Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 27: Answer and Explanation

Question: 27

An Enigma operator was given a message to encrypt. As he typed in each letter, a lamp randomly selected a letter different from the first. The letter substituted by the lamp was recorded as the encrypted message. Each key press moved a rotor so that the subsequent key would use a different electrical pathway, which led to the substitution of a whole new letter. The entire initial, unencrypted message would be typed in, and Enigma would produce the encrypted message.

As used in the text, what does the word initial most nearly mean?

• A. Original
• B. Personalized
• C. Literary
• D. Decoded

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

(A) The sentence in which we find "initial" states that "The entire initial, unencrypted message would be typed in, and Enigma would produce the encrypted message." It is most reasonable to conclude that an unencrypted message would be the original message that would need to be put into coded form. Thus, choice (A) makes the most sense. It is not choice (B), because the message would not necessarily be personalized. It is not choice (C), because it is unlikely that military communication would take on literary qualities. It is not choice (D), because the message would not likely have been decoded since it had not yet been put into coded form.