PSAT Reading Question 80: Answer and Explanation

Question: 80

In the context of the passage, the image of steel mills is compared to that of

• A. the Rockies.
• B. wayward aircraft.
• C. a football field.
• D. phantom dirges.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A

The question asks for what comparison to the image of steel mills is made in the passage. Notice that this is the first question in a paired set, so it can be done in tandem with Q24. Look at the answer choices for Q24 first. The lines in (24A) discuss neighborhoods, and the lines in (24B) describe a highway. Neither of these windows mentions steel mills at all. Therefore, these lines don't support any of the answers for Q23, so eliminate (24A) and (24B). The lines in (24C) support (23A), describing the steel mills as the man-made equivalent of the Rockies. Draw a line connecting (23A) and (24C). Although these lines also reference a football field, they do not say that the steel mills are like football fields; they only say that some of the mills are three times the size of a football field. These lines also mention aircraft, but this reference is not part of a comparison. Choice (24D) describes the function of the steel mills but does not draw a comparison to any of the answer choices in Q23. Eliminate (24D). Without any support in the answer choices from Q24, (23B), (23C), and (23D) can be eliminated. The correct answers are (23A) and (24C).