DSAT Evidence-Based Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage describes a scientist who 'spent two decades quietly collecting evidence before publishing her findings.' The word 'quietly' most likely implies that the scientist worked:
- In a soundproof laboratory environment
- Without drawing public attention or making premature announcements (Correct answer)
- In a rural area far from research institutions
- With a small team that communicated silently
Correct answer: Without drawing public attention or making premature announcements
Used figuratively, 'quietly' implies the scientist worked without fanfare or publicity, suggesting patient, unpublicized dedication to her research.
Question 2: The following claim appears in a passage: 'Mandatory voting laws would solve the problem of low voter turnout.' Which of the following, if true, would most weaken this claim?
- Voter turnout declined sharply in the 1990s across many democracies
- Countries with mandatory voting laws sometimes show high rates of blank or invalid ballots (Correct answer)
- Low voter turnout is more common in local elections than national elections
- Some voters are unable to reach polling locations due to transportation barriers
Correct answer: Countries with mandatory voting laws sometimes show high rates of blank or invalid ballots
High rates of blank ballots in countries with mandatory voting suggest the law may compel physical presence without ensuring meaningful participation, weakening the claim that it 'solves' the problem.
Question 3: A passage about the Industrial Revolution states: 'Child labor in 19th-century factories was not merely an economic arrangement but a moral catastrophe that society normalized through law, custom, and silence.' The word 'normalized' most nearly means:
- Corrected to meet a standard
- Made to appear acceptable or ordinary (Correct answer)
- Officially prohibited
- Statistically averaged
Correct answer: Made to appear acceptable or ordinary
In this context, 'normalized' means that society made child labor seem routine and acceptable rather than recognizing it as the moral violation it was.
Question 4: In an informational passage, the author shifts from describing a problem in paragraphs 1–2 to proposing solutions in paragraphs 3–4. This organizational structure is best described as:
- Chronological narrative
- Cause and effect followed by solutions
- Problem-solution (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
Correct answer: Problem-solution
When a passage first establishes a problem and then proposes ways to address it, the structure is problem-solution, one of the most common organizational patterns in informational writing.
Question 5: A poem contains the lines: 'The river does not mourn the stones it leaves behind / It simply moves, as water must.' These lines most likely suggest that:
- Rivers are indifferent to geological processes
- Letting go is a natural and necessary part of moving forward (Correct answer)
- Water is emotionally superior to solid matter
- The speaker regrets the passage of time
Correct answer: Letting go is a natural and necessary part of moving forward
The river serves as a metaphor for accepting change; just as water naturally flows forward, the poem suggests that moving on without grief is natural and necessary.
Question 6: A passage reports: 'Survey respondents who identified as frequent readers scored higher on empathy measures than non-readers.' A researcher notes this is a correlational study. What conclusion is best supported by this finding?
- Reading fiction causes people to become more empathetic
- People who read frequently tend to score higher on empathy measures (Correct answer)
- Non-readers should be required to read more
- Empathy cannot be measured reliably in survey studies
Correct answer: People who read frequently tend to score higher on empathy measures
Correlational data supports an association between two variables but cannot establish that one causes the other, so only the claim about a tendency or pattern is warranted.
Question 7: An author writes: 'Critics dismissed the novel as sentimental, yet it sold one million copies in its first year.' The word 'yet' signals:
- Agreement between critical opinion and public reception
- A contrast between negative critical reception and strong public popularity (Correct answer)
- The author's own negative opinion of the novel
- An explanation for why critics reviewed the novel
Correct answer: A contrast between negative critical reception and strong public popularity
'Yet' is a contrast conjunction signaling that the unexpected commercial success contradicts the dismissive critical reception.
DSAT Evidence-Based Reading 3
A passage describes a scientist who 'spent two decades quietly collecting evidence before publishing her findings.' The word 'quietly' most likely implies that the scientist worked: