Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 81: Answer and Explanation

Question: 81

Text 1

We teach in schools that a presidential candidate must receive an absolute majority of the electoral college votes to win the presidential election, but we don't teach the mechanics of how a candidate actually receives these votes. A party's electors are chosen in a variety of ways, but they're typically reputable members of the party. When citizens cast a vote during the presidential election, they are actually voting for a particular party's electors to cast their votes for the presidential candidate to whom they have pledged.

Text 2

More than 200 years of complacency have left us with something resembling less a federal government than a yard sale of antiquated institutions, with none more dusty than the electoral college. Consider that it's theoretically possible to receive just eleven votes, have your opponent receive 200 million, and still win the election under the electoral college.

The relationship between the passages can best be described as which of the following statements?

• A. Text 1 and Text 2 both cite political authority figures to make their cases.
• B. Text 1 focuses more on voting technicalities while Text 2 focuses on historical context.
• C. Text 1 presents more of a pious view of the founding of the United States than does Text 2.
• D. Text 1 focuses more on political dishonesty while Text 2 focuses on economic repercussions.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

(B) Text 1 delves into the mechanics of how the electoral college works, while Text 2 puts the electoral college in the historical context of the past 200 years-all of this lines up with choice (B). It is not (A), because neither text cites political authority figures. It is not (C), because Text 1 does not address the founding of the United States. And it is not (D), because Text 2 does not address the economy.