Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 213: Answer and Explanation

Question: 213

The first great breakthrough in cooking had to be the division of fires into their component functions. That is, a campfire used to produce light or to heat a large area is not typically the ideal fire for cooking. Once a fire ring was designated specifically for the preparation of food, the earliest earthen stoves almost certainly began to evolve shortly afterward and would have significantly increased the degree to which primitive cooks could distribute heat evenly. Discovered in the Ukraine, the oldest known stoves appear to date from about 30,000 years ago and were used primarily to bake mammoth meat.

The underlined sentence serves to clarify what phrase in the text?

• A. division of fires into their component functions
• B. the earliest earthen stoves almost certainly began to evolve
• C. Discovered in Ukraine, the oldest known stoves
• D. were used primarily to bake mammoth meat

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

(A) This sentence clarifies the phrase about the division of fires because it highlights how different fires are needed for different functions, like for heating and for cooking. It does not deal with the history of stoves, like in choices (B) or (C). Also, it does not specifically address the baking of mammoth meat.