Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 111: Answer and Explanation

Question: 111

The following text is from Irina Petrov's 1917 work More than Many Sparrows.

Already that winter, [Kolya] had fed [the fire in the fireplace] half the books in his great grandfather's library. It had eaten up all the Napoleonic settees and tables that once adorned his ancestral home. He'd even offered it his mother's beloved mandolin, letting the strings on which she'd plucked his somber lullabies catch fire, snap, and turn to ash. He watched it happen, and felt nothing. Nothing, that is, but warm. It was winter, and sentimentality was not in season-nor had it been for many months. Besides, no one still living in the house knew how to play it.

What is a main idea of the text?

• A. The narrator's ancestral library must be preserved at all costs.
• B. Offerings to the gods may ward off misfortune.
• C. The narrator longs for the companionship of his deceased mother.
• D. The need for comfort overcomes familial nostalgia.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) When answering questions like these, the challenge is recognizing the big picture idea of the text. You need to be able to fully understand the text and put the main idea of the text in your own words. In this text, the main idea is that Kolya is putting family heirlooms into a fire in order to keep warm in the bitter cold. Instead of prioritizing the sentimental value of these items, he is more interested in being comfortable in the harsh environment. Therefore, choice (D) makes the most sense since Kolya's need for comfort overcomes his familial nostalgia (sentimental longing). The incorrect choices will often trap you by presenting ideas that may represent small portions of the text, but do not accurately represent the text as a whole. Choice (A) states that the library must be preserved at all costs, which is inaccurate given that so many of the library books are being burned. Choice (B) incorrectly suggests that the narrator is making some sort of sacrifice to the gods; instead, he is simply trying to stay warm. Choice (C) suggests that the narrator would like to be reunited with his deceased mother; while this may be true, there is no textual evidence to draw this conclusion, and this statement does not accurately represent the main idea of the text.