PSAT Reading Question 458: Answer and Explanation

Question: 458

According to Passage 2, Matthew Arnold has what overall feelings about Plato's ideas?

• A. That they are interesting yet overly practical
• B. That they are comprehensive yet indecipherable
• C. That they are admirable yet outdated
• D. That they are melancholy yet applicable

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) Of Plato, Arnold says that "[o]ne cannot refuse to admire the artist," yet his notions are "primitive," making choice (C) correct. Plato, who held disdain for the man who worked rather than spent all his time thinking and speculating, is viewed as neither practical nor applicable, ruling out choices (A) and (D). Since Arnold summarizes Plato's beliefs, it is not accurate to call them "indecipherable" as in choice (B).