PSAT Writing and Language Question 298: Answer and Explanation

Question: 298

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. effect
• C. affecting
• D. effecting

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Difficulty: Easy

Getting to the Answer: This question is testing two commonly confused words: affect and effect. Affect means "to influence" and is most often used as a verb. While effect can be used as a verb (meaning "to bring something about," as in effected a solution), it is usually used as a noun meaning "result." In this sentence, the word is used as a noun (try substituting the word result—if you can, you can use effect), so effect must be correct. Adding the -ing ending does not make sense in context, so (B) is correct.