PSAT Reading Question 49: Answer and Explanation

Question: 49

In Passage 1, which choice provides the best support for the author's statement that space is an "inhospitable environment for life"?

• A. Lines 3–5 ("Once in…space")
• B. Lines 5–8 ("In this…radiation")
• C. Lines 18–19 ("And now…space")
• D. Lines 26–28 ("The tardinauts…level")

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B

The question asks for evidence from Passage 1 that supports the claim that space is an "inhospitable environment for life." Use the line references given in the answer choices to find a statement that supports this claim. The lines for (A) say that the tardigrades were exposed to the vacuum of space. These lines do not describe the space environment, so eliminate (A). The lines for (B) say that the tardigrades had no air and were subjected to extreme dehydration, freezing temperatures, weightlessness and lashings of both cosmic and solar radiation. These lines support the claim that space is an inhospitable environment, so keep (B). The lines for (C) say that the tardigrades survived the raw vacuum of space, but they do not describe the space environment, so eliminate (C). The lines for (D) state that the tardigrades spent time in low Earth orbit, but they don't describe the space environment, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (B).