PSAT Reading Question 102: Answer and Explanation

Question: 102

As used in line 97, "uniform" most nearly means

• A. spread thin.
• B. similarly shaped.
• C. evenly distributed.
• D. wiped clean.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

C

The question asks what the word uniform means in line 97. Go back to the text, find the word uniform, and highlight it. Carefully read the surrounding text to determine another word that would fit in its place, based on the context of the passage. This paragraph describes what surfactants such as soap do. Lines 93–98 say that the soap causes a counterflow from the edge back towards the centre of the stain in such a way that the small particles—material or bacteria—end up in a kind of whirlwind. In this way, you get a more uniform distribution of particles as evaporation occurs. Therefore, uniform must mean something like "the same throughout." Spread thin does not mean "the same throughout," so eliminate (A). Choice (B) is about similar shape, not distribution, so it doesn't match the prediction. Eliminate it. Keep (C) because evenly distributed matches "the same throughout." Eliminate (D) because wiped clean doesn't mean "the same throughout." The correct answer is (C).