PSAT Reading Question 40: Answer and Explanation

Question: 40

As used in line 12, "vest" most nearly means

• A. clothe.
• B. abandon.
• C. endow.
• D. belong.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

C

The question asks what the word vest most nearly means in line 12. Go back to the text, find the word vest, 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 nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of government, and…the people must cede to it some of their natural rights in order to vest it with requisite powers. In other words, the people must give over to the government some of their natural rights in order to "provide" or "give" the government its necessary power. Therefore, vest must mean something like "provide" or "give." Choice (A) might initially look attractive because a vest is also an article of clothing, but that does not match the prediction. Choice (A) is a Could Be True trap answer that is based on another meaning of vest that is not supported by the passage. Eliminate (A). Choice (B), abandon, doesn't match "provide" or "give," so eliminate (B). Choice (C), endow, means "to give," which is consistent with the prediction. Choice (D), belong, does not match the prediction. The correct answer is (C).