PSAT/NMSQT Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states the author 'reluctantly conceded' a rival's point. What does this word choice suggest about the author's attitude?
- The author fully embraces the rival's view
- The author admits the point despite disagreement (Correct answer)
- The author has no opinion on the matter
- The author is delighted by the concession
Correct answer: The author admits the point despite disagreement
'Reluctantly conceded' signals grudging agreement while underlying disagreement remains.
Question 2: In a science passage, a researcher's data 'challenges the prevailing consensus.' This implies the findings are:
- Confirming established belief
- Contradicting what most experts hold (Correct answer)
- Irrelevant to the field
- Universally accepted already
Correct answer: Contradicting what most experts hold
To challenge a consensus means the data opposes the majority view.
Question 3: A paired-passage question asks how Passage 2's author would respond to Passage 1's claim. The best strategy is to:
- Restate Passage 1 verbatim
- Identify Passage 2's stance and apply it to Passage 1's claim (Correct answer)
- Pick the longest answer
- Ignore Passage 1 entirely
Correct answer: Identify Passage 2's stance and apply it to Passage 1's claim
Synthesis questions require applying one author's viewpoint to the other's argument.
Question 4: The phrase 'the experiment was anything but conclusive' most nearly means the experiment was:
- Definitive and final
- Inconclusive (Correct answer)
- Perfectly designed
- Widely replicated
Correct answer: Inconclusive
'Anything but' negates 'conclusive,' yielding 'inconclusive.'
Question 5: A 'command of evidence' question asks which lines best support a prior answer. You should choose the option that:
- Sounds most sophisticated
- Directly justifies the previous answer (Correct answer)
- Appears earliest in the passage
- Contains a quotation
Correct answer: Directly justifies the previous answer
Evidence questions require lines that logically support the answer just given.
Question 6: When a passage uses a graph showing rising values alongside text, a question may ask whether the data 'supports' a claim. You must:
- Trust the text over the graph
- Compare the graph's trend to the claim's assertion (Correct answer)
- Always answer 'supports'
- Ignore the axis labels
Correct answer: Compare the graph's trend to the claim's assertion
Data-interpretation questions require checking whether the graph's actual trend matches the claim.
Question 7: An author describes a policy as a 'double-edged sword.' This metaphor conveys that the policy:
- Has only benefits
- Has both advantages and drawbacks (Correct answer)
- Is completely harmful
- Cannot be implemented
Correct answer: Has both advantages and drawbacks
A double-edged sword cuts both ways, indicating mixed consequences.
PSAT/NMSQT Reading Comprehension 2
A passage states the author 'reluctantly conceded' a rival's point.
What does this word choice suggest about the author's attitude?