In the following question, a short passage is given with one of the lines in…
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In the following question, a short passage is given with one of the lines in the passage missing and represented by a blank. Select the best out of the five answer choices given, to make the passage complete and coherent.
On November 4, 2014, sixteen-year-old Cameron Lee, a popular, athletic, straight-A student at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, leapt in front of a commuter train. His suicide note provided no clear reason for his act; there were no apparent signs of mental illness, and he was not a bullied misfit. His death followed two other student suicides just three weeks prior, one from the same school and another from a nearby private high. Three months later, another senior at Gunn, by then known to local students as “the suicide school,” jumped to his death from the roof of his family’s home. __________.Its students succeed brilliantly in the meritocratic game of standardized tests and college admissions. But the pressure to perform has left them susceptible to feelings of worthlessness. If one can’t measure up and make the grade—what then?
- A.
Gunn High School is located in one of the wealthiest school districts in the country and has some of the nation’s highest test scores.
- B.
That year another recent graduate of the school died by hanging himself.
- C.
Following these suicide clusters, a 2014 survey of Palo Alto high school students revealed that 12 percent of them had very seriously contemplated suicide in the past year.
- D.
Depression is now the most common serious medical or mental health disorder in the United States.
Attempted by 169 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct answer: Gunn High School is located in one of the wealthiest school districts in the country and has some of the nation’s highest test scores.
Key insight: The pronoun "Its" at the start of the following sentence must refer back to the subject introduced in the missing sentence. The passage shifts from describing specific suicide incidents to explaining a broader cause tied to the school's culture, so the blank should name and characterize the school.
Why the chosen sentence fits: It identifies Gunn High School and highlights its high-achievement, high-pressure environment (wealthy district and top test scores). This directly supports the next sentence's claim that the school's students "succeed brilliantly" yet are vulnerable to feelings of worthlessness under intense pressure.
Why the sentence about another recent graduate dying by hanging does not fit: It repeats another suicide but does not introduce the school or its culture, so the pronoun "Its" in the next sentence would lack a clear antecedent and the paragraph would be repetitive.
Why the survey sentence does not fit: A citywide survey refers to Palo Alto students in general, which shifts focus away from Gunn High School. That change of subject makes the following "Its students" unclear and breaks the intended local explanation.
Why the general statement about depression does not fit: Although true more broadly, it does not name the school or explain the specific local pressures that the paragraph links to the suicides.
Conclusion: The sentence that names Gunn High School and describes its wealthy, high-achievement setting best completes the passage by providing the proper antecedent for "Its" and by setting up the explanation of how academic pressure contributed to students' feelings of worthlessness.