PSAT Reading Question 159: Answer and Explanation

Question: 159

As used in line 33, "floundering" most nearly means

• A. thrashing.
• B. painful.
• C. pitiful.
• D. trembling.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A

Difficulty: Medium

Category: Vocab-in-Context

Getting to the Answer: Use context clues from the target sentence and surrounding sentence. Predict the meaning of the word and look for a match in the answer choices. Gregor is attempting to turn over in his bed, but finds his legs and body are useless and unable to turn him over into his preferred position. Choice (A) is the nearest match to the meaning of "floundering" in this context.