SAT #9 Reading (Question 33)

Question

In Passage 1, Henry states that Virginia differs from other areas of the country in that [...]?

Answer 1

33.R.9 (hard)

Answer Choice A is the correct answer, because in Lines 30-33 Henry distinguishes Virginia from other parts of the country when he says, “Disorders have arisen in other parts of America; but here, sir, no dangers, no insurrection or tumult have happened; every thing has been calm and tranquil.” This most closely matches Answer Choice A, that “there is no evidence of civil unrest.” None of the other answer choices are supported by the text, especially as points that distinguish Virginia from other areas of the country.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “In Passage 1, Henry states that Virginia differs from other areas of the country in that [...]?” To solve this, we should go back to the text and try to identify where Henry specifies a difference between Virginia and the rest of the country. This task turns out to be the most difficult part of the problem, since it proves to be difficult to find the text we need. At first, we should scan for “Virginia,” but soon find that it’s not mentioned in the Passage. Next, we should ask ourselves how else Virginia could be specified, and note that the speeches are both given to the Virginia ratifying convention, so that any reference to the place where the speech is give will refer to Virginia. From here, we have to scan carefully for a reference until we find Lines 30-33, which contain the phrase “but here, sir.” The Lines go on to specify that Virginia is unique because “no dangers, no insurrection or tumult have happened; every thing has been calm and tranquil,” which closely matches Answer Choice A and doesn’t to any of the other answer choices.