2004 PSAT Corrections Critical Reading 1
September 19, 2013
•
Critical Reading (Section 1)
•
1. I chose answer A. Excavating, which
means to dig up. The correct answer is
C. Restoring because the question says
it is getting a “facelift,” which is the
same thing as “restoring.”
•
9. I skipped this one, but the answer is
D. “Long sips” indicates he wants to
savor the experience like a meal.
24%
6. The dance numbers were of contrasting
styles: ___ solos, inviting meditation and
instilling tranquility, were intermixed with
ensemble performances that were ___ in
nature, full ofinvolving
wild, excited
movements.
fast and
deep
meditation
• A. plaintive …
languorous energetic in a
wild,
• B. staccato … boisterous uncontrolled
way
• C. contemplative … frenetic
• D. cacophonous … grandiose
• E. brazen … rambunctious
7. The dinner party’s host was truly ___; he
impressed his guests with his elegant
manners, discriminating taste, and broad
education.
suave,
• A. sardonic
courteous,
refined in
• B. innovative
manner
• C. diminutive
• D. urbane
• E. surreal
15%
8. Though friends, Jaelyn and Sean are
temperamental opposites: while Jaelyn is
outgoing and ___, Sean is usually reserved
and ___.
friendly, goodnatured, easy to
• A. gregarious … ingratiating
talk to
• B. reclusive … imperious
• C. affable … aloof
not friendly, cool,
distant
• D. demure … introverted
• E. jovial … congenial
8%
13. According to Koestler’s argument, the
44%
advances of modern physics make the claims
of parapsychology appear
• A. relevant to the experience of everyday life
• B. less outlandish than they did originally
“Koestler writes… that the unthinkable
• C. easier of
than
before
to verify scientifically
phenomena
ESP
(extrasensory
perception)
appears somewhat less preposterous in the
•
D.
credible
to
untrained
laypersons
light of the unthinkable propositions of physics”
(18-19)
• E. too ordinary to merit much consideration
14. The author of Passage 1 would most likely
“For
reasons
that
spiritualists
have
never
been
characterize “the great mediums of the 19th27%
able to explain, the great mediums of the 19th
century”
as
century could perform their greatest miracles
only in darkness”
(26-28)
• A. possessing
no special
psychic powers
• B. relying on esoteric scientific knowledge
“the
claims
of
parapsychology
are
not
backed
by
• C. believing in the authenticity of their own
evidence” (24-25)
feats
• D. being superior to their present-day
counterparts
• E. endorsing some contemporary scientific
15. Lines 40-43 contain accusations of
• A. arrogance & malice
• B. ignorance & incompetence
eased;
• C. complacency & obtuseness
made less
• D. secrecy & deception
“Their skepticism is not mollified when they
the raw
data of sensational experiments
• find
E. bias
& elitism
sealed off from inspection by outsiders or
when failures of replication by unbelievers are
blamed on unconscious negative vibes.”
30%
31%
16. The word “curious” in line 50 conveys a
sense of
“Psi forces have a
• A. mild disappointmentcurious habit of fading
away when controls are
• B. sarcastic disbelief tightened or when the
experimenter is a
• C. slight impatience
skeptic--sometimes
even when a skeptic is
• D. interest
just there to observe.”
• E. bafflement
17. In line 66, “patent” most nearly means
• A. spreading
•
•
•
•
64%
“Occasionally you will hear
some scientific pundit proclaim
B. proprietary
there is no evidence for
parapsychological
C. unobstructedphenomena… That is patent
nonsense.
For
over
2,000
years
D. privileged
people have been reporting
[psychic experiences]…”
E. obvious
“Two millennia of human experience is a subject matter.”55%
18. The use of italics in(71)
lines 71 and 77 of
Passage
2
adds
emphasis
to
the
author’s
“Parapsychology does have something to study.” (77)
• A. belief that 2,000 years represents a
“Occasionally you will hear some scientific pundit
comparatively short span of human history
proclaim there is no evidence for parapsychological
•
B.
claim
that
all
people
possess
at
least
phenomena… For over 2,000 years people have
some
psychic
potential
been reporting [psychic experiences]…”
• C. conviction that surveys about psychic
experiences cannot all be accurate
• D. response to the criticism that
parapsychology has insufficient data
• E. rebuttal of the notion that
parapsychologists rely too much on surveys
“Obviously, the very first step in dealing with experiences
19. The author of Passage 2 suggests that the
of this kind is to examine how far [we] can go in explaining
“factors”
(line 83)must
areconsider
ones that
would
them.
Investigators
such
factors as
malobservation,
faulty
memory,
and
deceit.”
(80-84)
• A. be pervasive in all excellent scientific
•
•
•
•
37%
research
B. characterize the research done by
parapsychologists
C. indicate the presence of a scientific
anomaly
D. expose investigators to legal complication
E. render reports of psychic experiences
invalid
23%
“Meteors--stones falling from the sky--were long
20.
The references
to “Meteors”
and (X
dismissed
as the ravings
of lunatics. (line
X rays91)
were
thought
many
scientists
to be to
a hoax.”
rays”
(lineby92)
primarily
serve
suggest that
• A. scientific progress is sometimes the result
•
•
•
•
of accidents
B. psychic phenomena may someday come
to have a generally accepted explanation
C. allegations of deception are often made
by those who most fear the truth
D. unexplained phenomena are feared by
the general public
E. scientific irregularities defy explanation
23%
21. The author of Passage 2 would most likely
react to Arthur Koestler’s assessment of the
status of parapsychology in Passage 1 with
Passage 2
• A. mild amusement
Yes,
it
does!
Passage 1
• B. scientific detachment
Nope. Doesn’t
• C. cool indifference
exist.
• D. muted outrage
• E. general agreement
Psychic stuff
Koestler (quoted in
Passage 1):
It totally exists!
“Surveys have repeatedly shown that anywhere from
½22.
to ¾
of the
population
have had
experiences
they
How
might
the author
of Passage
1 respond
believe were psychic.”
46%
to the reference to the “Surveys” (line 71) in
Passage
2?
Passage 1: “the claims of parapsychology are not
• A. Surveys
areby
not
considered
reliable
backed
evidence”
(24-25)
•
•
•
•
because they are a relatively new
development.
B. Surveys are not as useful as reports
made immediately after an event.
C. Subjective reports of psychic experiences
do not constitute proper evidence.
D. Appropriately used statistics can bolster
the credibility of parapsychology.
E. If the reported percentages are true,
“For reasons that spiritualists have never been able
21%
23.
The
author
of
Passage
2
would
most
likely
to explain, the great mediums of the 19th century
could perform
their
greatest miracles
only in
respond
to the
statement
in Passage
1 about
darkness.” (26-28)
“the great mediums” (line 27) by arguing that
Passage 2: “Investigators must consider...deceit.
• IfA.it the
popularity
of
certain
performers
proves that all normal explanations fail to
reflects
culture that
fosters them
explain
thethe
experience
adequately,
then … we
have an
anomaly.”
• B. the standards
of 19th
century science
seem primitive to the modern perspective
• C. clairvoyance cannot be proved or
disproved because it is a matter of faith
• D. mediums require darkness just as
scientists need equipment
• E. deceit cannot fully account for all reports
of psychic events
27%
“Occasionally, you will hear some
24.
The
author
of
Passage
2
would
probably
scientific pundit proclaim there is no
evidence for parapsychological
characterize
the author of Passage 1 as most
phenomena.” (line 63)
like which of the following?
Passage 2
Passage
1
• A. The “reporter” (line 54)
Yes, it does!
Nope. Doesn’t
• B. A “theologian” (line 59) exist.
• C. A “pundit” (line 63)
• D. One of the “people” (line 75)
• E. An “anomaly” (line 87)
Psychic stuff
An expert in a
field or subject