PSAT Reading and Writing Question of the Day

Practice PSAT Reading and Writing with the production-style question-of-the-day selection for this public URL.

Question 1

Economists and headlines often say the economy is overheating. The phrase works because readers can picture a whirring engine that must be cooled to avoid damage. Yet economies are not machines, and the metaphor quietly tilts policy toward pressing the brakes even when the problem is specific. Overheating suggests a single temperature gauge, but what we observe are mismatches: a shortage of child care workers here, a materials bottleneck in housing there. Cooling the whole system may relieve neither. Better language would name the constraint and the fix, such as training subsidies or targeted imports, rather than gesturing at heat. Vivid metaphors are useful introductions, but when they steer decisions, precision matters more.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The author narrates a personal anecdote and draws a moral without addressing counterarguments.
The author presents data from multiple studies and synthesizes them into a unified model.
The author defines a technical term and traces its historical evolution across fields.
The author introduces a familiar metaphor, acknowledges its appeal, then critiques its limits and proposes a more precise alternative.

Explanation: The passage begins with a common metaphor, concedes its vividness, then argues it misleads and suggests clearer language. The other options describe structures not present in the text.

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PSAT Reading and Writing

PSAT Reading and Writing Question of the Day

Practice PSAT Reading and Writing with the production-style question-of-the-day selection for this public URL.

Question 1

Economists and headlines often say the economy is overheating. The phrase works because readers can picture a whirring engine that must be cooled to avoid damage. Yet economies are not machines, and the metaphor quietly tilts policy toward pressing the brakes even when the problem is specific. Overheating suggests a single temperature gauge, but what we observe are mismatches: a shortage of child care workers here, a materials bottleneck in housing there. Cooling the whole system may relieve neither. Better language would name the constraint and the fix, such as training subsidies or targeted imports, rather than gesturing at heat. Vivid metaphors are useful introductions, but when they steer decisions, precision matters more.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The author narrates a personal anecdote and draws a moral without addressing counterarguments.
The author presents data from multiple studies and synthesizes them into a unified model.
The author defines a technical term and traces its historical evolution across fields.
The author introduces a familiar metaphor, acknowledges its appeal, then critiques its limits and proposes a more precise alternative.

Explanation: The passage begins with a common metaphor, concedes its vividness, then argues it misleads and suggests clearer language. The other options describe structures not present in the text.