of the sentence suggests that the “reports of snowflakes the size of dinner plates” are
problematic in some way. Furthermore, the sentence indicates that this problem is due to the “nature of snowflakes.”
While “unreliable” fits the second blank, “definitive” does not fit the first blank. Because snowflakes melt, one could say
that they are unreliable, but it does not make sense to say that “Although” scientists receive reports, these reports are
always conclusive or authoritative.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In this context, “substantive” means detailed and significant; “intrinsic” means essential. The
word “Although” at the beginning of the sentence suggests that the “reports of snowflakes the size of dinner plates” are
problematic in some way. Furthermore, the sentence indicates that this problem is due to the “nature of snowflakes.”
Neither “substantive” nor “intrinsic” fits the relevant blank: it does not make sense to say that “Although” scientists
receive reports, these reports are always detailed and significant. In addition, it makes no sense to say that the reports are
substantive because snowflakes have an essential nature.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In this context, “anecdotal” means unscientific; “precipitous” means both steep and speedy. The
word “Although” at the beginning of the sentence suggests that the “reports of snowflakes the size of dinner plates” are
problematic in some way. Furthermore, the sentence indicates that this problem is due to the “nature of snowflakes.”
While “anecdotal” fits the first blank, “precipitous” does not fit the second blank: reports of giant snowflakes might be
unscientific, but not because snowflakes are steep or speedy. Snowflakes may fall from the sky, and melt quickly, but
they cannot be described as “precipitous.”
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 7
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
Jules Verne’s 1897 novel An Antarctic Mystery was ------- : it foresaw the disastrous long-term consequences of the
massive hunting of whales.
(A) spurious
(B) vitriolic
(C) reminiscent
(D) prescient
(E) presumptuous
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. Something that is “prescient” displays great foresight or foreknowledge of events that have not yet
occurred. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word in the blank refers to foreseeing, or predicting things that
will occur in the future (in this case, “the disastrous long-term consequences of the massive hunting of whales”). The only
option that directly involves foresight is “prescient.”
Choice (A) is incorrect. “Spurious” means false or deceitful. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word in the
blank refers to foreseeing, or predicting things that will occur in the future (in this case, “the disastrous long-term
consequences of the massive hunting of whales”). The novel may have been deceitful in some way, and it may have
foreseen the consequences of whale hunting, but those two things have nothing to do with one another.
Choice (B) is incorrect. “Vitriolic” means caustic or harshly critical. The structure of the sentence indicates that the word
in the blank refers to foreseeing, or predicting things that will occur in the future (in this case, “the disastrous long-term
consequences of the massive hunting of whales”). The novel may have been harshly critical, and it may have foreseen the
consequences of whale hunting, but those two things are not necessarily related in the way that a colon (:) would indicate.
Choice (C) is incorrect. “Reminiscent” means reminding one of something else. The structure of the sentence indicates
that the word in the blank refers to foreseeing, or predicting things that will occur in the future (in this case, “the
disastrous long-term consequences of the massive hunting of whales”). A novel can be reminiscent of something else,
such as another novel, but it cannot simply be reminiscent. In any event, a novel that reminds its readers of something else
does not necessarily have foresight.
Choice (E) is incorrect. “Presumptuous” means arrogantly assuming or expecting something. The structure of the sentence
indicates that the word in the blank refers to foreseeing, or predicting things that will occur in the future (in this case, “the
disastrous long-term consequences of the massive hunting of whales”). The novel may have arrogantly assumed
something, and it may have foreseen the consequences of whale hunting, but those two things are not necessarily related
in the way that a colon (:) would indicate.
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 8
Difficulty Level: HARD (9 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
Although the authoritarian regime accorded significant rights to the ------- of the opposition parties, their rank-and-file
members still had only minimal ------- to engage in political activity.
(A) commoners . . opportunity
(B) dissidents . . cause
(C) adversaries . . inclination
(D) elites . . latitude
(E) stalwarts . . compensation
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. In this context, the “elites” are the most powerful and well-connected members of the opposition
parties, and “latitude” means freedom of action or choice. The sentence uses the word “Although” to draw a contrast
between the experience of the “rank-and-file members” of some political parties (the “opposition parties”) and that of
some other members of the same parties. According to the sentence, the “rank-and-file members” have only a “minimal”
amount of something, while this other group has “significant rights.” “Rank-and-file” members of a group are the lowerranking members, or followers, while “elites” are the leaders, so elites fits the first blank. In addition, because the
sentence is about political parties, the elite members’ “significant [political] rights” would contrast with the rank-and-file
members’ “minimal” political rights, or, in other words, “minimal latitude to engage in political activity.” Latitude fits the
second blank.
Choice (A) is not correct. “Commoners” refers to regular people, not of noble birth. In this context, “opportunity” means
possibility of doing something or freedom to do something. The sentence uses the word “Although” to draw a contrast
between the experience of the “rank-and-file members” of some political parties (the “opposition parties”) and that of
some other members of the same parties. According to the sentence, the “rank-and-file members” have only a “minimal”
amount of something, while this other group has “significant rights.” Because the sentence is about political parties, the
“significant [political] rights” of some members would contrast with the “minimal” political rights of the rank-and-file
members, or, in other words, “minimal opportunity to engage in political activity.” Opportunity fits the second blank.
However, rank-and-file members and “commoners” are both lower-ranking members, or followers, of a group, so
commoners does not fit the first blank. It is illogical to say that commoners have significant rights while rank-and-file
members do not.
Choice (B) is not correct. “Dissidents” are people who disagree with the established order. In this context, “cause” means
motivation. The sentence uses the word “Although” to draw a contrast between the experience of the “rank-and-file
members” of some political parties (the “opposition parties”) and that of some other members of the same parties.
According to the sentence, the “rank-and-file members” have only a “minimal” amount of something, while this other
group has “significant rights.” “Rank-and-file” members of a group are the lower-ranking members, or followers, while
all members of “opposition parties” could be called dissidents, so there is no contrast between the two groups. In addition,
because the sentence is about political parties, the “significant [political] rights” of some members would contrast with the
“minimal” political rights of the rank-and-file members. “Minimal cause to engage in political activity” is not the same
thing as minimal rights, so cause does not fit the second blank.
Choice (C) is not correct. “Adversaries” are opponents, and “inclination” means tendency. The sentence uses the word
“Although” to draw a contrast between the experience of the “rank-and-file members” of some political parties (the
“opposition parties”) and that of some other members of the same parties. According to the sentence, the “rank-and-file
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WEDNESDAY FORM
members” have only a “minimal” amount of something, while this other group has “significant rights.” “Rank-and-file”
members of a group are the lower-ranking members, or followers, while all members of “opposition parties” could be
called adversaries of the regime, so there is no contrast between the two groups. (Indeed, the use of “adversaries” in this
context creates confusion: the phrase “the adversaries of the opposition parties” could mean either members of those
parties or members of other parties opposed to those parties, so it is best to avoid the word.) In addition, because the
sentence is about political parties, the “significant [political] rights” of some members would contrast with the “minimal”
political rights of the rank-and-file members. “Minimal inclination to engage in political activity” is not the same thing as
minimal rights, so inclination does not fit the second blank.
Choice (E) is not correct. In this context, “stalwarts” are very committed members, and “compensation” refers to payment.
The sentence uses the word “Although” to draw a contrast between the experience of the “rank-and-file members” of
some political parties (the “opposition parties”) and that of some other members of the same parties. According to the
sentence, the “rank-and-file members” have only a “minimal” amount of something, while this other group has
“significant rights.” “Rank-and-file” members of a group are the lower-ranking members, or followers, while “stalwarts”
are very committed members, so stalwarts could fit the first blank. However, because the sentence is about political
parties, the stalwarts’ “significant [political] rights” would contrast with the rank-and-file members’ “minimal” political
rights. “Minimal compensation to engage in political activity” is not the same thing as minimal rights, so compensation
does not fit the second blank.
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Critical Reading: Question 9
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (5 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Author's Craft
Understand how authors use tone, style and writing devices such as metaphor or symbolism.
Passage 1
I came back from Africa with ideas for a new piece
of art, more primitive than any I had ever done before.
“Primitive” is a word I use in a positive way to explain the
completeness of a concept in art. I like to layer and pattern
and embellish my art in the manner of tribal art, and then,
like a blues singer, I like to repeat and repeat it again.
Fragmented, understated, or minimalist art forms frustrate
me. I want to finish them. In the 1960s there was a
minimalist aesthetic advocating “Less is more.” To me,
less is even less and more is still not quite enough.
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Line 10
Question:
The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) describe a creative philosophy
(B) explain the origins of a concept
(C) spark an artistic impulse
(D) provide a historical overview
(E) offer a technical lesson
Answer Explanation:
Choice (A) is correct. Nearly the whole of the passage is devoted to the narrator’s concept of “primitivism” in art, which
he or she uses to mean “completeness of a concept in art.” The narrator describes his or her preference for “layer[ing] and
pattern[ing],” then “repeat[ing] and repeat[ing] again.” The narrator further defines this philosophy by juxtaposing it with
an opposing philosophy, that of the “minimalist aesthetic advocating ‘Less is more.’” The passage’s primary purpose is to
describe the creative philosophy of layering, patterning, and embellishing.
Choice (B) is incorrect. While the narrator does speak of “the completeness of a concept in art” and relates that he or she
brought back this idea from a trip to Africa, the bulk of the passage defines and discusses this concept of “layer[ing] and
pattern[ing],” then “repeat[ing] and repeat[ing] again.” While the narrator was inspired by this concept in Africa, Africa
may or may not be its “origin,” and in any event, most of the passage is devoted to describing the philosophy, not to
explaining its origins.
Choice (C) is incorrect. While it is conceivable that the passage might spark an artistic impulse in the reader, the narrator
gives no evidence in the passage of wanting to do so. The narrator is speaking of his or her own experience, not of the
reader’s artistic impulses. Rather, the passage is devoted to describing the creative philosophy of layering, patterning, and
embellishing.
Choice (D) is incorrect. While the narrator does call the philosophy of art being discussed “primitive”—which implies
that it is of ancient origin—and while he or she does mention the 1960s as an era when minimalism hit its stride, the
passage cannot be called a historical overview of anything. The passage is personal rather than historical, describing in
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some detail the narrator’s creative philosophy of layering, patterning, and embellishing.
Choice (E) is incorrect. While the passage does in a sense describe a technique--“layer[ing] and pattern[ing],” then
“repeat[ing] and repeat[ing] again”—the passage gives no technical instructions about how to achieve these artistic ends
and so cannot be seen as a technical lesson. Rather than telling in detail how to achieve these artistic effects, the narrator
is describing the creative philosophy of layering, patterning, and embellishing.
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Critical Reading: Question 16
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
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Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
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the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
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Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 13
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
Lines 16-32 suggest that the author of Passage 1 would most likely respond to the assessment in lines 92-95, Passage 2
(“once . . . all”), by pointing out that
(A) there is more environmental benefit in using hydrogen extracted from coal than in using hydrogen from
other sources
(B) such reasoning could be used to defend drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, even though doing
so will bring little real benefit
(C) as a substitute for foreign oil, coal can currently be exploited more easily than hydrogen can
(D) energy independence is a critical need for the United States, even if the use of coal does not yield
environmental benefits
(E) attempts to increase coal production, like attempts to increase oil production, are likely to result in political
wrangling
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. In lines 92-95, the author of Passage 2 states that “once all the emissions” involved in producing
hydrogen from coal “are taken into account, it’s debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental benefit at all.”
In other words, fuel-cell cars may have environmental benefits, but the emissions from using coal to produce the fuel cells
might cancel out those benefits. In lines 16-32, the author of Passage 1 argues that the United States is “hostage to
overseas producers” of oil and that “the United States must . . . [make] energy independence a national priority” and
“reduce dependence on foreign oil.” Clearly, the author of Passage 1 feels strongly that it is very important for the United
States to rely on its own energy sources. Therefore, the author of Passage 1 probably would respond to the assessment in
lines 92-95 by pointing out that energy independence is a critical need for the United States, even if there are no
environmental benefits to using coal to produce hydrogen.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In lines 92-95, the author of Passage 2 states that “once all the emissions” involved in producing
hydrogen from coal “are taken into account, it’s debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental benefit at all.”
In other words, fuel-cell cars may have environmental benefits, but the emissions from using coal to produce the fuel cells
might cancel out those benefits. In lines 16-32, the author of Passage 1 argues that “the United States must . . . [make]
energy independence a national priority” and “reduce dependence on foreign oil.” The author does not mention hydrogen,
coal, or the environment in these lines. Lines 16-32 do not suggest that the author of Passage 1 would respond to the
assessment about environmental benefits by pointing out that there is more environmental benefit in using hydrogen
extracted from coal than in using hydrogen from other sources.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 92-95, the author of Passage 2 states that “once all the emissions” involved in producing
hydrogen from coal “are taken into account, it’s debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental benefit at all.”
In other words, fuel-cell cars may have environmental benefits, but the emissions from using coal to produce the fuel cells
might cancel out those benefits. In lines 16-32, the author of Passage 1 argues that “the United States must . . . [make]
energy independence a national priority” and “reduce dependence on foreign oil,” and mentions drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. However, this author would probably not respond to the assessment in Passage 2 about
environmental benefits by pointing out that such reasoning could be used to defend drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. While the information in lines 92-95 of Passage 2 could be used to defend the use of energy sources other than
hydrogen, there is no connection between the environmental impact of hydrogen production and support for Arctic
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 14
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
drilling. There is nothing in lines 16-32 to suggest that the author of Passage 1 would respond to lines 92-95 in this way.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In lines 92-95, the author of Passage 2 states that “once all the emissions” involved in producing
hydrogen from coal “are taken into account, it’s debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental benefit at all.”
In other words, fuel-cell cars may have environmental benefits, but the emissions from using coal to produce the fuel cells
might cancel out those benefits. In lines 16-32, the author of Passage 1 argues that “the United States must . . . [make]
energy independence a national priority” and “reduce dependence on foreign oil.” However, he or she does not mention
coal or hydrogen in these lines. Lines 16-32 do not suggest that the author of Passage 1 would respond to the assessment
about environmental benefits by pointing out that as a substitute for foreign oil, coal is easier to exploit than hydrogen is.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In lines 92-95, the author of Passage 2 states that “once all the emissions” involved in producing
hydrogen from coal “are taken into account, it’s debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental benefit at all.”
In other words, fuel-cell cars may have environmental benefits, but the emissions from using coal to produce the fuel cells
might cancel out those benefits. In lines 16-32, the author of Passage 1 does refer to “political wrangling and backlash” in
connection with drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, he or she makes no mention of coal in
these lines. Lines 16-32 do not suggest that the author of Passage 1 would respond to the assessment about environmental
benefits by pointing out that attempts to increase coal production, like attempts to increase oil production, are likely to
result in political wrangling.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 15
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 17
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Author's Craft
Understand how authors use tone, style and writing devices such as metaphor or symbolism.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 16
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Line 45
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 17
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
The tone of lines 33-38 (“There’s . . . decade”) suggests that the author’s attitude is
(A) unequivocal
(B) accusatory
(C) impartial
(D) defiant
(E) nonchalant
Answer Explanation:
Choice (A) is correct. In lines 33-38 the author of Passage 1 makes two assertions: that “develop[ing] an alternative
energy source that’s readily available domestically” is the “only . . . way to insulate the United States from the corrosive
power of oil” and that out of a list of sources, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade.” The author’s firm declarations that there is “only one way” to solve the oil
problem and that “hydrogen is the only” possibility suggest that the author’s attitude is “unequivocal,” or firm and leaving
no room for doubts.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 33-38 the author of Passage 1 makes two assertions: that “develop[ing] an alternative
energy source that’s readily available domestically” is the “only . . . way to insulate the United States from the corrosive
power of oil” and that out of a list of sources, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade.” The tone of these lines does not suggest that the author’s attitude is
“accusatory.” Rather than accusing anyone or assigning blame, the author is making firm declarations about solutions.
The author’s assertions that there is “only one way” to solve the oil problem and that “hydrogen is the only” possibility
suggest that the author’s attitude is “unequivocal,” or firm and leaving no room for doubts.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In lines 33-38 the author of Passage 1 makes two assertions: that “develop[ing] an alternative
energy source that’s readily available domestically” is the “only . . . way to insulate the United States from the corrosive
power of oil” and that out of a list of sources, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade.” The tone of these lines does not suggest that the author’s attitude is “impartial,”
or unbiased and not favoring one thing over another. On the contrary, the author clearly favors only one thing: he or she
firmly declares that there is “only one way” to solve the oil problem and that “hydrogen is the only” possibility. These
lines suggest that the author’s attitude is “unequivocal,” or firm and leaving no room for doubts, not impartial.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In lines 33-38 the author of Passage 1 makes two assertions: that “develop[ing] an alternative
energy source that’s readily available domestically” is the “only . . . way to insulate the United States from the corrosive
power of oil” and that out of a list of sources, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade.” The tone of these lines does not suggest that the author’s attitude is “defiant,”
or bold and rebellious. Although the author’s declarations that there is “only one way” to solve the oil problem and that
“hydrogen is the only” possibility are firm, he or she seems to be making recommendations, not opposing or going against
anything specific. The author’s firm declarations suggest that his or her attitude is “unequivocal,” or firm and leaving no
room for doubts, not defiant.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In lines 33-38 the author of Passage 1 makes two assertions: that “develop[ing] an alternative
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 18
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
energy source that’s readily available domestically” is the “only . . . way to insulate the United States from the corrosive
power of oil” and that out of a list of sources, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade.” The tone of these lines does not suggest that the author’s attitude is
“nonchalant,” or indifferent or unconcerned. On the contrary, the author clearly is concerned and has a definite opinion.
The author’s firm declarations that there is “only one way” to solve the oil problem and that “hydrogen is the only”
possibility suggest that the author’s attitude is “unequivocal,” or firm and leaving no room for doubts, not nonchalant.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 19
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 19
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Organization and Ideas
Understand the organization of a reading passage, and identify the main and supporting ideas.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 20
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Line 45
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 21
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
In lines 63-67 (“Fuel . . . can”), the author of Passage 2 is concerned primarily with
(A) explaining how fuel cells generate energy
(B) comparing battery-powered automobiles with gasoline-powered automobiles
(C) describing one reason that the automobile represents a promising use of fuel cells
(D) indicating that fuel-cell cars can travel faster than gasoline-powered cars
(E) mentioning some of the design challenges of manufacturing a fuel-cell car
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. In lines 63-67, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount of
energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an internal-combustion engine can.” In these lines, the author is
describing one reason that the automobile represents a promising use of fuel cells. He or she is explaining that fuel cells
are much more efficient than traditional internal-combustion engines: a fuel cell can keep a car going for much longer
(“nearly three times as far”) than an internal-combustion engine can, while “using the same amount of energy.” The
author is describing one advantage of fuel-cell use in cars—greater energy efficiency.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In lines 63-67, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount of
energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an internal-combustion engine can.” The author does indicate what
kind of energy fuel cells produce—electrical energy—but he or she does not address the way these cells actually create
that energy. The author is not concerned with explaining how fuel cells generate energy.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 63-67, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount of
energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an internal-combustion engine can.” The author does mention batterypowered vehicles, but only to note that they are similar to fuel-cell cars in that they produce electrical energy. The author
is not primarily concerned with comparing battery-powered automobiles with gasoline-powered automobiles; rather, he or
she is comparing fuel-cell cars with automobiles powered by internal-combustion engines.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In lines 63-67, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount of
energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an internal-combustion engine can.” The author is emphasizing the
efficiency of fuel-cell cars when compared with gasoline-powered cars with internal-combustion engines, but he or she is
concerned with distance , not speed. Rather than indicating that fuel-cell cars can travel faster than gasoline-powered
automobiles, the author is indicating that a fuel-cell car can travel “nearly three times as far” as a car with an internalcombustion engine can.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In lines 63-67, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount of
energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an internal-combustion engine can.” The author is not primarily
concerned with mentioning some of the design challenges of manufacturing fuel-cell cars; there is no mention of design or
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 22
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the manufacturing of automobiles in these lines. Rather, the author is concerned primarily with explaining that
automobiles represent a promising use of fuel cells because the fuel cells are more efficient than internal-combustion
engines.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 23
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 20
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Organization and Ideas
Understand the organization of a reading passage, and identify the main and supporting ideas.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 24
PSAT/NMSQT ®
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 25
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
The sentence in lines 67-70 (“Yet . . . more”) serves to
(A) substantiate an earlier generalization by introducing an example
(B) reiterate the author’s previous claim
(C) offer several possible solutions to a problem
(D) signal a transition in the author’s argument
(E) question why a particular course of action has been undertaken
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. In the first paragraph of Passage 2, the author lists the benefits of “the hydrogen-fueled car”: “The
fuel supply is inexhaustible,” “the car produces no emissions except water,” and “The car can even serve as a source of
electricity when parked.” The author then states that “automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application.” But in lines 67-70, beginning with the statement “Yet cars represent a particular challenge,” the discussion
shifts. From this point on, the author of Passage 2 discusses the “obstacles to commercial production of automotive fuel
cells” and the potential drawbacks of hydrogen as an energy source. The sentence in lines 67-70 serves to signal a
transition in the author’s argument, from discussing the potential benefits of hydrogen fuel cells to addressing some of the
problems associated with them.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In the beginning of Passage 2, the author lists the benefits of “the hydrogen-fueled car” and states
that “automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell application.” But in lines 67-70, the discussion shifts: “Yet
cars represent a particular challenge: they require a great deal of power, are expected to travel long distances between
refuelings, and are called on to last for ten years or more.” These lines do not serve to substantiate, or prove, an earlier
generalization by introducing an example. At no point before line 67 does the author of Passage 2 make any
generalizations about the challenges of hydrogen-fueled cars; he or she focuses only on the positive aspects of hydrogen
fuel cells at the start of the passage.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In the beginning of Passage 2, the author lists the benefits of “the hydrogen-fueled car” and states
that “automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell application.” But in lines 67-70, the discussion shifts: “Yet
cars represent a particular challenge: they require a great deal of power, are expected to travel long distances between
refuelings, and are called on to last for ten years or more.” These lines do not serve to reiterate, or restate, the author’s
previous claim; at no point before line 67 does the author of Passage 2 make a claim about the challenges of hydrogenfueled cars. Rather, the sentence in these lines serves to signal a transition in the author’s argument, from discussing the
potential benefits of hydrogen fuel cells to addressing some of the problems associated with them.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In the beginning of Passage 2, the author lists the benefits of “the hydrogen-fueled car” and states
that “automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell application.” But in lines 67-70, the discussion shifts: “Yet
cars represent a particular challenge: they require a great deal of power, are expected to travel long distances between
refuelings, and are called on to last for ten years or more.” These lines do not serve to offer several solutions to a problem.
Rather, they serve to introduce certain problems—problems associated with hydrogen fuel cells.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In the beginning of Passage 2, the author lists the benefits of “the hydrogen-fueled car” and states
that “automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell application.” But in lines 67-70, the discussion shifts: “Yet
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 26
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
cars represent a particular challenge: they require a great deal of power, are expected to travel long distances between
refuelings, and are called on to last for ten years or more.” These lines do not serve to question why a particular course of
action has been undertaken. The author of Passage 2 does not question why hydrogen-fueled cars are being researched and
developed; indeed, he or she begins the passage by describing the potential benefits of such vehicles, which suggests that
the author understands the support for hydrogen fuel cells. In lines 67-70, the author simply shifts his or her focus to some
of the problems associated with hydrogen fuel cells.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 27
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 21
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 28
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Line 45
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 29
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
The author of Passage 1 would most likely respond to the statement in lines 79-83, Passage 2 (“Although . . . energy”), by
claiming that the
(A) relative efficiency of hydrogen compensates for the energy expended to extract it
(B) commercial exploitation of hydrogen is unnecessary because it is so readily available
(C) extraction of hydrogen often has a significant negative impact on the environment
(D) efficient production of hydrogen must be a top priority of those advocating fuel-cell cars
(E) concerns raised about the safety of hydrogen are legitimate and justified
Answer Explanation:
Choice (A) is correct. In lines 79-83, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Although it is the most plentiful element in the
universe, hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination with other substances; therefore, it must be
extracted, a process that can itself require a considerable amount of energy.” In other words, a great deal of energy is used
up in the process of getting hydrogen in a usable form. The author of Passage 1, however, makes the point that hydrogen
“burns twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an internal-combustion engine (more than making up for the
energy required to produce it).” Therefore, the author of Passage 1 probably would respond to the statement in lines 79-83
by claiming that the relative efficiency of hydrogen as an energy resource compensates for, or makes up for, the energy it
takes to extract hydrogen in the first place.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 79-83, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Although it is the most plentiful element in
the universe, hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination with other substances; therefore, it must be
extracted, a process that can itself require a considerable amount of energy.” In other words, a great deal of energy is used
up in the process of getting hydrogen in a usable form. The author of Passage 1 probably would not respond to the
statement in Passage 2 by claiming that the commercial exploitation of hydrogen is unnecessary; the author of Passage 1
is in favor of commercial use of hydrogen, especially in the form of fuel cells for cars. Rather, the author of Passage 1
likely would say that the efficiency of hydrogen makes up for the energy it takes to extract it—a point he or she makes in
lines 39-42.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In lines 79-83, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Although it is the most plentiful element in
the universe, hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination with other substances; therefore, it must be
extracted, a process that can itself require a considerable amount of energy.” In other words, a great deal of energy is used
up in the process of getting hydrogen in a usable form. The author of Passage 1 probably would not respond to the
statement in Passage 2 by claiming that the extraction of hydrogen often has a significant negative impact on the
environment; the author of Passage 1 does not mention any environmental impact of the extraction of hydrogen, and he or
she actually asserts that the use of hydrogen fuel cells is “clean,” and “leaves only water behind.” Rather, the author of
Passage 1 probably would say that the efficiency of hydrogen makes up for the energy it takes to extract it—a point he or
she makes in lines 39-42.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In lines 79-83, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Although it is the most plentiful element in
the universe, hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination with other substances; therefore, it must be
extracted, a process that can itself require a considerable amount of energy.” In other words, a great deal of energy is used
up in the process of getting hydrogen in a usable form. The author of Passage 1 probably would not respond to the
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
statement in Passage 2 by claiming that efficient production of hydrogen must be a top priority of those advocating fuelcell cars. The author of Passage 1 states in lines 41-42 that the efficiency of hydrogen “more than [makes] up for the
energy required to produce it”; because this author is so certain that hydrogen generates more energy than is required to
produce it, he or she might say that efficient production of hydrogen is relatively unimportant.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In lines 79-83, the author of Passage 2 explains that “Although it is the most plentiful element in
the universe, hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination with other substances; therefore, it must be
extracted, a process that can itself require a considerable amount of energy.” In other words, a great deal of energy is used
up in the process of getting hydrogen in a usable form. The author of Passage 1 probably would not respond to the
statement in Passage 2 by claiming that concerns raised about the safety of hydrogen are legitimate and justified. The
statement in Passage 2 does not mention safety, and the author of Passage 1 does not indicate that that there are safety
concerns, justified or otherwise.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 31
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 22
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Organization and Ideas
Understand the organization of a reading passage, and identify the main and supporting ideas.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 32
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Line 45
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 33
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
Lines 88-91 (“This . . . cells”) indicate that the author of Passage 2 considers “reforming” (line 88) to be
(A) a significant breakthrough
(B) promising but untested
(C) of doubtful value
(D) impossible to evaluate
(E) potentially dangerous
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. In the last paragraph of Passage 2, the author explains that hydrogen “must be extracted” and that
extraction may not be “environmentally benign,” or harmless to the environment. He or she then refers to a process
“known as ‘reforming’” that involves extracting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck. In lines 88-91, the author states,
“This approach obviates,” or removes, “the need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but since it produces
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.” In other words,
getting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck would mean that we wouldn’t need new equipment and facilities, but the
process would create so much carbon dioxide that it would cancel out one of the reasons for using hydrogen fuel—to
reduce environmental impact. These lines indicate that the author of Passage 2 considers reforming to be of doubtful
value; he or she does not believe that the process would be beneficial.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In the last paragraph of Passage 2, the author explains that hydrogen “must be extracted” and that
extraction may not be “environmentally benign,” or harmless to the environment. He or she then refers to a process
“known as ‘reforming’” that involves extracting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck. In lines 88-91, the author states,
“This approach obviates,” or removes, “the need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but since it produces
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.” In other words,
getting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck would mean that we wouldn’t need new equipment and facilities, but the
process would create so much carbon dioxide that it would cancel out one of the reasons for using hydrogen fuel—to
reduce environmental impact. Rather than revealing that the author of Passage 2 considers reforming to be a significant
breakthrough, or an important new discovery, these lines indicate that the author thinks the process is of little value.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In the last paragraph of Passage 2, the author explains that hydrogen “must be extracted” and that
extraction may not be “environmentally benign,” or harmless to the environment. He or she then refers to a process
“known as ‘reforming’” that involves extracting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck. In lines 88-91, the author states,
“This approach obviates,” or removes, “the need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but since it produces
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.” In other words,
getting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck would mean that we wouldn’t need new equipment and facilities, but the
process would create so much carbon dioxide that it would cancel out one of the reasons for using hydrogen fuel—to
reduce environmental impact. Rather than revealing that the author considers reforming to be promising, these lines reveal
that the author thinks the process is of little value. In addition, the author notes that the truck prototype utilizing the
reforming process has been “abandoned,” but does not indicate that the process was never tested.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In the last paragraph of Passage 2, the author explains that hydrogen “must be extracted” and that
extraction may not be “environmentally benign,” or harmless to the environment. He or she then refers to a process
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
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PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
“known as ‘reforming’” that involves extracting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck. In lines 88-91, the author states,
“This approach obviates,” or removes, “the need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but since it produces
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.” In other words,
getting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck would mean that we wouldn’t need new equipment and facilities, but the
process would create so much carbon dioxide that it would cancel out one of the reasons for using hydrogen fuel—to
reduce environmental impact. These lines do not indicate that the author of Passage 2 considers reforming to be
impossible to evaluate. Indeed, it seems that the process has been evaluated, as the author is aware of the way it works and
the emissions it produces.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In the last paragraph of Passage 2, the author explains that hydrogen “must be extracted” and that
extraction may not be “environmentally benign,” or harmless to the environment. He or she then refers to a process
“known as ‘reforming’” that involves extracting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck. In lines 88-91, the author states,
“This approach obviates,” or removes, “the need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but since it produces
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.” In other words,
getting hydrogen from the gasoline in a truck would mean that we wouldn’t need new equipment and facilities, but the
process would create so much carbon dioxide that it would cancel out one of the reasons for using hydrogen fuel—to
reduce environmental impact. Although these lines reveal that the author of Passage 2 thinks the reforming is of little
value, they do not indicate that he or she considers the process to be potentially dangerous. The author does not indicate
that reforming produces dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide, but rather that it produces enough carbon dioxide to
cancel out the environmental benefits of using hydrogen fuel. Indeed, in the previous paragraph, the author acknowledges
some general “concerns about [hydrogen’s] safety,” but seems to dismiss them, quoting a physicist, Amory Levins, who
believes hydrogen to be “‘safer than gasoline.’”
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 35
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 24
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (5 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
These passages discuss hydrogen fuel cells, which use electrodes to unite hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity,
heat, and water. Both passages are adapted from works published in 2003.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Four decades ago, the United States faced a creeping
menace to national security. The Soviet Union had
lobbed the first satellite into space in 1957. Then, on
April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted
off in Vostok 1 and became the first human in orbit.
President Kennedy understood that dominating space
could mean the difference between a country able to
defend itself and one at the mercy of its rivals. In a
May 1961 address to Congress, President Kennedy
unveiled Apollo—a 10-year program of federal subsidies
aimed at “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
safely to the Earth.” Congress appropriated the funds,
scientists and engineers put their noses to the launchpad,
and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon eight years
later.
The country now faces a similar situation: reliance on
foreign oil. Just as we responded to Soviet space superiority
with a bold commitment, so now the United States must
respond to the clout of foreign oil by making energy
independence a national priority. Conventional wisdom
indicates two ways for the United States to reduce
dependence on foreign oil: increase domestic production
or decrease demand. Either way, though, the country
would remain hostage to overseas producers. Consider
plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For all the political wrangling and backlash, that area’s
productivity isn’t likely to offset declining output from
larger United States oil fields, let alone increase the total
supply from domestic sources. As for reducing demand,
the levers available are small and ineffectual. Moreover,
the dynamism at the heart of the United States economy
depends on energy.
There’s only one way to insulate the United States from
the corrosive power of oil—develop an alternative energy
resource that’s readily available domestically. Of hydrogen,
coal, natural gas, wind, water, solar, and nuclear, hydrogen
is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale
substitute for foreign oil within a decade. Hydrogen stores
energy more effectively than current batteries do, burns
twice as efficiently in a fuel cell as gasoline does in an
internal-combustion engine (more than making up for
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the energy required to produce it), and leaves only water
behind. It’s plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable
of powering cars. Like manned space flight in 1961,
hydrogen power is proven but primitive, a technology ripe
for acceleration and then deployment. For that, thank the
Apollo program itself, which spurred the development of
early fuel cells.
Passage 2
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
Line 65
Line 70
Line 75
Line 80
Line 85
Outside of science fiction, the hydrogen-fueled car is
probably the most radical reinvention of the automobile
ever imagined. The fuel supply is inexhaustible, and the car
produces no emissions except water, which, upon emerging
from the tailpipe, is, in principle at least, clean enough to
drink. The car can even serve as a source of electricity
when parked: a hydrogen-car owner can use it to light
his or her home. Sometime in the past year or so, the
hydrogen-fueled car moved out of the laboratory and,
if not quite onto the road, into the bright showroom of
public relations.
For a number of reasons—primary among them
the inefficiency of the internal-combustion engine—
automobiles represent a particularly promising fuel-cell
application. Fuel cells produce electrical, rather than
mechanical, energy—in this way, fuel-cell cars are similar
to battery-powered vehicles—and, using the same amount
of energy, can propel a car nearly three times as far as an
internal-combustion engine can. Yet cars represent a
peculiar challenge: they require a great deal of power,
are expected to travel long distances between refuelings,
and are called on to last for ten years or more. Among the
many obstacles to commercial production of automotive
fuel cells are cost, durability, and fuel storage. There are
also concerns about safety, although fuel-cell advocates
maintain that the dangers of hydrogen have been greatly
exaggerated. In a recent paper, physicist Amory Lovins
argues that hydrogen is “at least as safe as natural gas or
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and arguably is inherently
safer than gasoline.”
Although it is the most plentiful element in the universe,
hydrogen on Earth exists almost exclusively in combination
with other substances; therefore, it must be extracted, a
process that can itself require a considerable amount of
energy. Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy
sources, like wind, but it can just as easily—in fact,
perhaps more easily—be extracted by less environmentally
benign means. A prototype for a fuel-cell truck, since
abandoned, extracted hydrogen from gasoline through a
process known as “reforming.” This approach obviates the
need for a whole new hydrogen-delivery infrastructure, but
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since it produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, it
also obviates much of the reason for switching to fuel cells.
Similarly, hydrogen can be produced from coal; once all
the emissions of that process are taken into account, it’s
debatable whether fuel-cell cars yield any environmental
benefit at all.
Line 90
Line 95
Question:
Compared with the author of Passage 2, the author of Passage 1 is
(A) less anxious about the urgency of finding an alternative energy source
(B) less worried about how to market hydrogen fuel cell cars to the public
(C) more enthusiastic about the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy
(D) more concerned about the safety of using hydrogen as a fuel
(E) more dubious about the role of Apollo in the development of alternative fuel sources
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. Both passages discuss the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy. The
author of Passage 1 asserts that the United States must “reduce dependence on foreign oil” and that of all available
options, “hydrogen is the only energy resource that can provide a wholesale substitute for foreign oil within a decade.”
This author supports the “acceleration and then deployment” of hydrogen technology, pointing out that hydrogen is
efficient, “plentiful, clean, and—critically—capable of powering cars.” The author of Passage 2 also begins by pointing
out some of the benefits of hydrogen, noting that “the hydrogen-fueled car” has an “inexhaustible” fuel supply, “produces
no emissions,” and “can even serve as a source of electricity.” However, he or she goes on to emphasize some of the
“obstacles to commercial production of automotive fuel cells”—including “cost, durability, and fuel storage” as well as
safety and environmental concerns. Overall, the author of Passage 1 clearly is more enthusiastic about the prospect of
hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy than is the author of Passage 2.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Both passages discuss the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy. The
author of Passage 1 is not less anxious about the urgency of finding an alternative energy source than is the author of
Passage 2; in fact, the author of Passage 1 seems to be more anxious about the need to find an alternative energy source.
The author of Passage 2 does not address the overall need for alternative energy; he or she discusses only fuel sources for
automobiles. The author of Passage 1, on the other hand, asserts that “the United States must respond to the clout of
foreign oil by making energy independence a national priority.” Clearly, this author feels very strongly that an alternative
to foreign oil must be found. He or she suggests that the “acceleration and then deployment” of hydrogen technology is
the best way for the United States to “reduce dependence on foreign oil.”
Choice (B) is incorrect. Both passages discuss the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy.
However, neither author discusses the way hydrogen fuel-cell cars should be marketed to the public; there is no mention
of advertising or marketing of such cars. Therefore, it is not possible to say that the author of Passage 1 is less worried
about how to market hydrogen fuel cell cars to the public than is the author of Passage 2.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Both passages discuss the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy.
However, there is no evidence that the author of Passage 1 is more concerned about the safety of using hydrogen as a fuel
than is the author of Passage 2. The author of Passage 1 emphasizes only the benefits and positive aspects of hydrogen
fuel, making no mention of safety. The author of Passage 2, on the other hand, points out that “There are . . . concerns
about safety” when it comes to using hydrogen as a fuel, even though he or she later seems to dismiss these concerns,
noting that people in favor of hydrogen fuel cells have said that the “dangers of hydrogen have been greatly exaggerated.”
Choice (E) is incorrect. Both passages discuss the prospect of hydrogen serving as an alternative source of energy. The
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author of Passage 1 is not more dubious, or doubtful, about the role of Apollo in the development of alternative fuel
sources than is the author of Passage 2. In fact, the author of Passage 2 makes no mention of the Apollo program, while
the author of Passage 1 indicates that the program “spurred the development of early fuel cells,” which has led to
hydrogen power becoming “a technology ripe for acceleration and then deployment.” The author of Passage 1 clearly
feels that the Apollo program has helped the development of alternative fuel sources.
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Critical Reading: Question 28
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (5 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
Although Albert Collins ------- the styles of other blues guitarists, he was clearly ------- playing without a pick and
using unorthodox minor tunings.
(A) flaunted . . an extrovert
(B) rejected . . a maverick
(C) decried . . an apprentice
(D) imitated . . a classicist
(E) emulated . . an original
Answer Explanation:
Choice (E) is correct. To “emulate” is to imitate, or to copy. In this context, to be “an original” is to be unlike other people
in an interesting way. It certainly makes sense to say that a guitarist would emulate, or copy, “the styles of other blues
guitarists,” so “emulated” fits the first blank. It also makes sense to say, in the second part of the sentence, that because
Collins played a guitar “without a pick” and used “unorthodox,” or unconventional, “minor tunings,” he would be
described as an original. Finally, these two terms fit within the sentence, as someone who is an original would not be
expected to emulate the styles of others.
Choice (A) is incorrect. To “flaunt” is to display openly or ostentatiously. To be “an extrovert” is to be an outgoing or
unreserved person. The use of “although” indicates that the words in the first and second blanks will oppose each other:
“although Albert Collins” did something , “he was clearly” something else. It does not, then, make sense to say that
although Collins flaunted other people’s styles, he was an extrovert: the two terms imply the same thing. Further, there is
nothing particularly extroverted about playing without a pick and using unorthodox minor tunings.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To reject something is to refuse it or disapprove of it. To be “a maverick” is to be an independent
individual who does not go along with a group. The use of “although” indicates that the words in the first and second
blanks will oppose each other: “although Albert Collins” did something , “he was clearly” something else. While a
maverick player might very well play without a pick and do other unorthodox things, it does make sense to say that
although Collins rejected other people’s styles, he was a maverick: the two terms imply the same thing.
Choice (C) is incorrect. To decry is to express strong disapproval of something, or to put it down. To be “an apprentice” is
to be an inexperienced person who is still learning the basics of a skill or activity. The use of “although” indicates that the
words in the first and second blanks will oppose each other: “although Albert Collins” did something , “he was clearly”
something else. It does not make much sense to say that an apprentice, someone still learning his craft, would strongly
criticize the style of others, nor would an apprentice be likely to experiment with unorthodox techniques.
Choice (D) is incorrect. To imitate is to try to be like or to copy something. To be “a classicist” is to be someone who
prefers a traditional style and believes in universal standards. The use of “although” indicates that the words in the first
and second blanks will oppose each other: “although Albert Collins” did something , “he was clearly” something else.
While it is plausible that a classicist might imitate the work of other artists, such a person would not likely experiment
with unorthodox techniques.
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Critical Reading: Question 29
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
Question:
Some mistook Josh’s ------- for detachment: because he was shy and reserved, they assumed he was ------- .
(A) reticence . . pensive
(B) exuberance . . standoffish
(C) modesty . . humble
(D) quirkiness . . arrogant
(E) diffidence . . aloof
Answer Explanation:
Choice (E) is correct. “Diffidence” is the quality of being shy or reserved. “Aloof” means distant and detached in manner.
The structure of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon restates the idea in the first part of the sentence. It
makes sense to suggest that shyness could be mistaken for detachment; someone who is shy might be seen as indifferent
to or separate from others. Therefore, the term “diffidence” fits the first blank. And the idea that some people assumed
Josh was aloof, or distant and detached, “because he was shy and reserved” certainly restates the idea that some people
“mistook Josh’s diffidence for detachment,” or thought Josh was detached when he actually was just shy.
Choice (A) is incorrect. “Reticence” is shyness or reserve. “Pensive” means deeply thoughtful and serious. The structure
of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon restates the idea in the first part of the sentence. It makes sense to
suggest that shyness or reserve could be mistaken for detachment; someone who is shy might be seen as indifferent to
others. Therefore, the term “reticence” fits the first blank. However, the idea that some people assumed Josh was pensive,
or deeply thoughtful, “because he was shy and reserved” is not a restatement of the idea that some people “mistook Josh’s
reticence for detachment,” or thought Josh was detached when he was actually just shy. Being pensive is not the same as
being detached.
Choice (B) is incorrect. “Exuberance” is great enthusiasm or energy. “Standoffish” means distant or somewhat cold in
manner. The structure of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon restates the idea in the first part of the
sentence. People might think that someone who was “shy and reserved” was distant and cold, so the term “standoffish”
fits the second blank. However, the idea that some people assumed Josh was standoffish because he was shy is not a
restatement of the idea that some people “mistook Josh’s exuberance for detachment,” or thought Josh was detached, or
indifferent to others, when he was actually enthusiastic and full of energy. Further, it does not make sense to suggest that
such enthusiasm could be mistaken for detachment.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In this context, “modesty” refers to not being vain or conceited. “Humble” means meek and not
prideful. The structure of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon restates the idea in the first part of the
sentence. The terms “modestly” and “humble” do not logically complete the sentence. It is possible that people would
think that someone who was “shy and reserved” was meek, so the term “humble” might fit the second blank. However,
the idea that some people assumed Josh was humble because he was shy is not a restatement of the idea that some people
“mistook Josh’s modesty for detachment,” or thought Josh was detached, or indifferent to others, when he was actually
not vain or conceited.
Choice (D) is incorrect. “Quirkiness” is the quality of having odd or peculiar mannerisms or habits. To be “arrogant” is to
have an offensive attitude of superiority. The structure of the sentence indicates that the text after the colon restates the
idea in the first part of the sentence. There is no reason to suggest that quirkiness would be mistaken for detachment;
having odd mannerisms or habits is not the same as being indifferent to others. And it is very unlikely that people would
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think that someone who was “shy and reserved” was arrogant, because people who are arrogant usually are not reserved.
Further, the idea that some people assumed Josh was arrogant because he was shy is not a restatement of the idea that
some people “mistook Josh’s quirkiness for detachment,” or thought Josh was detached when he was actually quirky.
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Critical Reading: Question 30
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
Passage 1
Last New Year’s Eve, many of you doubtlessly
resolved to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer in the
coming months and years. After all, we’re free humans,
not robots doomed to repeat the same boring mistakes
over and over again, right? As William James wrote in
1890, the whole “sting and excitement” of life comes from
“our sense that in it things are really being decided from
one moment to another, and that it is not the dull rattling
off of a chain that was forged innumerable ages ago.” Get
over it, Dr. James. A bevy of experiments in recent years
suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress,
frantically making up stories about being in control.
Line 5
Line 10
Passage 2
It is safe to say that neuroscience these days views
brain chemistry and anatomy as having a greater impact
on human behavior and the formation of character than
free will does. But every serious creative writer, of course,
must come down on the side of free will. You might ask,
what choice have we? Without free will there would be
no literature in the first place: no drama, no insights into
human nature, little, really, but the drab playing out of the
hands we have been dealt. Artists are the natural opponents
of determinism.
Line 15
Line 20
Question:
The author of Passage 1 would argue that the “bevy of experiments” (line 10) suggests which of the following about the
writers mentioned in Passage 2 ?
(A) They are deluding themselves.
(B) They must overcome long odds.
(C) They are not as important as they think.
(D) They need not work to develop their talents.
(E) They come from all walks of life.
Answer Explanation:
Choice (A) is correct. In Passage 2, the author explains that “every serious creative writer . . . must come down on the side
of free will” because, without it, “there would be no literature” and no “drama,” as people would simply be “playing out
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the hands [they] have been dealt,” or living out lives that are determined by other things. He or she adds that “Artists are
the natural opponents of determinism.” The author of Passage 1 likely would argue that numerous experiments suggest
these creative writers are deluding, or fooling, themselves by believing so firmly in free will. He or she states that “A bevy
of experiments in recent years suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding a tiger of subconscious decisions
and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other words, experiments suggest that
although people believe they have free will and make conscious decisions in their lives, the conscious mind actually
operates at the mercy of the constant “decisions and actions” of the more powerful subconscious mind. The author of
Passage 1 almost certainly would say that these experiments suggest that the writers mentioned in Passage 1 are fooling
themselves by coming down “on the side of free will” and believing that they are “in control.”
Choice (B) is incorrect. In Passage 2, the author explains that “every serious creative writer . . . must come down on the
side of free will” because, without it, “there would be no literature” and no “drama,” as people would simply be “playing
out the hands [they] have been dealt,” or living out lives that are determined by other things. The author of Passage 1,
however, points to “A bevy of experiments in recent years” that “suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other
words, experiments suggest that although people believe they have free will and make conscious decisions in their lives,
the conscious mind actually operates at the mercy of the constant “decisions and actions” of the subconscious mind. The
author of Passage 1 probably would not argue that these experiments suggest that the writers mentioned in Passage 2 must
overcome long odds. The experiments do not have to do with overcoming obstacles or succeeding when it is unlikely;
rather, they have to do with a mistaken belief. The author of Passage 1 probably would say that the writers share this
mistaken belief, and that they are fooling themselves by believing in free will.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In Passage 2, the author explains that “every serious creative writer . . . must come down on the
side of free will” because, without it, “there would be no literature” and no “drama,” as people would simply be “playing
out the hands [they] have been dealt,” or living out lives that are determined by other things. The author of Passage 1,
however, points to “A bevy of experiments in recent years” that “suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other
words, experiments suggest that although people believe they have free will and make conscious decisions in their lives,
the conscious mind actually operates at the mercy of the constant “decisions and actions” of the subconscious mind. The
author of Passage 1 probably would not argue that these experiments suggest that these writers are not as important as
they think; the experiments have to do with a mistaken belief, not with individuals’ importance or significance. The author
of Passage 1 likely would say that the writers simply are mistaken about free will, not that the writers think they are more
important than they really are.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In Passage 2, the author explains that “every serious creative writer . . . must come down on the
side of free will” because, without it, “there would be no literature” and no “drama,” as people would simply be “playing
out the hands [they] have been dealt,” or living out lives that are determined by other things. The author of Passage 1,
however, points to “A bevy of experiments in recent years” that “suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other
words, experiments suggest that although people believe they have free will and make conscious decisions in their lives,
the conscious mind actually operates at the mercy of the constant “decisions and actions” of the subconscious mind. The
author of Passage 1 probably would not argue that these experiments suggest that the writers mentioned in Passage 2 do
not need to work to develop their talents. The experiments do not have to do with talent or with working to improve a
skill; rather, they have to do with a mistaken belief about free will. The author of Passage 1 probably would say that the
writers share this mistaken belief, and that they are fooling themselves by believing in free will.
Choice (E) is incorrect. In Passage 2, the author explains that “every serious creative writer . . . must come down on the
side of free will” because, without it, “there would be no literature” and no “drama,” as people would simply be “playing
out the hands [they] have been dealt,” or living out lives that are determined by other things. The author of Passage 1,
however, points to “A bevy of experiments in recent years” that “suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other
words, experiments suggest that although people believe they have free will and make conscious decisions in their lives,
the conscious mind actually operates at the mercy of the constant “decisions and actions” of the subconscious mind. The
author of Passage 1 probably would not argue that these experiments suggest that the writers mentioned in Passage 2
come from all walks of life; the experiments seem to have to do with a misconception shared by most people, not just
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people from certain places or certain backgrounds. Rather, the author of Passage 1 likely would say that the writers, like
many others, are fooling themselves by believing in free will.
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Critical Reading: Question 31
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
Passage 1
Last New Year’s Eve, many of you doubtlessly
resolved to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer in the
coming months and years. After all, we’re free humans,
not robots doomed to repeat the same boring mistakes
over and over again, right? As William James wrote in
1890, the whole “sting and excitement” of life comes from
“our sense that in it things are really being decided from
one moment to another, and that it is not the dull rattling
off of a chain that was forged innumerable ages ago.” Get
over it, Dr. James. A bevy of experiments in recent years
suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress,
frantically making up stories about being in control.
Line 5
Line 10
Passage 2
It is safe to say that neuroscience these days views
brain chemistry and anatomy as having a greater impact
on human behavior and the formation of character than
free will does. But every serious creative writer, of course,
must come down on the side of free will. You might ask,
what choice have we? Without free will there would be
no literature in the first place: no drama, no insights into
human nature, little, really, but the drab playing out of the
hands we have been dealt. Artists are the natural opponents
of determinism.
Line 15
Line 20
Question:
The proponents of “neuroscience” (line 14, Passage 2) would probably argue that the New Year’s resolutions mentioned
in the first sentence of Passage 1 are
(A) an effective means of self-improvement
(B) a reflection of a basic human desire to seek perfection
(C) unlikely to be the cause of a great change in anyone’s character
(D) proof of the decisive role played by brain chemistry
(E) evidence of the ongoing tension between the rational mind and subconscious desires
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. The author of Passage 2 states that “neuroscience these days views brain chemistry and anatomy as
having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does.” In other words,
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neuroscience suggests that our actions and traits are determined primarily by brain chemistry and anatomy rather than our
free will, or our ability to make conscious choices and decisions. Proponents, or supporters, of neuroscience almost
certainly would say, then, that New Year’s resolutions—conscious promises “to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer,” for
example—are unlikely to be the cause of any great change in a person’s behavior or character. They likely would say that
these free-will choices about how we act or who we are will have little effect on our actual actions and traits.
Choice (A) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 states that “neuroscience these days views brain chemistry and anatomy
as having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does.” In other words,
neuroscience suggests that our actions and traits are determined primarily by brain chemistry and anatomy rather than our
free will, or our ability to make conscious choices and decisions. Proponents of neuroscience probably would not argue
that New Year’s resolutions—conscious promises “to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer,” for example—are an effective
means of self-improvement, or a successful way for people to improve themselves. Instead, they almost certainly would
say that such free-will choices are unlikely to cause changes or improvements in a person’s behavior or character.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 states that “neuroscience these days views brain chemistry and anatomy
as having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does.” In other words,
neuroscience suggests that our actions and traits are determined primarily by brain chemistry and anatomy rather than our
free will, or our ability to make conscious choices and decisions. There is no reason to suggest that proponents of
neuroscience would argue that New Year’s resolutions—conscious promises “to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer,” for
example—are a reflection of a basic human desire to seek perfection. There is no mention in Passage 2 of a desire to seek
perfection, and although the resolutions described in Passage 1 have to do with improvement , they do not necessarily
have to do with being perfect.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 states that “neuroscience these days views brain chemistry and anatomy
as having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does.” In other words,
neuroscience suggests that our actions and traits are determined primarily by brain chemistry and anatomy rather than our
free will, or our ability to make conscious choices and decisions. Proponents of neuroscience probably would not argue
that New Year’s resolutions—conscious promises “to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer,” for example—are proof of
the decisive role played by brain chemistry. On the contrary, these proponents almost certainly would say that such
resolutions are examples of free will—and that, as such, they are unlikely to cause great changes in a person’s behavior or
character.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 states that “neuroscience these days views brain chemistry and anatomy
as having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does.” In other words,
neuroscience suggests that our actions and traits are determined primarily by brain chemistry and anatomy and not by our
free will, or our ability to make conscious choices and decisions. There is no reason to suggest that proponents of
neuroscience would argue that New Year’s resolutions—conscious promises “to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer,” for
example—are evidence of the ongoing tension between the rational mind and subconscious desires; although the relative
effects of different influences on the development of character are mentioned, there is no reference to tension or strain
between the conscious and subconscious minds. Rather than arguing that New Year’s resolutions are evidence of tension,
the proponents probably would say that they are free-will choices and are unlikely to cause great changes in a person’s
behavior or character.
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Critical Reading: Question 32
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Organization and Ideas
Understand the organization of a reading passage, and identify the main and supporting ideas.
Passage 1
Last New Year’s Eve, many of you doubtlessly
resolved to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer in the
coming months and years. After all, we’re free humans,
not robots doomed to repeat the same boring mistakes
over and over again, right? As William James wrote in
1890, the whole “sting and excitement” of life comes from
“our sense that in it things are really being decided from
one moment to another, and that it is not the dull rattling
off of a chain that was forged innumerable ages ago.” Get
over it, Dr. James. A bevy of experiments in recent years
suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress,
frantically making up stories about being in control.
Line 5
Line 10
Passage 2
It is safe to say that neuroscience these days views
brain chemistry and anatomy as having a greater impact
on human behavior and the formation of character than
free will does. But every serious creative writer, of course,
must come down on the side of free will. You might ask,
what choice have we? Without free will there would be
no literature in the first place: no drama, no insights into
human nature, little, really, but the drab playing out of the
hands we have been dealt. Artists are the natural opponents
of determinism.
Line 15
Line 20
Question:
The reference to the “playing out of the hands” (lines 21-22, Passage 2) most closely echoes which of the following from
Passage 1?
(A) The “ ‘sting and excitement’ of life” (line 6)
(B) The “ ‘rattling off of a chain’” (lines 8-9)
(C) The “bevy of experiments” (line 10)
(D) The “monkey riding a tiger” (lines 11-12)
(E) The “making up stories about being in control” (line 13)
Answer Explanation:
Choice (B) is correct. The author of Passage 2 explains that writers “come down on the side of free will” because, without
it, life would be little more than “the drab playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” The reference to the playing out
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of the hands most closely echoes the reference in Passage 1 to the “‘rattling off of a chain.’” The author of Passage 1
explains that William James wrote that the “excitement” of life comes from the sense that things are “ really being
decided from one moment to another” in our lives “and that it is not the dull rattling off of a chain that was forged
innumerable ages ago.” The images of hands we have been dealt and chains that were created in the distant past are both
intended to represent “determinism,” or the idea that all events, including human action, are determined by causes other
than human will. Both images suggest lives that are dull and boring because their course has already been decided.
Choice (A) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 explains that writers “come down on the side of free will” because,
without it, life would be little more than “the drab playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” The image of the playing
out of the hands is intended to represent “determinism,” or the idea that all events, including human action, are determined
by causes other than human will. This reference does not echo the “‘sting and excitement’ of life” mentioned in Passage 1.
The author of Passage 1 is quoting William James, who asserts that the “sting and excitement” of life comes from free
will—from feeling that we are making decisions that actually affect our lives. The “sting and excitement” James refers to
is not at all like the “drab playing out of the hands” referred to in Passage 2.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 explains that writers “come down on the side of free will” because,
without it, life would be little more than “the drab playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” The image of the playing
out of the hands is intended to represent “determinism,” or the idea that all events, including human action, are determined
by causes other than human will. This reference does not echo the “bevy of experiments” mentioned in Passage 1. The
author of Passage 1 is referring to recent experiments that suggest that even though we believe our conscious minds are in
control, “subconscious decisions and actions” are more responsible for determining our behaviors. The image of the
playing out of a hand that has been dealt represents a boring, pre-determined life, while the bevy of experiments has to do
with the interaction between the conscious mind and the more powerful subconscious mind.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 explains that writers “come down on the side of free will” because,
without it, life would be little more than “the drab playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” The image of the playing
out of the hands is intended to represent “determinism,” or the idea that all events, including human action, are determined
by causes other than human will. This reference does not echo the “monkey riding a tiger” mentioned in Passage 1. The
author of Passage 1 is referring to experiments suggesting that “the conscious mind is like a monkey riding a tiger of
subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” In other words, even
though we believe our conscious minds are in control, “subconscious decisions and actions” are more responsible for
determining our behaviors. The image of the playing out of a hand that has been dealt represents a boring, pre-determined
life, but the image of the monkey riding a tiger suggests the constant interaction between the conscious mind (the
“monkey”) and the more powerful subconscious mind (the “tiger”).
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author of Passage 2 explains that writers “come down on the side of free will” because,
without it, life would be little more than “the drab playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” The image of the playing
out of the hands is intended to represent “determinism,” or the idea that all events, including human action, are determined
by causes other than human will. This reference does not echo the “making up stories about being in control” mentioned
in Passage 1. The author of Passage 1 is referring to experiments that show that while “subconscious decisions and
actions” are most responsible for determining our behaviors, the conscious mind is always “frantically making up stories
about being in control.” The image of the playing out of a hand that has been dealt represents a boring, pre-determined
life, but the idea of making up stories has to do with our idea that we are able to make conscious decisions for
ourselves—that our conscious minds are in control.
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Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 33
Difficulty Level: HARD (8 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Organization and Ideas
Understand the organization of a reading passage, and identify the main and supporting ideas.
Passage 1
Last New Year’s Eve, many of you doubtlessly
resolved to be better, wiser, stronger, and richer in the
coming months and years. After all, we’re free humans,
not robots doomed to repeat the same boring mistakes
over and over again, right? As William James wrote in
1890, the whole “sting and excitement” of life comes from
“our sense that in it things are really being decided from
one moment to another, and that it is not the dull rattling
off of a chain that was forged innumerable ages ago.” Get
over it, Dr. James. A bevy of experiments in recent years
suggests that the conscious mind is like a monkey riding
a tiger of subconscious decisions and actions in progress,
frantically making up stories about being in control.
Line 5
Line 10
Passage 2
It is safe to say that neuroscience these days views
brain chemistry and anatomy as having a greater impact
on human behavior and the formation of character than
free will does. But every serious creative writer, of course,
must come down on the side of free will. You might ask,
what choice have we? Without free will there would be
no literature in the first place: no drama, no insights into
human nature, little, really, but the drab playing out of the
hands we have been dealt. Artists are the natural opponents
of determinism.
Line 15
Line 20
Question:
Which best describes the relationship between the two passages?
(A) Passage 2 relates a personal anecdote that exemplifies the conclusion drawn in Passage 1.
(B) Passage 2 offers evidence that disproves the central hypothesis advanced in Passage 1.
(C) Passage 2 presents a possible solution to the set of problems described in Passage 1.
(D) Passage 2 calls attention to people who deny a fundamental claim made in Passage 1.
(E) Passage 2 carries to its logical conclusion the position advocated in Passage 1.
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. The author of Passage 1 begins by raising the idea that we are “free humans” and quoting William
James, who said that “‘excitement’ of life comes from ‘our sense that in it things are really being decided from one
moment to another.” But the author of Passage 1 then dismisses the notion of free will, pointing to a “bevy of
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WEDNESDAY FORM
experiments” that suggest the conscious mind is not really in control but operates at the mercy of the subconscious, which
largely determines who we are and the choices we make. The author of Passage 2 notes that “neuroscience . . . views brain
chemistry and anatomy as having a greater impact on human behavior and the formation of character than free will does,”
but he or she then focuses on people who “come down on the side of free will” and believe that life is more than “the drab
playing out of the hands we have been dealt.” In other words, Passage 2 calls attention to people who firmly deny the
claim that humans do not have free will—a claim the author of Passage 1 makes when citing recent experiments.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Passage 2 does not relate a personal anecdote that exemplifies the conclusion drawn in Passage 1.
The author of Passage 1 does seem to conclude, based on the results of “A bevy of experiments,” that the conscious mind
is not really in control but operates at the mercy of the subconscious. However, the author of Passage 2 does not relate a
personal anecdote, or a brief story about something that happened to him or her. Indeed, the author makes no mention of
his or her personal experiences.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The “central hypothesis” of Passage 1 is that “the conscious mind is like a monkey riding a tiger
of subconscious decisions and actions in progress, frantically making up stories about being in control.” While the author
of Passage 2 disagrees with this hypothesis—“every serious creative writer, of course, must come down on the side of free
will”—he or she admits that modern science supports it. Further, he or she does not counter Passage 1 with “evidence,”
but with personal opinion.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Passage 1 does not describe a set of problems. Rather, Passage 1 makes the claim that we are not
all “free humans,” and refers to a “bevy” of recent studies that suggest that the conscious mind is not really in control but
operates at the mercy of our subconscious, which largely determines who we are and the choices we make. In other words,
the author of Passage 1 makes the claim that people do not have free will. Passage 2 draws attention to people (“creative
writers”) who deny that claim.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The position advocated in passage 1 is that we are all not “free humans”—in other words, we do
not have free will. Passage 2 does not make this conclusion. Rather, Passage 2 calls attention to people who deny this
claim, namely creative writers, whom the author of Passage 2 refers to as “the natural opponents of determinism” who
“must come down on the side of free will.”
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WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 37
Difficulty Level: HARD (7 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Understanding Literary Elements
Understand literary elements such as plot, setting and characterization.
The narrator of this passage from a twentieth-century novel is a seventy-six-year-old writer from England. Her
recollections often return to her brother, Gordon, and her daughter, Lisa.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
Line 40
Today language abandoned me. I could not find
the word for a simple object—a commonplace familiar
furnishing. For an instant, I stared into a void. Language
tethers us to the world; without it we spin like atoms.
Later, I made an inventory of the room—a naming of
parts: bed, chair, table, picture, vase, cupboard, window,
curtain. Curtain. And I breathed again.
We open our mouths and out flow words whose
ancestries we do not even know. We are walking lexicons.
In a single sentence of idle chatter we preserve Latin,
Anglo-Saxon, Norse; we carry a museum inside our heads,
each day commemorating people of whom we have never
heard. More than that, we speak volumes—our language is
the language of everything we have not read. Shakespeare
and the Authorised Version 1 surface in supermarkets,
on buses, in chatter on radio and television. I find this
miraculous. I never cease to wonder at it. That words are
more durable than anything, that they blow with the wind,
hibernate and reawaken, shelter parasitic on the most
unlikely hosts, survive and survive and survive.
I can remember the lush spring excitement of language
in childhood. Sitting in church, rolling it around my mouth
like marbles—tabernacle and parable, trespasses and
Babylon and covenant. Learning by heart, chanting at the
top of my voice—“Lars Porsena of Clusium, By the Nine
Gods he swore, That the great House of Tarquin, Should
suffer wrong no more . . .” 2 Gloating over Gordon who
could not spell ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM,
the longest word in the dictionary. Rhyming and
blaspheming and marvelling. I collected the names of
stars and of plants: Arcturus and Orion and Betelgeuse,
melilot and fumitory and toadflax. There was no end to
it, apparently—it was like the grains of sand on the shore,
the leaves on the great ash outside my bedroom window,
immeasurable and unconquerable. “Does anyone know
all the words in the world?” I ask Mother. “ Anyone ?”
“I expect very clever men do,” says Mother vaguely.
Lisa, as a child, most interested me when I watched her
struggle with language. I was not a good mother, in any
conventional sense. Babies I find faintly repellent; young
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children are boring and distracting. When Lisa began to
talk I listened to her. I corrected the inanities encouraged
by her grandmothers. “Dog,” I said. “Horse. Cat. There are
no such things as bow-wows and gee-gees.” “Horse,” said
Lisa, thoughtfully, tasting the word. For the first time we
communicated. “Gee-gee gone?” enquired Lisa. “That’s
right,” I said. “Gone. Clever girl.” And Lisa took a step
toward maturity.
Line 45
1 Influential translation of the Bible, first published in 1611
2 The beginning of Thomas B. Macaulay’s poem “Horatius”
Question:
The passage suggests that the narrator was most likely fascinated by the words in lines 23-24 (“tabernacle . . . covenant”)
because of their
(A) clarity of meaning
(B) religious significance
(C) frequency in conversation
(D) sensory qualities
(E) rich history
Answer Explanation:
Choice (D) is correct. In the beginning of the third paragraph, the narrator states that she remembers “the lush spring
excitement of language in childhood” and how she would roll new words “around [her] mouth like marbles”—words like
“tabernacle and parable, trespasses and Babylon and covenant.” The image of the narrator rolling words around in her
mouth suggests that she was fascinated by certain words because of their sensory qualities—that she was captivated by
how these words sounded and by the feeling of saying them.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In the beginning of the third paragraph, the narrator states that she remembers “the lush spring
excitement of language in childhood” and how she would roll new words “around [her] mouth like marbles”—words like
“tabernacle and parable, trespasses and Babylon and covenant.” The passage does not suggest that the narrator was
fascinated by these words because of their clarity of meaning; the narrator does not mention the definitions of these
words, and at no point does she indicate that she liked words with especially clear definitions. Rather, the image of the
narrator rolling words around in her mouth suggests that she was fascinated by certain words because of the way they
sounded and the way it felt to say them.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In the beginning of the third paragraph, the narrator states that she remembers “the lush spring
excitement of language in childhood” and how she would roll new words “around [her] mouth like marbles”—words like
“tabernacle and parable, trespasses and Babylon and covenant.” The passage does not suggest that the narrator was
fascinated by these words because of their religious significance; indeed, although the narrator heard these words while
“Sitting in church,” she does not mention their religious importance or even describe them as religious words. Rather, the
image of the narrator rolling words around in her mouth suggests that she was fascinated by certain words because of the
way they sounded and the way it felt to say them.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In the beginning of the third paragraph, the narrator states that she remembers “the lush spring
excitement of language in childhood” and how she would roll new words “around [her] mouth like marbles”—words like
“tabernacle and parable, trespasses and Babylon and covenant.” The passage does not suggest that the narrator was
fascinated by these words because of their frequency in conversation; the narrator does not indicate that people use these
words very often when making conversation. Rather, the image of the narrator rolling words around in her mouth suggests
that she was fascinated by certain words because of the way they sounded and the way it felt to say them.
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WEDNESDAY FORM
Choice (E) is incorrect. In the beginning of the third paragraph, the narrator states that she remembers “the lush spring
excitement of language in childhood” and how she would roll new words “around [her] mouth like marbles”—words like
“tabernacle and parable, trespasses and Babylon and covenant.” The passage does not suggest that the narrator was
fascinated by these words because of their rich history; although the narrator has mentioned the “ancestries” of many
words in Modern English, she does not address the history of these particular words at all. Rather, the image of the
narrator rolling words around in her mouth suggests that she was fascinated by certain words because of the way they
sounded and the way it felt to say them.
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WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 41
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Author's Craft
Understand how authors use tone, style and writing devices such as metaphor or symbolism.
This passage is adapted from a 1988 book that examines the influence of Native American cultures on other world
cultures. Here, the author discusses Machu Picchu, the ruins of an ancient Incan city located on a remote and steeply
terraced mountainside in South America.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
There is only one Machu Picchu, but it guards many
mysteries. The ruins of this ancient Peruvian city sit
perched 8,000 feet above sea level on a mountain
overlooking the Urubamba River. Even though in size
Machu Picchu barely surpasses a village, the ruins show
a complexity indicative of a much more important place:
precision-crafted buildings with neat regular lines, beveled
edges, and mortarless seams that characterize the best of
Incan architecture. The spectacular setting combined with
the exquisitely wrought buildings have evoked much
speculation and much romantic rubbish about the purpose
of the city. The explorer Hiram Bingham who “discovered”
Machu Picchu erroneously assumed that he had found the
capital of the Incan empire. Many other people assumed
that its purpose was religious, thus dubbing it the “sacred
city of the Incas.”
None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas.
They did not build large pyramids to please their gods.
They did not build observatories to watch the patterns of
the stars. Indeed, they displayed an austere practicality in
every aspect of their lives and showed little hint of religious
fervor and no tendency toward either the sentimental or the
superstitious.
In light of this practicality, the existence of Machu
Picchu seems all the more puzzling. Why would the Incas
build a city and line the mountain with terraces even though
there was very little soil there? The builders used the best
techniques known to them to make terraces that would last
for eternity. Then the workers added layers of rock and clay
as subsoil, and from the river below hauled up rich dirt over
steep embankments half a mile high. This task would be the
equivalent of hauling dirt from the Colorado River to plant
crops on top of the Grand Canyon.
The Incas built hundreds of these terraces, all of them
quite small for any kind of extensive agriculture. Some
of them narrow to as little as six inches in width. Such
an arrangement makes no more sense than if people today
decided to start farming using large flower boxes.
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A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came
to me while hiking there with a friend who is a botanist.
We had approached via a trail perched high in the saddle
of the mountain dividing the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain from a dry inland valley. Standing in this
gateway one sees two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley
and the lush emerald-green valley watered by the thick
fogs of the Urubamba River. As we descended toward
the city from this high pass, I stared out at the spectacular
landscape. While I looked up and down the long vistas of
the Urubamba, my friend was looking at the vegetation and
naming everything growing along the path. I found this
distracting from the big picture but, as we descended and
passed from one terrace to another, the plant names
changed. We were passing through a series of ecological
layers, as one does on many mountains in the Andes. The
mountainside is laid out in strips of vegetation and
microzones. The place is a scientist’s dream—the perfect
location for all kinds of controlled experiments. Viewed
in that context, the small terraces took on new meaning
as experimental patches at a range of altitudes and built
at so many different angles, facing the morning sun, the
evening sun, constant sun, or no sun.
Line 40
Line 45
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
In my mind, Machu Picchu suddenly became an
agricultural station. And in that sense it was indeed a sacred
spot, because agriculture was a sacred activity for the Incas.
They had been among the world’s great experimenters with
agriculture, and they built numerous experimental areas
where crops could be grown in different ways. It would
not be surprising if the Incas devoted a place such as
Machu Picchu to just such an activity.
Line 65
Question:
The author uses the term “romantic rubbish” (line 11) to imply that many previous theories about the purpose of Machu
Picchu were excessively
(A) softhearted
(B) ambitious
(C) fanciful
(D) pessimistic
(E) archaic
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. Something that is “fanciful” is the product of unrestrained imagination rather than reason or
experience. After touching on the “complexity” of Machu Picchu, the author refers to previous theories about “the
purpose of the city” as “romantic rubbish,” and gives two examples: Hiram Bingham’s assumption that Machu Picchu
was “the capital of the Incan empire” and others’ assumption that Machu Picchu was a “sacred city” with a religious
purpose. These assumptions do not appear to have been supported by evidence; as the author explains in line 17, “None of
this agrees with what we know about the Incas.” It is clear that the author refers to such assumptions as “romantic
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WEDNESDAY FORM
rubbish,” or idealistic junk, in order to imply that previous theories about the purpose of Machu Picchu were excessively
fanciful, or based too much on imagination.
Choice (A) is incorrect. “Softhearted” means sympathetic or compassionate. After touching on the “complexity” of
Machu Picchu, the author refers to previous theories about “the purpose of the city” as “romantic rubbish,” and gives two
examples: Hiram Bingham’s assumption that Machu Picchu was “the capital of the Incan empire” and others’ assumption
that Machu Picchu was a “sacred city” with a religious purpose. Rather than suggesting that these assumptions stemmed
from compassion or concern, the term “romantic rubbish,” or idealistic junk, suggests that they were based purely on
imagination rather than fact.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In this context, “ambitious” means aspiring to success or advancement. After touching on the
“complexity” of Machu Picchu, the author refers to previous theories about “the purpose of the city” as “romantic
rubbish,” and gives two examples: Hiram Bingham’s assumption that Machu Picchu was “the capital of the Incan empire”
and others’ assumption that Machu Picchu was a “sacred city” with a religious purpose. The people who made these
assumptions may have been ambitious, but the author does not indicate that by referring to the assumptions as “romantic
rubbish.” Rather than suggesting that the theories about Machu Picchu reflected a desire to succeed, the term “romantic
rubbish,” or idealistic junk, suggests that they were based purely on imagination rather than fact.
Choice (D) is incorrect. “Pessimistic” means gloomy or cynical. After touching on the “complexity” of Machu Picchu, the
author refers to previous theories about “the purpose of the city” as “romantic rubbish,” and gives two examples: Hiram
Bingham’s assumption that Machu Picchu was “the capital of the Incan empire” and others’ assumption that Machu
Picchu was a “sacred city” with a religious purpose. The author does not indicate that these assumptions were pessimistic;
there is nothing gloomy or cynical about a capital or a sacred city. Rather, by using the term “romantic rubbish,” or
idealistic junk, the author suggests that the assumptions were based purely on imagination rather than fact.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Something “archaic” is old-fashioned or out of date. After touching on the “complexity” of Machu
Picchu, the author refers to previous theories about “the purpose of the city” as “romantic rubbish,” and gives two
examples: Hiram Bingham’s assumption that Machu Picchu was “the capital of the Incan empire” and others’ assumption
that Machu Picchu was a “sacred city” with a religious purpose. Although these assumptions are now outdated—indeed,
as the author points out, “None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”—the term “romantic rubbish” does not
suggest that. Rather, the term “romantic rubbish,” or idealistic junk, suggests that the assumptions were based purely on
imagination rather than fact.
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WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 42
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Reasoning and Inferencing
Understand assumptions, suggestions and implications in reading passages and draw informed conclusions.
This passage is adapted from a 1988 book that examines the influence of Native American cultures on other world
cultures. Here, the author discusses Machu Picchu, the ruins of an ancient Incan city located on a remote and steeply
terraced mountainside in South America.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
There is only one Machu Picchu, but it guards many
mysteries. The ruins of this ancient Peruvian city sit
perched 8,000 feet above sea level on a mountain
overlooking the Urubamba River. Even though in size
Machu Picchu barely surpasses a village, the ruins show
a complexity indicative of a much more important place:
precision-crafted buildings with neat regular lines, beveled
edges, and mortarless seams that characterize the best of
Incan architecture. The spectacular setting combined with
the exquisitely wrought buildings have evoked much
speculation and much romantic rubbish about the purpose
of the city. The explorer Hiram Bingham who “discovered”
Machu Picchu erroneously assumed that he had found the
capital of the Incan empire. Many other people assumed
that its purpose was religious, thus dubbing it the “sacred
city of the Incas.”
None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas.
They did not build large pyramids to please their gods.
They did not build observatories to watch the patterns of
the stars. Indeed, they displayed an austere practicality in
every aspect of their lives and showed little hint of religious
fervor and no tendency toward either the sentimental or the
superstitious.
In light of this practicality, the existence of Machu
Picchu seems all the more puzzling. Why would the Incas
build a city and line the mountain with terraces even though
there was very little soil there? The builders used the best
techniques known to them to make terraces that would last
for eternity. Then the workers added layers of rock and clay
as subsoil, and from the river below hauled up rich dirt over
steep embankments half a mile high. This task would be the
equivalent of hauling dirt from the Colorado River to plant
crops on top of the Grand Canyon.
The Incas built hundreds of these terraces, all of them
quite small for any kind of extensive agriculture. Some
of them narrow to as little as six inches in width. Such
an arrangement makes no more sense than if people today
decided to start farming using large flower boxes.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 58
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came
to me while hiking there with a friend who is a botanist.
We had approached via a trail perched high in the saddle
of the mountain dividing the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain from a dry inland valley. Standing in this
gateway one sees two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley
and the lush emerald-green valley watered by the thick
fogs of the Urubamba River. As we descended toward
the city from this high pass, I stared out at the spectacular
landscape. While I looked up and down the long vistas of
the Urubamba, my friend was looking at the vegetation and
naming everything growing along the path. I found this
distracting from the big picture but, as we descended and
passed from one terrace to another, the plant names
changed. We were passing through a series of ecological
layers, as one does on many mountains in the Andes. The
mountainside is laid out in strips of vegetation and
microzones. The place is a scientist’s dream—the perfect
location for all kinds of controlled experiments. Viewed
in that context, the small terraces took on new meaning
as experimental patches at a range of altitudes and built
at so many different angles, facing the morning sun, the
evening sun, constant sun, or no sun.
Line 40
Line 45
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
In my mind, Machu Picchu suddenly became an
agricultural station. And in that sense it was indeed a sacred
spot, because agriculture was a sacred activity for the Incas.
They had been among the world’s great experimenters with
agriculture, and they built numerous experimental areas
where crops could be grown in different ways. It would
not be surprising if the Incas devoted a place such as
Machu Picchu to just such an activity.
Line 65
Question:
The passage as a whole suggests that the author would most likely give which answer to the question in lines 25-27
(“Why would . . . there”) ?
(A) To provide a secure and remote location for a capital city
(B) To encourage religious reflection in an ascetic setting
(C) To study various types of plants in a controlled setting
(D) To provide meaningful labor for workers hauling up rocks and soil
(E) To inspire people to move from more crowded parts of the empire
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. In lines 25-27 the author asks, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” The passage as a whole suggests that the author would probably
answer that the Incas did this to study various types of plants in a controlled setting. In the fifth paragraph, the author
recounts hiking in Machu Picchu “with a friend who is a botanist.” The botanist named the different plants growing along
the path as they hiked down toward the city, and the author noticed that as they “passed from one terrace to another, the
plant names changed.” The author realized that they “were passing through a series of ecological layers” and that the area
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 59
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
“is a scientist’s dream—the perfect place for all kinds of controlled experiments.” At the end of the passage, the author
adds that he or she would not be surprised if Machu Picchu had been built as an “experimental” area “where crops could
be grown in different ways.” In other words, the Incas likely designed the area so that they could do controlled studies of
plants.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In lines 25-27, the author asks, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” The passage as a whole does not suggest that the author would say
that the Incas did this to provide a secure and remote location for a capital city. There is no indication that the author
believes that Machu Picchu was a capital city; indeed, he or she states that one explorer “ erroneously assumed” that
Machu Picchu was “the capital of the Incan empire.” Rather, the passage suggests that the author would say that the Incas
built the city and terraces to study various types of plants in a controlled setting. The author recounts walking from “one
terrace to another” and noticing that “the plant names changed” and that there was “a series of ecological layers,” and he
or she ends with the statement that he or she would not be surprised if Machu Picchu had been built as an “experimental”
area “where crops could be grown in different ways.”
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 25-27, the author asks, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” The passage as a whole does not suggest that the author would say
that the Incas did this to encourage religious reflection in an ascetic setting. There is no indication that the author believes
that Machu Picchu was a place for religious reflection; indeed, he or she dismisses the assumption that Machu Picchu’s
purpose was religious and points out that the Incas “showed little hint of religious fervor.” Rather, the passage suggests
that the author would say that the Incas built the city and terraces to study various types of plants in a controlled setting.
The author recounts walking from “one terrace to another” and noticing that “the plant names changed” and that there was
“a series of ecological layers,” and he or she ends with the statement that he or she would not be surprised if Machu
Picchu had been built as an “experimental” area “where crops could be grown in different ways.”
Choice (D) is incorrect. In lines 25-27, the author asks, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” The passage as a whole does not suggest that the author would say
that the Incas did this to provide meaningful labor for workers hauling up rocks and soil. Although the author mentions
that workers moved rocks and clay and “hauled up rich dirt over steep embankments,” he or she does not suggest that the
city was built in a place with little soil in order to provide employment for workers. Rather, the passage suggests that the
author would say that the Incas built the city and terraces to study various types of plants in a controlled setting. The
author recounts walking from “one terrace to another” and noticing that “the plant names changed” and that there was “a
series of ecological layers,” and he or she ends with the statement that he or she would not be surprised if Machu Picchu
had been built as an “experimental” area “where crops could be grown in different ways.”
Choice (E) is incorrect. In lines 25-27, the author asks, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” The passage as a whole does not suggest that the author would say
that the Incas did this to inspire people to move from more crowded parts of the empire; although the author notes that “in
size Machu Picchu barely surpasses a village,” there is no mention of crowding in other parts of the empire or a desire for
people to move. Rather, the passage suggests that the author would say that the Incas built the city and terraces to study
various types of plants in a controlled setting. The author recounts walking from “one terrace to another” and noticing that
“the plant names changed” and that there was “a series of ecological layers,” and he or she ends with the statement that he
or she would not be surprised if Machu Picchu had been built as an “experimental” area “where crops could be grown in
different ways.”
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 60
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 45
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (6 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Determining the Meaning of Words
Use vocabulary skills, context, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
This passage is adapted from a 1988 book that examines the influence of Native American cultures on other world
cultures. Here, the author discusses Machu Picchu, the ruins of an ancient Incan city located on a remote and steeply
terraced mountainside in South America.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
There is only one Machu Picchu, but it guards many
mysteries. The ruins of this ancient Peruvian city sit
perched 8,000 feet above sea level on a mountain
overlooking the Urubamba River. Even though in size
Machu Picchu barely surpasses a village, the ruins show
a complexity indicative of a much more important place:
precision-crafted buildings with neat regular lines, beveled
edges, and mortarless seams that characterize the best of
Incan architecture. The spectacular setting combined with
the exquisitely wrought buildings have evoked much
speculation and much romantic rubbish about the purpose
of the city. The explorer Hiram Bingham who “discovered”
Machu Picchu erroneously assumed that he had found the
capital of the Incan empire. Many other people assumed
that its purpose was religious, thus dubbing it the “sacred
city of the Incas.”
None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas.
They did not build large pyramids to please their gods.
They did not build observatories to watch the patterns of
the stars. Indeed, they displayed an austere practicality in
every aspect of their lives and showed little hint of religious
fervor and no tendency toward either the sentimental or the
superstitious.
In light of this practicality, the existence of Machu
Picchu seems all the more puzzling. Why would the Incas
build a city and line the mountain with terraces even though
there was very little soil there? The builders used the best
techniques known to them to make terraces that would last
for eternity. Then the workers added layers of rock and clay
as subsoil, and from the river below hauled up rich dirt over
steep embankments half a mile high. This task would be the
equivalent of hauling dirt from the Colorado River to plant
crops on top of the Grand Canyon.
The Incas built hundreds of these terraces, all of them
quite small for any kind of extensive agriculture. Some
of them narrow to as little as six inches in width. Such
an arrangement makes no more sense than if people today
decided to start farming using large flower boxes.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 61
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came
to me while hiking there with a friend who is a botanist.
We had approached via a trail perched high in the saddle
of the mountain dividing the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain from a dry inland valley. Standing in this
gateway one sees two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley
and the lush emerald-green valley watered by the thick
fogs of the Urubamba River. As we descended toward
the city from this high pass, I stared out at the spectacular
landscape. While I looked up and down the long vistas of
the Urubamba, my friend was looking at the vegetation and
naming everything growing along the path. I found this
distracting from the big picture but, as we descended and
passed from one terrace to another, the plant names
changed. We were passing through a series of ecological
layers, as one does on many mountains in the Andes. The
mountainside is laid out in strips of vegetation and
microzones. The place is a scientist’s dream—the perfect
location for all kinds of controlled experiments. Viewed
in that context, the small terraces took on new meaning
as experimental patches at a range of altitudes and built
at so many different angles, facing the morning sun, the
evening sun, constant sun, or no sun.
Line 40
Line 45
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
In my mind, Machu Picchu suddenly became an
agricultural station. And in that sense it was indeed a sacred
spot, because agriculture was a sacred activity for the Incas.
They had been among the world’s great experimenters with
agriculture, and they built numerous experimental areas
where crops could be grown in different ways. It would
not be surprising if the Incas devoted a place such as
Machu Picchu to just such an activity.
Line 65
Question:
In line 45, “watered” most nearly means
(A) cleansed
(B) diluted
(C) consumed
(D) secreted
(E) moistened
Answer Explanation:
Choice (E) is correct. In lines 42-46 the author explains that when on a trail overlooking “the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain” and “a dry inland valley,” what one sees is “two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley and the lush emeraldgreen valley watered by the thick fogs of the Urubamba River.” In this context, “watered” most nearly means
“moistened.” The author means that the green valley is literally moist with water from the river and its spray.
Choice (A) is incorrect. In lines 42-46 the author explains that when on a trail overlooking “the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain” and “a dry inland valley,” what one sees is “two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley and the lush emerald©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 62
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
green valley watered by the thick fogs of the Urubamba River.” In this context, “watered” does not mean “cleansed.” The
author means that the green valley is literally moist with water from the river and its spray, not that the water from the
river cleans or washes the valley.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 42-46 the author explains that when on a trail overlooking “the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain” and “a dry inland valley,” what one sees is “two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley and the lush emeraldgreen valley watered by the thick fogs of the Urubamba River.” In this context, “watered” does not mean “diluted,” or
thinned or weakened. The author means that the green valley is literally moist with water from the river and its spray, not
that the water from the river somehow thins or weakens the valley.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In lines 42-46 the author explains that when on a trail overlooking “the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain” and “a dry inland valley,” what one sees is “two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley and the lush emeraldgreen valley watered by the thick fogs of the Urubamba River.” In this context, “watered” does not mean “consumed,” or
used up or destroyed. The author means that the green valley is literally moist with water from the river and its spray, not
that the water from the river somehow uses up the valley.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In lines 42-46 the author explains that when on a trail overlooking “the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain” and “a dry inland valley,” what one sees is “two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley and the lush emeraldgreen valley watered by the thick fogs of the Urubamba River.” In this context, “watered” does not mean “secreted,” or
released a liquid substance. Indeed, it does not make sense to say that the fogs of a river could secrete, or release, a valley.
Rather, the author means that the green valley is literally moist with water from the river and its spray.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 63
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Critical Reading: Question 48
Difficulty Level: MEDIUM (5 on a scale of 1-9)
Skill Category: Author's Craft
Understand how authors use tone, style and writing devices such as metaphor or symbolism.
This passage is adapted from a 1988 book that examines the influence of Native American cultures on other world
cultures. Here, the author discusses Machu Picchu, the ruins of an ancient Incan city located on a remote and steeply
terraced mountainside in South America.
Passage 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
There is only one Machu Picchu, but it guards many
mysteries. The ruins of this ancient Peruvian city sit
perched 8,000 feet above sea level on a mountain
overlooking the Urubamba River. Even though in size
Machu Picchu barely surpasses a village, the ruins show
a complexity indicative of a much more important place:
precision-crafted buildings with neat regular lines, beveled
edges, and mortarless seams that characterize the best of
Incan architecture. The spectacular setting combined with
the exquisitely wrought buildings have evoked much
speculation and much romantic rubbish about the purpose
of the city. The explorer Hiram Bingham who “discovered”
Machu Picchu erroneously assumed that he had found the
capital of the Incan empire. Many other people assumed
that its purpose was religious, thus dubbing it the “sacred
city of the Incas.”
None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas.
They did not build large pyramids to please their gods.
They did not build observatories to watch the patterns of
the stars. Indeed, they displayed an austere practicality in
every aspect of their lives and showed little hint of religious
fervor and no tendency toward either the sentimental or the
superstitious.
In light of this practicality, the existence of Machu
Picchu seems all the more puzzling. Why would the Incas
build a city and line the mountain with terraces even though
there was very little soil there? The builders used the best
techniques known to them to make terraces that would last
for eternity. Then the workers added layers of rock and clay
as subsoil, and from the river below hauled up rich dirt over
steep embankments half a mile high. This task would be the
equivalent of hauling dirt from the Colorado River to plant
crops on top of the Grand Canyon.
The Incas built hundreds of these terraces, all of them
quite small for any kind of extensive agriculture. Some
of them narrow to as little as six inches in width. Such
an arrangement makes no more sense than if people today
decided to start farming using large flower boxes.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 64
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came
to me while hiking there with a friend who is a botanist.
We had approached via a trail perched high in the saddle
of the mountain dividing the Machu Picchu side of the
mountain from a dry inland valley. Standing in this
gateway one sees two worlds: the brown and lifeless valley
and the lush emerald-green valley watered by the thick
fogs of the Urubamba River. As we descended toward
the city from this high pass, I stared out at the spectacular
landscape. While I looked up and down the long vistas of
the Urubamba, my friend was looking at the vegetation and
naming everything growing along the path. I found this
distracting from the big picture but, as we descended and
passed from one terrace to another, the plant names
changed. We were passing through a series of ecological
layers, as one does on many mountains in the Andes. The
mountainside is laid out in strips of vegetation and
microzones. The place is a scientist’s dream—the perfect
location for all kinds of controlled experiments. Viewed
in that context, the small terraces took on new meaning
as experimental patches at a range of altitudes and built
at so many different angles, facing the morning sun, the
evening sun, constant sun, or no sun.
Line 40
Line 45
Line 50
Line 55
Line 60
In my mind, Machu Picchu suddenly became an
agricultural station. And in that sense it was indeed a sacred
spot, because agriculture was a sacred activity for the Incas.
They had been among the world’s great experimenters with
agriculture, and they built numerous experimental areas
where crops could be grown in different ways. It would
not be surprising if the Incas devoted a place such as
Machu Picchu to just such an activity.
Line 65
Question:
The primary purpose of the passage as a whole is to
(A) report known facts
(B) challenge previous data
(C) present a personal theory
(D) compare ancient cultures
(E) describe a mysterious location
Answer Explanation:
Choice (C) is correct. The author begins by stating that “Machu Picchu . . . guards many mysteries.” He or she dismisses
previous explanations of the purpose of the city (“None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”) and notes that
“the existence of Machu Picchu” is “puzzling,” asking, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” In line 39, the author begins to provide an answer to this question:
“A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came to me while hiking there . . . .” Throughout the rest of the passage,
the author explains how he or she arrived at the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was “an agricultural station.” As a whole,
the passage primarily serves to present the author’s personal theory of Machu Picchu’s purpose.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 65
PSAT/NMSQT ®
Questions and Answer Explanations 2012-2013
WEDNESDAY FORM
Choice (A) is incorrect. The author begins by stating that “Machu Picchu . . . guards many mysteries.” He or she
dismisses previous explanations of the purpose of the city (“None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”) and
notes that “the existence of Machu Picchu” is “puzzling,” asking, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain
with terraces even though there was very little soil there?” In line 39, the author begins to provide an answer to this
question: “A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came to me while hiking there . . . .” Throughout the rest of
the passage, the author explains how he or she arrived at the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was “an agricultural station.”
Although the author does refer to some known facts about Machu Picchu, the primary purpose of the passage is not to
report facts. Rather, as a whole, the passage serves to present the author’s personal theory of Machu Picchu’s purpose.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author begins by stating that “Machu Picchu . . . guards many mysteries.” He or she dismisses
previous explanations of the purpose of the city (“None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”) and notes that
“the existence of Machu Picchu” is “puzzling,” asking, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” In line 39, the author begins to provide an answer to this question:
“A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came to me while hiking there . . . .” Throughout the rest of the passage,
the author explains how he or she arrived at the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was “an agricultural station.” The author
does dismiss previous assumptions about Machu Picchu, but he or she does not challenge any previous data, or facts.
Rather than challenging previous data, the passage serves to present the author’s personal theory of Machu Picchu’s
purpose.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author begins by stating that “Machu Picchu . . . guards many mysteries.” He or she
dismisses previous explanations of the purpose of the city (“None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”) and
notes that “the existence of Machu Picchu” is “puzzling,” asking, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain
with terraces even though there was very little soil there?” In line 39, the author begins to provide an answer to this
question: “A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came to me while hiking there . . . .” Throughout the rest of
the passage, the author explains how he or she arrived at the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was “an agricultural station.”
The primary purpose of the passage is not to compare ancient cultures; the author does not compare the Incas to any other
ancient peoples. Rather, as a whole, the passage serves to present the author’s personal theory of Machu Picchu’s purpose.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author begins by stating that “Machu Picchu . . . guards many mysteries.” He or she dismisses
previous explanations of the purpose of the city (“None of this agrees with what we know about the Incas”) and notes that
“the existence of Machu Picchu” is “puzzling,” asking, “Why would the Incas build a city and line the mountain with
terraces even though there was very little soil there?” In line 39, the author begins to provide an answer to this question:
“A hint of the possible function of Machu Picchu came to me while hiking there . . . .” Throughout the rest of the passage,
the author explains how he or she arrived at the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was “an agricultural station.” Although the
author considers Machu Picchu mysterious, the primary purpose of the passage is not to describe the location; rather, it is
to present the author’s personal theory of the purpose of the city. Instead of simply describing the area, the author explores
and considers its possible function.
©The College Board 2013. For the sole use of the person for whom this report has been provided. Not for duplication or distribution.
Page 66