PSAT Reading Question 85: Answer and Explanation

Question: 85

It can reasonably be inferred from the passage and the graph that

• A. U.S. steel mills reached their greatest productivity in the mid-1970s.
• B. the U.S. steel industry experienced growth followed by significant decline during the 20th century.
• C. all domestic steel mills cut their workforces by over 75% between 1950 and 2000.
• D. air pollution in communities surrounding steel mills was worse in the 1970s than in 2000.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B

The question asks for an inference based on both the passage and the graph. First, work through each answer choice using the graph. According to the graph, domestic steel production reached a peak in the mid-1970s, so keep (A). Choice (B) states that U.S. steel production showed growth followed by significant decline. This is supported by the graph, which shows a general increase in steel production to about 1973, followed by a decline. Keep (B). The graph does not directly support any claims about either the size of the steel mill workforces or air pollution, so eliminate (C) and (D). Next, look for support in the passage for (A) or (B). Lines 52–54 mention the 1960s as time when the steel mills employed large numbers, but the passage does not state that the mills reached their greatest productivity in the mid-1970s. Eliminate (A). Lines 45–56 discuss how the first of the mills was built in the 1850s. Within one hundred years, these steel mills produced more steel…than anywhere else in the world. This supports the claim that the steel industry grew from the 1850s to the start of the graph at 1950. The correct answer is (B).