SAT #9 Reading (Questions 22 & 23)

Question

In McKinnon’s view, Ceres differs from other objects in the asteroid belt in which significant way?

Answer 1

Answer Choices B and D are the correct answers because Lines 18-20 say, “This material has never been found in the fragments of asteroids that have fallen to Earth, but fits the expected ammonia-rich composition of a TNO” These Lines tell us that one of the things that makes Ceres different from other objects in the asteroid belt is that its surface is made up of a different material than most other asteroids. This most closely matches Answer Choice B from Question 22 which says that “the surface composition of Ceres is dissimilar to the composition of the other objects.” For Question 23, Answer Choice A is incorrect because, while these Lines do explain a possible difference between Ceres and other objects in the asteroid belt, they don’t come from McKinnon’s point of view. Answer Choice B is incorrect because, while these Lines do tell us about a difference between Ceres and other objects in the belt and do come from McKinnon’s point of view, they don’t match any Answer Choice from Question 22. Answer Choice C is incorrect because, while these Lines do introduce the fact that ammonia-rich clay is on the surface of Ceres, they less clearly tell us that this material is unique for asteroids than Answer Choice D does. For Question 22, Answer Choice A is incorrect because neither the Lines nor the Passage tell us about the surface temperature of Ceres and how it’s lower than other objects. Answer Choice B is incorrect because these Lines don’t emphasize that Ceres has the largest dimensions of all objects in the asteroid belt, but that these dimensions have varied the most, a point that neither the Passage nor the Text makes. Answer Choice D is incorrect because the Passage only says that light reflected from Ceres shows “a dip” in the light spectrum, not that the reflected light is more intense than for other objects.