Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 110: Answer and Explanation

Question: 110

The following text is from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1852 novel The Blithedale Romance.

I recognized no severe culture in Zenobia; her mind was full of weeds. It startled me, sometimes, in my state of moral as well as bodily faint-heartedness, to observe the hardihood of her philosophy. She made no scruple of oversetting all human institutions and scattering them as with a breeze from her fan. A female reformer, in her attacks upon society, has an instinctive sense of where the life lies, and is inclined to aim directly at that spot. Especially the relation between the sexes is naturally among the earliest to attract her notice. Zenobia was truly a magnificent woman.

Based on the text, what aspect of society is Zenobia most eager to reform?

  • A. Xenophobic universities
  • B. Widespread economic corruption
  • C. Antiquated gender roles
  • D. Environmental negligence

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) Zenobia is most interested in the "relation between the sexes" when it comes to social reform, so she is most interested in reforming antiquated gender roles. There is no evidence that her primary reform objective is to change universities that are hostile towards foreigners (choice A), problems with economic fairness (choice B), or destruction of the environment (choice D).

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