PSAT Reading Question 91: Answer and Explanation

Question: 91

As used in line 54, "equivocal" most nearly means

• A. wrong.
• B. misleading.
• C. ambivalent.
• D. unclear.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

D

The question asks what the word equivocal means in line 54. Go back to the text, find the word equivocal, and highlight it. Carefully read the surrounding text to determine another word that would fit in its place, based on the context of the passage. The text says that the data supporting burning grassland only in late spring…is equivocal. The rest of the paragraph describes examples of uncertain findings, such as that It was not known if [grass] biomass was reduced by early-spring burning or if the differences were a site effect rather than a treatment effect. Therefore, equivocal must mean something like "uncertain." Wrong and misleading do not mean "uncertain," so eliminate (A) and (B). Ambivalent is another possible definition of equivocal, but it does not mean "uncertain;" this is a Could Be True trap answer because it doesn't match the meaning of the word in this context, so eliminate (C). Unclear matches "uncertain," so keep (D). The correct answer is (D).