Question 104·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Information and Ideas
Literary scholar Mara Okafor compared three published editions of poet Elias Venn’s collection with Venn’s annotated personal copies and correspondence from the books’ production. Several revisions that first appeared in the second edition had been proposed by typesetters, and Venn’s notes objected to two of them. Yet he did not restore the original wording in the third edition, likely because financial constraints discouraged resetting pages. Conversely, one change long attributed to a typesetter appears in Venn’s notes from before the second edition was prepared. Okafor’s findings suggest ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For an inference question, identify what each key piece of evidence establishes, then select the conclusion that accounts for all of it without becoming broader than the passage. Be cautious with options that introduce unsupported motives, rank the reliability of sources, or turn a few examples into claims about what generally or usually occurred.
Hints
Compare appearance with origin
Consider whether the edition in which a change first appears necessarily identifies the person who proposed it.
Examine the role of cost
Ask why Venn might have left wording unchanged even after objecting to it.
Combine both cases
Look for an option that accounts for both the disputed typesetter revisions and the change found in Venn’s earlier notes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Examine the revisions proposed by typesetters
Some revisions first appeared in the second edition after typesetters proposed them. Venn objected to two, so their appearance in print does not prove that he originated or approved them.
Interpret the unreversed revisions
Venn did not restore the original wording, but the text attributes this outcome to the expense of resetting pages. Thus, a revision’s retention does not necessarily show endorsement.
Consider the change credited to a typesetter
A change previously attributed to a typesetter appears in Venn’s earlier notes, showing that the published editions alone can also conceal who initially proposed a revision. Together, these details support option A.