PSAT Writing and Language Question 402: Answer and Explanation

Question: 402

Which of the following statements, if inserted here, would provide the most specific and relevant support for the statement made in the previous sentence?

• A. College admission is a process that is carried out by teams of admissions representatives to ensure a thorough and reasonably objective process.
• B. In your application, be sure to state your grade point average, SAT and ACT test scores, and major extracurricular leadership positions.
• C. For example, at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution, the admissions rate in 1991 was 47 percent—in 2015, it was less than 10 percent.
• D. Average salaries for those graduating in math and science programs can often be 30 percent higher than the salaries of those graduating from humanities programs.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

(C) The statement in the previous sentence is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to earn admission to highly selective schools. Choice (C) provides the most specific support for this claim, since it gives relevant statistics that demonstrate just how much the selectivity of an elite school has increased over the years. Choice (A) is vague, and choices (B) and (D) provide specific information that does not relate to the previous sentence.