PSAT Reading Question 4: Answer and Explanation

Question: 4

In discussing the nature of natural polymers, the author of Passage 1 suggests that

• A. they are more effective as an electrospun scaffold base as they may be less harmful to people than synthetic polymers.
• B. they are not as effective as when blended with synthetic polymers such as poly(glycolide) and poly(lactide).
• C. because they are natural materials that exist in the human body, the body is unable to reject them.
• D. collagen and elastin are effective polymer bases only when blended together.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

The question asks what the author of Passage 1 suggests about natural polymers. Look for the lead words natural polymers to find the window in Passage 1. Lines 40–47 indicate that natural polymers typically possess lower levels of toxicity, immunogenicity, and improved biocompatibility compared with synthetic polymers, and therefore natural polymers…perform more effectively than synthetic polymers do in the treatment of human disease. Eliminate answers that don't match this prediction. Choice (A) says that natural polymers are more effective than synthetic polymers, and that natural polymers may be less harmful to people, which matches possess lower levels of toxicity. Keep (A). Eliminate (B) because Passage 1 does not discuss blending natural polymers with synthetic polymers (that's discussed in Passage 2). Eliminate (C) because the passage does not state that the body is unable to reject natural polymers. Choice (D) is a Mostly Right, Slightly Wrong trap answer—while the passage states that collagen and elastin are effective when blended together, it does not say they are effective only when they are combined. Eliminate (D). The correct answer is (A).