PSAT Writing and Language Question 114: Answer and Explanation

Question: 114

Which of the following would provide the most effective transition from the previous paragraph to this paragraph?

• A. The answer may have come from a recent study of killer whales.
• B. Killer whales are some of the most fascinating marine species.
• C. Pretty much everyone knows by now that whales are mammals, not fish.
• D. Scientists will experiment and try new things until they find something interesting.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A

Note the question! The question asks which choice provides the most effective transition from the previous paragraph to this paragraph, so it tests consistency. Determine the subjects of the two paragraphs, and find the answer that is consistent with those ideas. The previous paragraph is about gender differences in the animal kingdom, specifically that many females do not live much beyond menopause. The paragraph ends by stating that Scientists have long wondered why evolution has determined the female whales should live so much longer. The current paragraph says that the social forces that define gender may apply to the animal kingdom and that scientists watched over 750 hours of videos and observed the behaviors of pods of whales. Keep (A) because it acknowledges the question at the end of the previous paragraph and connects to scientists studying whales in the current paragraph. Eliminate (B) and (C) because they do not connect to the information in the previous paragraph. Eliminate (D) because it does not mention whales at all. The correct answer is (A).