Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 263: Answer and Explanation

Question: 263

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Fight or flight response is a physiological response to a dangerous or life-threatening situation.
• These situations trigger the adrenal glands to pump large amounts of adrenaline into the bloodstream.
• Adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate and breathing as well as dilated pupils within seconds.
• Another stress hormone released by the adrenal glands is cortisol.
• It takes longer to feel the effects of cortisol, which can be continuously released if someone is stressed over long periods of time.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between adrenaline and cortisol. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• A. Life-threatening situations can prompt the release of adrenaline, a hormone created by the adrenal glands.
• B. While the effects of adrenaline are relatively immediate, it takes more time to feel the effects of cortisol.
• C. Adrenaline and cortisol are both released by the adrenal gland in response to stress.
• D. While internal stressors may prompt the release of cortisol, external stressors typically prompt the release of adrenaline.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B. To emphasize a difference between adrenaline and cortisol, Choice B makes the most sense. The notes state that the effects of adrenaline are felt “within seconds,” while the effects of cortisol take “longer to feel.” It is not Choice A because this only focuses on adrenaline. It is not Choice C because it points out a similarity. It is not D because no clear distinction is made between internal and external stressors in the notes.