PSAT Reading Quiz: Detail Questions

Try the quiz below to see how ready you are for Detail Questions on the Verbal section of the Digital PSAT.

[ MORE Free PSAT Reading Quizzes: Difficult Passages and Vocab-in-Context • Main PSAT Reading Quiz ]

PSAT Reading Detail Question 1

The following text is from Gustave Flaubert’s 1857 novel Madame Bovary.

Old Rouault would not have been sorry to
be rid of his daughter, who was of no use to him in the house. In his heart he excused her, thinking her too clever for farming, a call-
ing under the ban of Heaven, since one never saw a millionaire in it. Far from having made
a fortune by it, the good man was losing every year; for if he was good in bargaining, in which he enjoyed the dodges of the trade, on the other hand, agriculture properly so called, and the internal management of the farm, suited him less than most people. He did not willingly take his hands out of his pockets, and did not spare expense in all that concerned himself, liking to eat well, to have good fires, and to sleep well.

According to the passage, Old Rouault thinks that farming

A) is an apt career for his daughter.
B) contributes to a good night’s sleep.
C) is not a highly profitable occupation.
D) helps meet his basic needs.

PSAT Reading Detail Answer 1

Correct Answer: C

Difficulty: Easy

Category: Information and Ideas

Getting to the Answer: This question is asking you to identify details about Old Rouault’s opinion about farming in the passage. The passage includes many references to his opinions on both farming and being a farmer, which could result in predictions that are too broad. Elimination may be the faster strategy for this question. Eliminate choice (A) is because it is the opposite of what he says in the passage: he thinks his daughter is “too clever for farming.” Choice (B) misuses a detail from the last sentence; Rouault does not make a connection between farming and sleep quality. Choice (D) is out of scope; he does not mention his basic needs, only the things for which he spares no expense. In the second and third sentences, he makes the claims that “one never saw a millionaire in [farming]” and that “far from” making a fortune, he was “losing every year.” Choice (C) is aligned with his statements on farming and is correct.

PSAT Reading Detail Question 2

Though vilified in media, sharks pose a rela- tively low danger to humans in the water, and their unique characteristics have actually inspired life-changing innovations that are used in advancing technology and medicine. For example, a shark’s skin is formed by many microscopic, overlapping teeth-like “scales” called dermal denticles that increase a shark’s speed by decreasing speed discrepancy and turbulence. Paint that mimics a shark’s skin has been shown to improve marine transportation outcomes by decreasing fuel costs. Further- more, the dermal denticles of the skin create a rough texture that discourages the attach- ment of parasites. This same principle was applied to the medical field when surfaces in hospitals and clinics were similarly modeled: it decreased the spread of bacteria and germs by preventing them from attaching to surfaces.

According to the passage, how have the features of a shark’s skin influenced innovation?

A) Boats that have been sprayed with paint that is modeled after shark skins have decreased fuel costs.
B) Whales have smooth skin that allows bar- nacles to attach themselves to the whale’s body.
C) Wetsuits made with a sharkskin material increase swimmers’ speed by increasing speed discrepancy.
D) Surfaces that have the texture like a shark’s skin increase the spread of bacteria.

PSAT Reading Detail Answer 2

Correct Answer: A

Difficulty: Medium

Category: Information and Ideas

Getting to the Answer: Read the passage carefully for details about the application of sharkskin technology. In the third and last sentences, the author claims that mimicry of a shark’s skin has “decreas[ed] fuel costs” in marine transportation and “decreas[ed] the spread of bacteria” by modeling the rough texture of sharks’ skin. The correct answer will include one or both of those details. The correct choice (A) refers to sharkskin paint on boats that decreases fuel costs.

Choices (B) and (C) are out of scope; neither whales nor wetsuits are mentioned in the passage. Choice (D) is incorrect because it asserts the opposite of the passage; the texture does not increase the spread of bacteria.

PSAT Reading Detail Question 3

Some countries still adhere to an archaic practice of daylight savings, which was introduced and spread globally during World War I as a method to increase working hours and decrease the reliance on artificial light so that fuel could be reserved for war efforts; many countries ceased participating in the daylight savings after the war ended. In the U.S., the time shift mandate was rescinded a few months after it was enacted, but World War II brought with it a reenactment of the mandatory time shift to once again decrease fuel consumption. Just as the U.S. government did previously, the law was repealed after the cessation of the war. In 1966, a year after the U.S. President sent military troops into Vietnam, the Uniform Time Act was passed to provide a permanent, national framework for seasonal time shifts.

The passage indicates that daylight savings

A) was mandated in all countries since the sec- ond world war.
B) is a modern practice that was first imple- mented in the United States.
C) increased reliance on artificial light when implemented nationwide.
D) was initially implemented to conserve fuel during times of war.

PSAT Reading Detail Answer 3

Correct Answer: D

Difficulty: Hard

Category: Information and Ideas

Getting to the Answer: The phrase “The passage indicates” means that this is a Detail question and that the correct answer will be explicitly stated or supported by the author. Because the passage contains a surplus of details, elimination is the strategy to use here. Eliminate choice (A) because it is a misuse of details. In the first sentence, the author states that daylight savings was introduced during the first world war but does not state that all countries mandated it. Choice (B) is incorrect; the author never states which country first implemented the practice. Choice (C) is a distortion of details; the author asserts that daylight saving was a method to decrease reliance on artificial light. Choice (D) is correct because the author states that daylight savings was “introduced” during World War I and was reintroduced during World War II to “once again decrease fuel consumption.”

PSAT Reading Quiz: Detail Questions

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