Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 35: Answer and Explanation

Question: 35

The following text is from Meditations on First Philosophy, by René Descartes, 1641, in which he muses about the nature of knowledge.

Several years have now elapsed since . . . I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking once in my life to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted, and of commencing anew the work of building from the foundation, if I desired to establish a firm and abiding superstructure in the sciences. But as this enterprise appeared to me to be one of great magnitude, I waited until I had attained an age so mature as to leave me no hope that at any stage of life more advanced I should be better able to execute my design. On this account, I have delayed so long that I should henceforth consider I was doing wrong were I still to consume in deliberation any of the time that now remains for action.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

• A. He believes that the foundations for knowledge are error ridden.
• B. The intellectual project he is tackling is so important.
• C. His mental and physical health have begun to decline.
• D. He has chosen this point in time to write this work.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) The underlined portion refers to the fact that Descartes has waited until an optimal age to try to break down his false principles, making (D) accurate. (A) and (B) are alluded to earlier in the text, and (C) is not supported by the text.