PrepTest 123, Section 2, Question 3
A century in certain ways is like a(53 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Areminisce about their(2 more words not shown)
- Bfear that their(6 more words not shown)
- Cfocus on what(5 more words not shown)
- Dbecome very interested(8 more words not shown)
- Ereflect on how(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Looking back on what? Keep that question in mind as the author moves from a life to a century.
We don't have to think a century resembles a person's life in every possible way. The author gives us a particular comparison: as either one approaches its end, people respond by reflecting on it. We need to follow that comparison far enough to finish the sentence.
On the life side, people near the end look back on the events of their lives. Now move to the century side. Keep the looking-back part, but change the subject of that reflection. If people are responding to the century as they would to a life, they should look back on the events of the century.
What we’re looking for
So my prediction is: “People at a century's end become interested in what happened during that century.” Read that into the blank and check both parts. We're still looking backward, and we're now looking at the century. An answer that preserves just one of those pieces won't complete the comparison.
Working the answers
- A
This preserves looking back but looks back at the wrong thing. Reminiscing about your own life belongs on the life side of the comparison. The blank concerns people's response to the century ending. We need to carry the behavior across to that new subject, not repeat the life example.
- B
The author never says people fear the end of their lives. Looking back could involve pleasure, regret, curiosity, or something else. We can't take an emotion the example never gave us and make it the point of the comparison.
- C
This keeps the subject as a century but points in the wrong direction. The original example looks backward at what happened, while C looks forward to what will happen next. If the life example had been about anticipating an afterlife, this might be a useful comparison. But that isn't the example we're completing.
- DCorrect
The history of the century just ending is what happened during that century. Becoming interested in that history matches the prediction: look back on the century as someone would look back on a life. We don't need the identical wording; we need both parts of the thought to fit.
- E
This adds a purpose for the reflection: figuring out how unfortunate events could have been prevented. The example only says people look back on events. They could be remembering happy moments or simply trying to understand what happened. We aren't given the narrower focus on preventing bad outcomes that E requires.
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