PSAT Reading Question 252: Answer and Explanation

Question: 252

According to the passage, Salimpoor visited local music stores after collecting surveys of volunteers' music preferences in order to

• A. seek information about what causes people to prefer certain musical genres.
• B. compare the music available online with music available in stores.
• C. select songs that the study participants had not heard previously.
• D. determine which songs the staff had recommended to the study participants.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

The question asks for the reason Salimpoor visited local music stores after collecting surveys of volunteers' music preferences. Since there is no line reference, use lead words and the order of the questions to find the window for the question. The answer for Q39 was based on lines 35–41, so the window for Q40 most likely begins after these lines. Beginning with line 42, scan the passage, looking for the lead words Salimpoor and music store. Lines 49–57 discuss the process by which Salimpoor created a list of unfamiliar songs, and the end of the paragraph says that she asked people who worked at local music stores for song recommendations to help compile this list. Look for an answer choice that matches this prediction. Choice (A) is a Mostly Right, Slightly Wrong trap answer. While Salimpoor did seek information from music stores, this information was not related to the cause of music preferences. Eliminate (A). Eliminate (B) because although Salimpoor looked for music online and in stores, she did not compare the two. This is a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap answer. Keep (C) because it matches the prediction. Eliminate (D) because it is a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap answer: the text says that Salimpoor asked the staff for recommendations, not for songs that the staff had recommended to the study participants. The correct answer is (C).