PSAT Writing and Language Practice Test 14: Will Your Start-Up Succeed?

Questions 23-33 refer to the following information.

Will Your Start-Up Succeed?

According to research from Harvard Business School, the majority of small businesses 23 fail in fact the success rate for a first-time company owner is a meager 18 percent. With odds so dismal, why would anyone become a business entrepreneur?

24 Veteran entrepreneurs achieve a higher 30 percent success rate, so the most predictive factor for success appears to be the number of innovations that a person has "pushed out." More specifically, the people who succeed at building a robust start-up are the ones who have previously tried. Finally, many entrepreneurs 25 grab the idea for their business by solving practical problems, and it's more than luck; 320 new entrepreneurs out of 100,000 do succeed by starting a company at the right time in the right industry.

Mitch Gomez is evidence of this data. He 26 did graduate from college with a degree in accounting. "I quickly realized that I have too big of a personality to be content practicing accounting," he laughs. He first built a successful insurance claims 27 service, and next founded his own independent insurance agency. "I continually employ my accounting skills, but I've ascertained that I'm an even more effective salesperson."

Similarly, Barbara Vital, the woman behind Vital Studio, explains, "I love spending as much time with my family as possible." Vital saw an opportunity to 28 launch a monogramming business when her two young sons started school, so she founded a company that offers monogrammed backpacks and water bottles for kids, as well as 29 totes, rain boots; and baseball caps for college students. What is the secret to Vital's success? "I'm always learning how to incorporate social media and add functionality to my product website to keep customers happy," she says.

Finally, Chris Roth is an entrepreneur who can step out of his comfort zone. Always seeking a new 30 challenge his company designed and manufactured technology to keep the nozzles of water misting systems clean. Roth has also established a corporate travel agency and a truck customization company, most recently claiming he has become an innovator who beat the odds by "striving to serve customers better than my competition." 31 Large companies often employ corporate travel agencies to arrange travel for their employees and clients.

Gomez, Vital, and Roth 32 agrees that although being an entrepreneur can be a formidable challenge, exceptionally skillful entrepreneurs have important strategies for success, including stretching 33 his personal boundaries and recovering from failures. "And nothing beats being your own boss," adds Gomez.