PSAT Reading Question 638: Answer and Explanation

Question: 638

Apart from ease of readability, why else might the classicists of the 18th century have preferred using Antiqua typefaces to blackletter?

• A. Using Antiqua typefaces prevented lay people from understanding the classicists' texts.
• B. It distinguished the classicists' texts from those printed in the middle ages.
• C. It was a faster and more efficient way to write in longhand.
• D. It associated the classicist movement with the learning of ancient Rome and the classical period.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) Lines 60–65 refer to the modeling of the letterforms on ancient Roman scripts. So it is highly plausible that the classicists of the 18th century wished to connect to the culture of ancient Rome. Although the other options may be true aspects of this lettering, they do not relate to its classical origins.