sat-dog

Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. In the text, Harris tells stories about his previous boat trip across the English Channel, when conditions were so rough that others onboard became seasick. According to the text, Harris’s accounts vary somewhat but generally involve him and only one other 20 SAT PRACTICE TEST #5 ANSWER EXPLANATIONS SAT ANSWER EXPLANATIONS n READING AND WRITING: MODULE 2 man not growing ill. The underlined sentence then adds that if it was “not [Harris] and another man” who didn’t develop seasickness, “then it was [Harris] by himself.” That is, some versions of the story even involve Harris being the only person onboard who resisted seasickness. Therefore, the underlined sentence emphasizes that Harris always boasts about his own constitution, or physical well- being, when speaking of a previous boat trip. Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t portray Harris as being eager to resume traveling; instead, it shows Harris boasting of how he didn’t become seasick on a previous boat trip when most or all of the other people onboard did. Choice B is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Harris felt excluded from activities during an earlier boat trip. The text suggests that Harris experienced isolation during that trip because others onboard had grown ill, not because Harris had wanted to join certain activities but felt left out. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t portray Harris as either enjoying company or claiming to prefer solitude. The text suggests that Harris experienced some degree of isolation during a previous boat trip, but the reason provided by the text has nothing to do with a preference for either solitude or the opposite; rather, the reason, according to Harris, is that most or all of the other people onboard were sick.