SAT Reading - Dr. Malsufrido - Question ID: 1a2b29c9

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Question ID: 1a2b29c9

Nickname: Dr. Malsufrido

Section: SAT Reading & Writing

Question Type: Details

How to Identify: The question asks about a particular detail from the passage—specifically, how people regard Dr. Malsufrido. 

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Correct answers on Details questions are sometimes valid inferences rather than summaries or rhetorical description. The phrase "most likely" in the stem indicates that this may be the case. However, this phrase doesn't always signal an inference—sometimes the correct answer is still just an accurate summary of passage information (and/or rhetorical description).

Even when the correct answer on a Details question does turn out to be a valid inference, speculation is not permitted. We still apply our standard Cross-Examiner's Toolbox™ Tests to verify each answer choice against the passage.

A) Incorrect. This is the most popular wrong answer. Often, students notice that the passage describes a disheveled appearance (e.g., hat "brushed the wrong way"). They also notice that Malsufrido doesn't share people's secrets. From these two observations, they speculate: people probably tolerate his appearance because they appreciate that he's so discreet—his trustworthiness with secrets compensates for looking unkempt.

However, this is speculation, not a valid inference. It fails the Modified Highlighter Test: If Answer A is "4," can I highlight the "1" and "3"?

While you can highlight the disheveled appearance, and you can highlight his discretion, you cannot highlight anything about how people react to his appearance. The passage never indicates that his appearance bothers people or is a barrier to anything, so there's no basis for claiming people have "come to tolerate" it. This answer adds to the passage rather than adding it up.

B) Correct. This answer is a valid inference. The passage indicates that it's "a saying" in Mexico City that Dr. Malsufrido knows many family secrets, which he does not divulge (these secrets "remain nicely bottled up"). This answer simply "adds up" these statements: he's well-known for knowing many secrets + he keeps them to himself = few feel concerned he will share them.

Vocabulary Notes: 

* "Divulge" means to reveal or disclose, and "confidences" here means private matters entrusted to someone.

*The archbishop reference is key: in the Catholic tradition, priests hear confession. Comparing Malsufrido to an archbishop emphasizes that he knows a great many secrets.

C) Incorrect. This answer fails the Negative Filter Test™, directly contradicting the passage. The passage emphasizes that Malsufrido keeps secrets "bottled up"—the opposite of discussing them "freely."

While "family secrets" could technically include his own family, the passage's context makes clear these are secrets belonging to families throughout Mexico City. But setting that aside, the fundamental error is inverting one of the passage's key points: Malsufrido is known for his discretion, not for freely discussing anything.

D) Incorrect. This answer fails the Clip Art™ Test. The passage never mentions Malsufrido's "professional expertise" or indicates that people would otherwise be "unimpressed" by him. His reputation in the passage centers entirely on his discretion with secrets, not his medical skill.

Notes on this question:

• This question illustrates how Details questions can include correct answers that are valid inferences. Answer B is a valid inference because it is fully grounded in textual evidence—it adds up the passage rather than adding to it.
• Answer A is a trap for students who mistake partial textual grounding as license to speculate. They see "disheveled appearance" in the passage and recognize Malsufrido's discretion, then construct a "despite" relationship between them. But the passage never indicates how anyone reacts to his appearance at all—positive, negative, or otherwise.
• A question stem's "most likely" does not lower the evidentiary standard. You must still verify that each element of an answer choice is grounded in the passage.

For the complete Cross-Examiner's Toolbox™ strategies—including when and how to apply each test—enroll in my self-paced course SAT Reading & Writing Mastery, join my SAT Reading & Writing Score Accelerator Program for course access plus live Zoom sessions, or pick up my book SAT Reading Mastery.