PSAT Reading Question 493: Answer and Explanation

Question: 493

As described in the passage, the gradual process of changes in bacterial resistance to antibiotics is most similar to which of the following situations?

• A. An artificial intelligence program analyzes multiple instances of computer viruses, increasing its antiviral effectiveness as it gathers more applicable data.
• B. A television show is extremely popular in its first season but becomes less popular as its novelty wears off.
• C. A school initiates antiplagiarism software that is highly useful in stopping cheating at the outset but becomes less useful as more students catch on.
• D. A car's tires become worn thin after thousands of miles of wear and tear.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) First summarize what happened with antibiotics and antibiotic resistance: certain classes of antibiotics were wildly effective in eradicating bacteria, but some were resistant. As these classes of antibiotics were used more rampantly, much larger numbers of the bacteria became resistant. Thus, the situation described is one in which initial efficiency decreases as something becomes better at beating the system. This matches choice (C): the software is initially effective. However, as more students learn to beat the system, the software loses its effectiveness. Choice (A) isn't the same, because its efficiency increases over time. Choices (B) and (D) are tempting, but nothing is learning to beat the system in either case.