PSAT Reading Question 26: Answer and Explanation

Question: 26

As used in line 38, "obscene" most nearly means

• A. censored.
• B. improper.
• C. vulgar.
• D. outrageous.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

D

The question asks what the word obscene most nearly means in line 38. Go back to the text, find the word obscene, and highlight it. Then read the window carefully, using context clues to determine another word that would fit in the text. The text says that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world and that on a planet of finite resources, with the expectation of at least two billion more residents by 2050, this waste is obscene. Therefore, the word obscene could be replaced by something like "appalling." Censored means "suppressed;" it does not match "appalling," so eliminate (A). Improper means "inappropriate" and does not match "appalling," so eliminate (B). Vulgar means "lacking good taste" and does not match "appalling," so eliminate (C). Outrageous matches "appalling," so keep (D). Note that (A), (B), and (C) are Could Be True trap answers based on alternate meanings of obscene that are not supported by the text. The correct answer is (D).