Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 100: Answer and Explanation

Question: 100

A student takes the following notes for her geography class:

■ Two dimensional maps are imperfect in projecting three-dimensional surfaces, especially planetary surfaces like that of Earth.

■ The Mercator projection is good for navigation because it makes it easy to distinguish between north and south.

■ The Mercator projection is problematic in that it does not accurately show the surface area of countries.

■ The Mercator projection makes the far northern and far southern countries appear to be much larger than they actually are.

■ The Robinson projection shows all the surface of Earth connected together in one drawing.

■ The Robinson projection distorts the size of the land masses close to the north and south poles.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the Mercator and the Robinson projections. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

  • A. Both the Mercator and Robinson projections are equally useful for ship navigation.
  • B. Both the Mercator and Robinson projections inaccurately represent the surface area of each part of Earth.
  • C. Both the Mercator and Robinson projections are accurate in representing the surface area of Earth towards upper latitudes near the poles.
  • D. Neither the Mercator nor the Robinson projection can be drawn on a two-dimensional surface.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

(B) Both of these projections inaccurately display the area of all surfaces of Earth, skewing the size based on where on Earth the section is found. The Mercator projection "does not accurately show the surface area of countries" and the Robinson projection "distorts the size of the land masses close to the North and South poles." It is not (A), because the Mercator is likely more useful for ship navigation. It is not (C), because the projections are not accurate in displaying relative land area in latitudes close to the poles. It is not (D), because both projections can indeed be drawn on a two-dimensional surface.

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