PSAT Reading Question 341: Answer and Explanation

Question: 341

As used in line 21, "hard" most nearly refers to a word's

• A. challenges.
• B. pronunciation.
• C. density.
• D. difficulty.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

(B) In line 20, the author mentions the way a word sounds and goes on to elaborate about what makes profanity have a distinct pronunciation, namely a "hard" ending. The other definitions would correctly define "hard" in different contexts but would not work in this situation.