PSAT Reading Practice Test 22

Questions 1-9 refer to the following information.

Our survey revealed a broad pattern
of unconscious bias against minority
students on majority-white college
campuses. First, a startlingly high
05proportion of minority respondents,
83%, reported that they often or
sometimes felt marginalized or
overlooked by members of their
broader campus communities.
10In a follow-up telephone interview,
Aida Green, an African American sophomore
at Standmore University in Iowa, said that
students in campus common areas often
asked her questions like, "Where
15are you visiting from?" Although these
encounters typically take a friendly
tone, Green said the underlying message
is clear: her community fails to recognize
her as a member. When asked why this
20matters, Green sounded frustrated. "I see
people's eyes pass over me when they're
forming study groups. White kids get
asked; I have to put myself forward."
She sighed. "And that's if I know an
25opportunity exists. I'm always wondering
what I could be doing to get ahead
that I'm not doing because nobody
thought to tell me I can."
Similar patterns existed in other
30minority students' survey comments
and interviews. The most common type
of statement was a sentiment of fatigue;
students feel exhausted by the effort
to insert themselves into groups
35that unconsciously exclude them.
And many students echoed Green's
worry that they may be missing out
on opportunities. Clarity Ferrer, a
black Puerto Rican senior at Northeastern
40College of Vermont, was certain she had
been overlooked: "My own sorority sisters
started holding informal lunches with
alumni to talk about jobs and internships,
and they didn't invite me the
45whole first quarter. All the other seniors
got told about it. But me? They forgot."

9 questions 12 minutesAll test questions

1. What is the primary purpose of the passage?

A. To annoy

B. To inform

C. To persuade

D. To entertain

2. With which statement would the authors of the passage most likely agree?

A. Clarity Ferrer's sorority sisters probably excluded her on purpose for a reason that had nothing to do with race.

B. Unconscious racism on college campuses may be a cause of income gaps between white and minority college graduates.

C. Even if minority students encounter unconscious bias, they do not suffer much because affirmative action helps them.

D. White students at majority-white campuses nationwide are actively coordinating an attempt to keep minority students down.

3. Which sentence expresses an argument supported by the evidence in the passage?

A. Campus communities should require students to undergo training to address their unconscious biases.

B. Colleges should offer minority students more opportunities to rest because racism makes them tired.

C. Minority students should be offered training and support so they get better at enduring slight hints of racism.

D. If we can end the unconscious marginalization of minority college students, racism in the United States will be solved.

4. The authors most likely included Aida Green's comments in order to:

A. show that marginalization is one of a constellation of problems, most of which are not clear from survey data.

B. add an emotional component to the statistical information that 83% of minority students feel marginalized.

C. appeal to the reader's reason by adding statistical data to back up an opinion shared by many survey respondents.

D. distract readers from the main idea in order to trick them into believing an argument that is not sufficiently supported.

5. The authors most likely include the statistic about the percentage of minority students who feel marginalized in order to:

A. show that experiences with marginalization are widespread.

B. scare readers into thinking they may be unconscious racists.

C. provide a counterpoint to an argument in favor of bias training.

D. distract from the fact that 17% of minority students did not feel marginalized.

6. The passage may be best described as:

A. an informal student survey that expresses unpopular opinions.

B. an informal interview with a student about a lack of opportunities.

C. a formal passage to detail the widespread feelings within campus minorities.

D. a formal expose′ about targeted exclusion of minority students on a campus.

7. In the second paragraph of the passage, the author describes, "She sighed." What does this detail reveal?

A. The interviewer asked the author to include details about what Green did during the interview.

B. The interviewer noticed Green's boredom during the interview.

C. Green is tired about talking to the author of the article.

D. Green is upset about having to work harder to make up for student bias.

8. One student within the survey explained that her sorority sisters forgot to invite her to opportunistic events because of bias. Is this a fact or opinion?

A. Fact. The student is quoted for the explanation.

B. Fact. The student knows her sorority sisters best.

C. Opinion. It is unverified information, but supports the idea the bias is unconscious.

D. Opinion. The student clearly made up the explanation because she was mad.

9. Which option could the author use to make the passage argument stronger?

A. A picture of the study groups that form in a classroom which excludes minority students.

B. A bar graph of students enrolled within certain classes that discuss topics of bias.

C. A line graph showing the increase of minority students within the campus population.

D. A pie chart of the ethnic backgrounds within the student population.

PSAT Reading Practice Test 22

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