Question 113·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
Museum catalog categories may appear to be stable labels applied only after objects have been acquired. Archivist Nia Bennett argues, however, that a category can influence which objects a museum later seeks; those acquisitions may then expose weaknesses in the category and prompt its revision. Bennett thus portrays cataloging as ______: classifications are products of a collection but also forces in its subsequent development.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For a words-in-context question, identify the full relationship established by the passage before evaluating the choices. Then compare the scope of each option: several words may match one detail, but the correct choice must precisely describe the complete process or idea surrounding the blank.
Hints
Follow the sequence
Notice what the category affects and what the resulting acquisitions affect in turn.
Consider the entire process
Distinguish between a process that merely grows, remains temporary, filters choices, or develops through a continuing feedback pattern.
Step-by-step Explanation
Trace the process
An existing category influences what the museum acquires. The new acquisitions can then reveal problems with that category and cause it to be revised.
Identify the relationship
Cataloging therefore occurs through repeated stages: classifications affect the collection, and the changed collection affects later classifications.
Choose the precise word
“Iterative” describes a process repeated in stages, often with each stage incorporating information produced by earlier ones. It precisely captures the pattern described in the passage.