PSAT Reading Question 35: Answer and Explanation

Question: 35

Which choice best supports the claim that mice are more visually adept than they were conventionally believed to be?

• A. Lines 54–57 ("The mice…painting")
• B. Lines 77–79 ("However…correctly")
• C. Lines 83–85 ("Mice have…animals")
• D. Lines 86–88 ("This…thought")

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

D

The question asks for evidence that supports the claim that mice are more visually adept than they were conventionally believed to be. Use the line references given in the answer choices to find a statement that supports this claim. Choices (A) and (B) discuss a lack of preference for Picasso or Renoir and the mice's inability to discriminate between the two artists, but neither discusses a conventional belief. Eliminate (A) and (B). Choice (C) discusses a conventional understanding about mice (it has been thought that they are non-visual animals), but it does not mention anything about them being more visually adept than this belief suggests. Eliminate (C). Choice (D) says that the experiment demonstrates that mice have much better visual perception abilities than previously thought, which supports the idea that mice are more visually adept than they were conventionally believed to be. The correct answer is (D).