PSAT Writing and Language Practice Question 318
Question: 318
Marie Van Brittan Brown: Staying Safe
In the 1960s, a woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown 1 lived in Queens, New York, where she worked as a nurse. Both she and her husband Albert, an electrician, often worked odd hours. Their neighborhood had a high crime rate, and since they often had to come and go during the night, the two were concerned about safety. They were not always both there during the night to protect each 2 other; their home, and their two children. Furthermore, Brown had noticed that local 3 residents calls' to the police did not always receive a quick response. With these concerns in mind, Brown wondered whether 4 there was a way to see who was at her door from any room in the house and quickly contact the authorities.
At that time, if someone 5 knocked on your door you might have to look out a window (potentially allowing an intruder to see who you were) or a small peephole. A potential intruder could also be standing right outside the door, and if he or she did not make a noise, you would have no way to know that someone was there, preparing to break in. If the person did try to break in, you would have to run to the phone and call the 6 police this could use up precious time in the days when most homes had only one phone, with a cord.
In 1966, Brown, along with 7 Albert; filed a patent for the first home security system. In Brown's invention, a door would have several peepholes with a camera looking outside. The video would be transmitted to a monitor that could be 8 placed, it was in any room in the house. This would allow residents to see who was outside their door without having to constantly look out. In addition, Brown's patent included a set of microphones to allow the resident to talk to the person outside. A remote control could lock or unlock the door from a distance, and the invention included an additional 9 feature, and a panic button that would call the police immediately.
Brown's patent application was approved in 1969, and she later won an award from the National Scientists Committee. Her idea formed the basis for many security systems in place today in 10 homes, offices, and outdoor spaces. In fact, it's estimated that over 100 million security cameras are now in place, utilizing Brown's innovative idea.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Commas are changing in the answer choices, so this question is testing the four ways to use a comma. Check to see whether any of the four ways can be cited as a reason to use commas: comma + FANBOYS, GO punctuation, list, or unnecessary information. There is no list in the question, and all of the information in the sentence is necessary (eliminating any information would change the meaning of the sentence), so check the other two reasons. There is no comma + FANBOYS, but there may be a reason to use GO punctuation. Consider the ideas before and after each comma to see how they are related and whether a comma is needed to show a shift in ideas. Commas change after knocked, but the phrase knocked on your door is a continuous thought, so there is no need to interrupt it with a comma. Eliminate (B) and (D). Commas also change after door. The idea before the comma gives a hypothetical situation, someone knocked on your door, and the idea after the comma explains what might happen if someone knocked on your door. These two ideas are two separate thoughts, not one continuous thought, so a comma should be used to separate them. Eliminate (A). The correct answer is (C).