SSAT Reading Question 265: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 265
1. Which of the following best describes smallpox in the years before 1796?
- A. It struck a million people a year in Europe alone.
- B. It was common among milkmaids.
- C. It was spread by cows.
- D. It killed more than a million Europeans a year.
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
D is correct. As stated in the second paragraph, "In those days, a million people died from smallpox each year in Europe alone… ." Choice A is wrong because the passage states that a million people died from smallpox. Since some people did survive smallpox, it can be assumed that the disease struck many more than a million people each year. Choices B and C are wrong because milkmaids contracted cowpox, not smallpox, from the cows. Choice E is wrong because the passage states that those who survived "were often left with grim reminders of their ordeals: blindness, deep scars, and deformities."