PSAT Writing and Language Question 89: Answer and Explanation

Question: 89

Which of the following would provide a detail that would best maintain the focus of this paragraph?

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. many people died from this flu, especially soldiers in World War I,
• C. it's possible to get flu vaccinations at your local drug store now,
• D. it just faded away even though doctors could never cure it,

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A

Note the question! The question asks which choice best maintains the focus of this paragraph, so it tests consistency of ideas. Determine the subject of the paragraph and find the answer that is consistent with that idea. The paragraph says Medical science has created some modern miracles and mentions the Spanish flu and the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Look for an answer that gives other examples of historical epidemics. Keep (A) because it mentions polio, which is consistent with the other epidemics mentioned. Eliminate (B) and (D) because they give extra and irrelevant details about the Spanish Flu. Eliminate (C) because it discusses the present, while the paragraph is about the past. The correct answer is (A).