Help On Hard Reading Question

Question

In line 22, "Alaska" serves as an example of a place that is a) distant b) immerse c) scenic d) cold e) undeveloped Here is the context "The dam at Aintry has already started, and when it's finished next spring the river will break up fast. This whole valley will be under-water. But right now it's wild. And I mean wild; it looks like something up in Alaska." Okay, so I thought the answer would be b immerse because of the But statement which is the contrast between how the entire thing will be underwater and absolutely wasted but now it is "wild" which is why I picked b. However, the answer is E which doesn't make sense to me because of the But statement and the contrast.

Answer 1

Hi there!

I'm happy to help you with SAT reading. For this particular question, there is one sentence in the passage excerpt that reveals the answer. It is this: "And I mean wild; it looks like something up in Alaska."

Remember that the question specifically asks for the function of the word "Alaska." In the sentence I have pulled out, "Alaska" is used as part of a simile to illustrate how wild the valley looks. You can tell this is the function because of the first independent clause: "And I mean wild." This establishes the valley as being a "wild" place. The second independent clause, "it looks like something up in Alaska" relates this "wild" looking place to "Alaska." Hence, Alaska illustrates a wild, or underdeveloped, place.

The "But" sentence illustrates, as you said, a contrast between the valley's being "under-water" and it's current state, which is "wild." The under-water component is not related to "Alaska," as it is used in the passage.

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