PSAT 8/9 Reading Practice Test 4

Questions 1-8 refer to the following information.

This passage is adapted from Elaina Zachos, "Can Pokémon Go Get Players Into National Parks?" ©2016 by National Geographic. In the game "Pokémon Go," players use mobile devices to find and catch characters with names such as "Charmander" and "Pikachu." The game uses GPS and augmented reality to make the characters appear as if they are in the player's real-world location.

They walk among us. Shuffling along sidewalks,
mesmerized by the smartphones cradled in their
hands. Some have earbuds in, seemingly oblivious to
Line the physical world around them. They are Pokémon
05Go players, and they are on one mission: They've
gotta catch 'em all. From teenage girls to police
officers, it seems like everyone is hopping on the
augmented reality bandwagon to hunt down their first
Charmanders, Squirtles, and Bulbasaurs. Recently
10ranked as the most popular game in U.S. history,
the phenomenon has made its way through civilization
and is now venturing into uncharted territory: national
parks.
With lush trees and mountain ranges, national
15parks are not the easiest places to find cell reception
or Wi-Fi. Because of this, Barb Maynes, public
information officer at Olympic National Park, says
she hasn't heard reports of people playing Pokémon
Go. Acadia National Park also hasn't reported any
20activity. But some visitors centers, which have Wi-Fi,
double as pokégyms, or places where players can battle
each other and level up. On Tuesday, Tim Rains, a
public affairs specialist at Glacier National Park, caught
his first Pokémon—a Bulbasaur—near Glacier's Apgar
25Visitor Center. Lynda Doucette, a lead interpretive
ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, says
the park's landscape obstructs cell service. But she
and her colleagues have found at least five Pokéstops,
landmarks where players can collect useful items, and
30a Pokégym. They've identified at least 12 Pokémon,
including Zubats and Squirtles.
"One of our goals as part of the National Park
Service Centennial is to connect with and create
the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and
35advocates," Rains writes in an email. "Games that use
geolocation are a new and emerging opportunity to
bring new audiences to the park."
Pokémon Go also has an educational component
to it. Great Smoky Mountains's Mountain Farm
40Museum has three Pokéstops. When found, historical
text will pop up on screen, and players can tap an
icon to learn more before returning to the game.
There's also a Twitter account called Pokémon
Archaeology devoted to recording Pokémon in
45historical settings. "It gets people out there," Doucette
says. "I think it's an opportunity to bring a new
audience to a site."
But as play increases, injuries abound. Already,
players have been hurt after falling or walking into
50obstacles while cruising for critters. So far, though,
national parks aren't implementing any policies
against the game. Instead, Emily Davis, a public affairs
officer at Grand Canyon National Park, says rangers
will continue to remind visitors to be aware of their
55surroundings on their quests to track down new
Pokémon. "I don't anticipate that we're going to have
any new rules implemented," Doucette says. "It's the
same safety concerns we've had before this game."
Overall, Pokémon Go may become a new way to
60explore historic parks, which tend to be dead spots
for technology. In Washington, D.C., rangers will
even soon be getting in on the game by leading a
"Catch the Mall Pokémon Hunt," according to the
National Mall and Memorial Parks Facebook page.
65"On top of reminding visitors to be safe during their
visit, we are also asking them to be respectful of the
solemn monuments and to avoid wandering into off-
limits areas," Tom Crosson, chief of public affairs for
the National Park Service, writes in an email.
70Who knows? Maybe Pikachu could end up
on Mount Rushmore one day.