PSAT Writing and Language Practice Question 32
Question: 32
Screen Time Woes
1 In the 1980s and 1990s, cultural critics had begun to express concern that Americans watched too much television. The numbers varied, but it was widely touted that Americans spent anywhere from three to five hours a day in front of the tube. 2 Whether this was true, it certainly did present a startling finding, especially to those who were interested in promoting other media and activities.
3 All the while, TV is as good now as it has ever been in its 60-year history. Political theorists warned that too much time in front of the television would dampen people's political awareness. Nutrition activists feared that such a sedentary activity would spur an obesity epidemic. 4 Movie-theater owners cautioned that the lower-quality television could destroy the high-end film industry. Lovers of literature fretted that people no longer had the time or attention span to read the great works.
5 These criticisms are particularly apt because television has been proven to have negative effects on children's attention spans. Movies were controversial in the 1920s. The National Association of Librarians wrote a report in the 6 1940s. In this report, radio was excoriated for distracting children from life's real pursuits. The criticisms went even further back. The printing press, even early in its history as mainly a printer of Bibles, was thought to give religious messages to too many who couldn't properly 7 get the messages. Even newspapers, now a mainstay of the serious American consumer, were once considered politically subversive.
Therefore, in today's world, where the Internet seems to be the new medium of choice, we should not be so quick to criticize it in these terms. Still, as a recent survey has shown, American consumers spend more time online than they have on any other media platform in the last five years. 8 Spending more time on the Internet as of 2012, 9 American consumers in 2013 spent an average of over 5 hours a day on the Internet.
Is this increase in Internet usage a troubling change? Well, history would seem to say that it's not. 10 After all, the Internet has the advantage of being significantly more active than all those other media. In short, effective use of the Internet requires your participation in a way that TV does not. Even so, upwards of six hours a day is a tremendous amount. There must at least be some kind of change, even if it's not necessarily for the worse. 11 Some of the criticisms historically associated with television are frequently applied to Internet usage.
At this point, the writer wants to insert an idea that will support the idea given in the previous sentence. Which of the following true statements would offer that support?
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Note the question! The question asks for the statement that would support the idea given in the previous sentence, so it tests consistency. Eliminate answers that are inconsistent with the purpose stated in the question. The previous sentence says that history would say that [the change] is not troubling. The change refers to an increase in Internet usage. Therefore, the correct answer must support the idea that increased Internet time may not be a bad thing, according to history. Eliminate (A) because the rate of literacy is too specific—time spent reading is only one idea mentioned as a potential harm of new technology. Eliminate (B) because the odd imbalance does not support the idea that the change is not troubling. Eliminate (C) because the example is too specific for the content of this paragraph. Keep (D) because The printing press, the newspapers, the radio, and even the television are all examples of things that, like the Internet, were subject to criticism but proved to be eventually integrated effectively into American culture. The correct answer is (D).