Difficult Critical Reading question from the CB blue book

Europeen
Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:23:35 +0000

Hey there,

I just did Section 4 of blue book’s 2nd SAT practice test and stumbled across one question to which CB’s correct answer choice baffles me. The text plus corresponding question is relayed to you guys below. Good luck!

<…pencil turned over and pretended to sketch in with the eraser an area that must have been around fifty miles long, through which the river hooked and cramped. “When they take another survey and rework the map,” Levis said, “all this in here will be blue. The dam at Aintry has already been started, and when it’s finished next spring the river will back up fast. This whole valley will be under water. But right now it’s wild. And I MEAN wild; it looks like something up in ALASKA. We really ought to go up there before the real estate people get hold of it and make it over into one of their heavens.” I leaned forward and concentrated…>

The question is:


In line 22, “Alaska” (spelled out in capital letters by me) serves as an example of a place that is…


(A) distant
(B) immense
(C) scenic
(D) cold
(E) undeveloped

Now, which one is the answer? In order to not give you any bias, I will announce the seemingly correct answer after some responses have come in.

PS: The text is a long passage.

Cheers,
Euro