PSAT Reading Question 417: Answer and Explanation

Question: 417

Which option best describes what happens in the passage?

• A. A traveler contemplates the best solution to a problem.
• B. A man attempts to reconnect with his childhood best friend.
• C. A character recounts his impressions and analysis of a situation.
• D. A narrator tells the story of a famous and idiosyncratic family.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) This is a big-picture question. First, the narrator tells us about a time when he approached a particularly gloomy-looking house, explains the events that led to his arrival, and then delivers a general sense of his relationship to the home's occupant. Choice (C) is the only option that fits this pattern, an impression of the house and then an analysis of how the narrator came to be there. The narrator does not suggest that he is solving a problem as in choice (A). Although he may attempt to reconnect with an old friend, the events of the passage take place before that. Choice (D) serves as a detail of the passage but not an overall description.