PSAT Writing and Language Question 380: Answer and Explanation

Question: 380

At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence.

After World War II, safety concerns about stunt flying curtailed its popularity, so today it is difficult to find a performance that features these particular tricks.

Should the writer make this addition here?

• A. Yes, because it adds a detail about the current time to make the passage more relevant to the reader.
• B. Yes, because it supports the paragraph's point about the difficulty of the stunts.
• C. No, because it is irrelevant to the passage's focus on how Coleman became an aviator.
• D. No, because it blurs the paragraph's focus on explaining airshows.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

C

Note the question! The question asks whether a sentence should be added, so it's testing consistency. If the content of the new sentence is consistent with the ideas surrounding it, then it should be added. The paragraph discusses Bessie's career-defining air show at Curtiss Field. The new sentence discusses safety concerns about stunt flying after World War II and a contemporary effect of these consequences, so it is not consistent with the ideas in the text; the sentence should not be added. Eliminate (A) and (B). Keep (C) because it accurately states that the new sentence is irrelevant. Eliminate (D) because the paragraph does not focus on explaining airshows. The correct answer is (C).