Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 162: Answer and Explanation

Question: 162

Text 1

I saw you from across the room, and I knew immediately. My pulse began to race; I started to sweat; I could barely breathe. From the first moment that I laid eyes on you, I was convinced that you were the one. On our first date, the chemistry was obvious. We laughed and smiled and held hands and talked for hours. I couldn't sleep or eat or even pay attention at work. I just had to be with you.

Text 2

Within one-fifth of a second, your physical appearance and body language caused an excessive release of dopamine in my brain creating feelings of excitement and happiness. We made eye contact for 8.2 seconds; your pheromones were indistinguishable from my mother's. Then, your voice triggered my brain mechanism for generating long-term attachment. Once vasopressin and oxytocin reached my receptors, I knew that I could never be without you.

The different perspectives represented by the first and second texts are generally described as what, respectively?

• A. Ethical, scientific
• B. Trivial, important
• C. Authentic, misguided
• D. Subjective, objective

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) The first text is very personal and emotional in its approach to describing love. The second takes a very scientific and factual approach to love. Since the first is not based on principles of morality, ethical is an inaccurate description. (B) takes an opinion on which basis is more significant, assuming an emotional, heartfelt description of love is trivial or foolish. (C) indicates that the technical approach is misguided. Thus, (D) is the only accurate choice. Subjective means "based on personal experience," while objective means "based on a representation of facts."