Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 36: Answer and Explanation

Question: 36

Text 1

If both Chicago and Indianapolis expanded their radii by fewer than 100 miles, they would spill into one another. All the farmland between the two would be gone. It's a rather scary enigma: we expand our cities because our population is growing, yet we decrease our ability to sustain ourselves by doing so.

Text 2

If done correctly, vertical expansion would greatly decrease our need for cars. A large city would actually be made up of many mini-communities. Each community would be a self-serving network of high rises. Food would likely still need to be imported, but the people in each community would be able to walk to the grocery store. Residents would walk to work. Each community would have workers specialized in the various essential professions.

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the texts?

• A. Text 1 demonstrates how the approach advocated in Text 2 is impractical.
• B. Text 2 provides a possible solution to the problem described in Text 1.
• C. Text 1 argues that existing technology can overcome the obstacles in Text 2.
• D. Text 2 is focused on urban developments while Text 1 is not.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

(B) The problem outlined in Text 1 is that as cities grow, the land available for the cities decreases. Text 2 proposes a solution of vertical expansion to overcome this, making (B) the most logical option. It is not (A) or (C), because Text 1 does not address the specifics of the solution discussed in Text 2. It is not (D), because both texts consider urban developments, i.e., cities.