PSAT Writing and Language Question 401: Answer and Explanation

Question: 401

How could the two sentences most effectively be combined?

• A. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected, for the reason that it is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus because many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.
• B. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected and is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus; many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.
• C. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected and is, in fact, welcome in order to sharpen one's focus, many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.
• D. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected because it is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus, the fact remains that many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) Choice (C) preserves the original meaning of the underlined sentences while joining them into a single complete sentence. Choice (A) has convoluted word order in the phrase "for the reason that it is in fact welcome," choice (B) does not have a complete sentence before the semicolon, and choice (D) is unnecessarily wordy.