Question ID 58f7c9ba

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: 58f7c9ba
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Here I Have Returned is a sculpture by Egyptian American artist Sherin Guirguis.
It is a large, curved strip of wood inspired by the shape of a sistrum.
A sistrum is a curved musical instrument played by ancient Egyptian priestesses in ceremonies.
Guirguis says that the sculpture symbolizes “women who have lifted and supported Egyptian society and
culture.”
Overall, Guirguis wants her works to “engage audiences in a dialogue about power, agency, and social
transformation.”

The student wants to use a quotation from Guirguis to explain what the sculpture represents. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Guirguis, whose works include a sculpture that is a large, curved strip of wood, has explained that she wants her
A. work to create a dialogue with audiences.

Inspired by the sistrum played by Egyptian priestesses, Here I Have Returned symbolizes “women who have lifted
B. and supported Egyptian society and culture,” according to Guirguis.

According to Guirguis, the curved strip of wood used in Here I Have Returned was inspired by the sistrum, a musical
C. instrument played by ancient Egyptian priestesses in ceremonies.

Guirguis, the sculptor of Here I Have Returned, wants her works to “engage audiences in a dialogue about power,
D. agency, and social transformation.”
Question ID 0ddab77a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: 0ddab77a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Las sergas de Esplandián was a novel popular in sixteenth-century Spain.
The novel featured a fictional island inhabited solely by Black women and known as California.
That same century, Spanish explorers learned of an “island” off the west coast of Mexico.
They called it California after the island in the novel.
The “island” was actually the peninsula now known as Baja California (“Lower California”), which lies to the
south of the US state of California.

The student wants to emphasize the role a misconception played in the naming of a place. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The novel Las sergas de Esplandián featured a fictional island known as California.

To the south of the US state of California lies Baja California (“Lower California”), originally called California after a
B. fictional place.

In the sixteenth century, Spanish explorers learned of a peninsula off the west coast of Mexico and called it
C. California.

D. Thinking it was an island, Spanish explorers called a peninsula California after an island in a popular novel.
Question ID 3dff6887
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

PSAT 10

ID: 3dff6887
Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland’s more than 30
active volcano systems emerges from deep within Earth. The great depths involved—nearly 3,000 km—mark Iceland’s
volcanoes as extreme outliers; ______ many of Earth’s volcanoes are fed by shallow pockets of magma found less than
15 km below the surface.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. indeed,

B. nevertheless,

C. in addition,

D. consequently,
Question ID 10d657ce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: 10d657ce
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In North America, woodlands have expanded into areas that were once grasslands.
Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell of Wichita State University investigated whether woodland expansion is
related to changes in climate.
Rogers and Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the past and
indexed the age of the trees with historical climate data to see if tree populations and climate were correlated.
Tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.
Droughts may have played a role in woodland expansion.

The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, researchers at Wichita State University, wanted to know if woodland
A. expansion is related to changes in climate.

Thanks to the work done by Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, we now know that droughts may have played a
B. role in woodland expansion.

C. Wichita State University researchers have determined that tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.

Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the
D. past, indexing the age of the trees with historical climate data.
Question ID f3a8abf6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

PSAT 10

ID: f3a8abf6
When soil becomes contaminated by toxic metals, it can be removed from the ground and disposed of in a landfill.
______ contaminated soil can be detoxified via phytoremediation: plants that can withstand high concentrations of
metals absorb the pollutants and store them in their shoots, which are then cut off and safely disposed of, preserving
the health of the plants.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Alternatively,

B. Specifically,

C. For example,

D. As a result,
Question ID b413e452
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: b413e452
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens) is a species of seabird that feeds mainly on fish, tuna, squid,
and other small sea animals.
It is unusual among seabirds in that it doesn’t dive into the water for prey.
One way it acquires food is by using its hook-tipped bill to snatch prey from the surface of the water.
Another way it acquires food is by taking it from weaker birds by force.
This behavior is known as kleptoparasitism.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two ways a magnificent frigatebird acquires food. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A magnificent frigatebird never dives into the water, instead using its hook-tipped bill to snatch prey from the
A. surface.

B. Neither of a magnificent frigatebird’s two ways of acquiring food requires the bird to dive into the water.

C. Of the magnificent frigatebird’s two ways of acquiring food, only one is known as kleptoparasitism.

In addition to snatching prey from the water with its hook-tipped bill, a magnificent frigatebird takes food from other
D. birds by force.
Question ID ab7bf717
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

PSAT 10

ID: ab7bf717
In 2009, the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles hosted a special exhibition, Sueños/Yume, showcasing the
works of local sculptor Dora de Larios. As suggested by the show’s title (sueños and yume mean “dreams” in Spanish
and Japanese, respectively), de Larios’s art reflects a mix of cultural influences. ______ her work is grounded in the
artistic traditions of both Mexico and Japan.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In addition,

B. In contrast,

C. Specifically,

D. Therefore,
Question ID 312309a4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: 312309a4
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1999, astronomer Todd Henry studied the differences in surface temperature between the Sun and nearby
stars.
His team mapped all stars within 10 parsecs (approximately 200 trillion miles) of the Sun.
The surface temperature of the Sun is around 9,800°F, which classifies it as a G star.
327 of the 357 stars in the study were classified as K or M stars, with surface temperatures under 8,900°F
(cooler than the Sun).
11 of the 357 stars in the study were classified as A or F stars, with surface temperatures greater than 10,300°F
(hotter than the Sun).

The student wants to emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

At around 9,800°F, which classifies it as a G star, the Sun is hotter than most but not all of the stars within 10
A. parsecs of it.

Astronomer Todd Henry determined that the Sun, at around 9,800°F, is a G star, and several other stars within a 10-
B. parsec range are A or F stars.

Of the 357 stars within ten parsecs of the Sun, 327 are classified as K or M stars, with surface temperatures under
C. 8,900°F.

While most of the stars within 10 parsecs of the Sun are classified as K, M, A, or F stars, the Sun is classified as a G
D. star due to its surface temperature of 9,800°F.
Question ID b392b396
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

PSAT 10

ID: b392b396
Researchers Helena Mihaljević-Brandt, Lucía Santamaría, and Marco Tullney report that while mathematicians may have
traditionally worked alone, evidence points to a shift in the opposite direction. ______ mathematicians are choosing to
collaborate with their peers—a trend illustrated by a rise in the number of mathematics publications credited to multiple
authors.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Similarly,

B. For this reason,

C. Furthermore,

D. Increasingly,
Question ID 4aa75a2d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

PSAT/NMSQT & Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

PSAT 10 Synthesis

ID: 4aa75a2d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
British musicians John Lennon and Paul McCartney shared writing credit for numerous Beatles songs.
Many Lennon-McCartney songs were actually written by either Lennon or McCartney, not by both.
The exact authorship of specific parts of many Beatles songs, such as the verse for “In My Life,” is disputed.
Mark Glickman, Jason Brown, and Ryan Song used statistical methods to analyze the musical content of
Beatles songs.
They concluded that there is 18.9% probability that McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life,” stating that the
verse is “consistent with Lennon’s songwriting style.”

The student wants to make a generalization about the kind of study conducted by Glickman, Brown, and Song. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Based on statistical analysis, Glickman, Brown, and Song claim that John Lennon wrote the verse of “In My Life.”

There is only an 18.9% probability that Paul McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life”; John Lennon is the more
B. likely author.

C. It is likely that John Lennon, not Paul McCartney, wrote the verse for “In My Life.”

D. Researchers have used statistical methods to address questions of authorship within the field of music.