SAT Text Structure And Purpose (Medium) - English – Real Collegeboard Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the text’s purpose, which is to discuss the important role Barrier Williams played in supporting many other Black women as they relocated to the northern United States during the early years of the Great Migration. After introducing Barrier Williams, the text describes how she helped find jobs for other Black women, who in many cases relocated in search of better employment prospects than the South could offer at the time. The text indicates that by doing so, she eased these women’s transition as their circumstances changed. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions Barrier Williams’s work as a political activist and writer for the Chicago Defender, it doesn’t discuss any professional connections she made in these roles or indicate that she used any such connections in her work to secure employment for other Black women. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text discusses a factor that caused many women to relocate during the Great Migration, their difficulty finding employment in the South, the text doesn’t indicate that this factor motivated the start of the Great Migration. Moreover, the text doesn’t discuss the factors that motivated Black men to migrate. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text mentions the difficult employment prospects for Black women in the domestic and agricultural sectors in the South during the Great Migration, the text’s main purpose isn’t to provide an overview of the employment challenges Black women faced in these sectors. Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Craft and Structure Skill Text Structure and Purpose Difficulty 2.1 Rather, it provides this information to show that Barrier Williams played a crucial role in supporting many Black women who relocated to the North by helping them achieve one of their main goals, securing a job.

Choice B is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides information about import/export firms, showing how Chinese communities across the world were connected by trade routes. Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence never suggests that the countries of origin of the fish are in question—in fact, it tells us exactly where they came from. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never describes the steps taken to discover the fish bones described in the previous sentence. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t outline a hypothesis but instead provides evidence. And the following sentence agrees with the underlined sentence, so we could eliminate this choice just for saying that the following sentence "casts some doubt on" the underlined one—partly wrong is all wrong.

Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by describing how the researchers used the JWST to detect CO₂ in WASP-39b’s atmosphere. Then the text discusses the significance of this finding, both as the first evidence of CO₂ in an exoplanet’s atmosphere and as an illustration of the JWST’s potential for making new discoveries in general. Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t compare two different methods, but rather focuses on one study that used the JWST. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t present a hypothesis, but rather reports on the findings of a study. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention any scientists challenging the conclusion reached by López-Morales and colleagues.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the first sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence introduces what yawn contagion is, explaining that it occurs when an individual yawns in response to the yawn of another individual. The text goes on to describe Elisabetta Palagi and her colleagues’ study of this phenomenon in a wild population of gelada monkeys. According to the text, the study showed that wild primate populations experience yawn contagion and that the behavior occurs most commonly in male monkeys and across social groups. Thus, the function of the first sentence is to define the phenomenon of yawn contagion that is discussed in the text. Choice B is incorrect. Although the first sentence introduces the text’s discussion of yawn contagion, it doesn’t present this behavior, or anything else, as a problem. Choice C is incorrect because the first sentence doesn’t present a claim but instead explains what yawn contagion is. Moreover, the text doesn’t challenge anything; it’s an informative text that describes the findings of a research study about yawning in wild primate populations. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text describes a scientific study, and most scientific studies are guided by a hypothesis, the text doesn’t say what Palagi and her colleagues’ hypothesis was; the text discusses their findings instead.

Choice A is the best answer. The underline phrase qualifies (meaning adds limits or conditions to) the description of Mr. Verloc as “steady like a rock,” adding that he is a “soft” rock. Choice B is incorrect. In fact, the passage never mentions Mr. Verloc experiencing any internal struggles. Choice C is incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t contrast Mr. Verloc with his surroundings, but is instead modifying the description of him as a rock. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t reveal a private opinion Mr. Verloc holds: instead, it further describes his character for the reader.

Choice D is the best answer. The text presents a brief history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, from how it got started in the ’70s, to its expansion in the ’80s, to its ongoing mission today. Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall purpose. The text never mentions Algarín’s motivations. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t the overall purpose. The text never discusses the cultural life of New York as a whole. Choice C is incorrect. This is too narrow. One sentence mentions that the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art and music, but this is only one point in the broader history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, which is the overall focus of the text.

Choice A is the best answer. The author describes Coketown as having streets that are all very similar and residents who live similarly and do the same work. This repetition of similarities emphasizes how everything in Coketown is alike. Choice B is incorrect. While the text mentions that all the residents “do the same work,” it never explains what that work is or why everyone does it. Besides, the idea that they all do the same work is just one of several similarities among the townspeople described in the text. Choice C is incorrect. While the last sentence states that “every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next,” it never suggests that people actually “lose track of time.” This is also too narrow to be the main idea, since time is just one of many aspects of Coketown that the text describes as always being the same. Choice D is incorrect. The text never mentions whether life is simple in Coketown, and the town sounds as though it’s probably a pretty dull place to live, rather than a pleasant one.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The narrator describes how Joe responds to being in “the metropolis”: he’s excited and “wild with enthusiasm.” He also envies the young fellows who walk by because, dressed as they are, they look as if they have somewhere special to go. The text contrasts this new place with the place Joe comes from, where apparently there wasn’t as much to do. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to illustrate Joe’s reaction to a new environment. Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no reference to why Joe has moved. The narrator indicates that Joe is enthusiastic about being in a city, but there’s no explanation provided for the move. Choice C is incorrect because the text makes no reference to how Joe thinks about an event. The narrator describes young men passing by in the evening and then recalls places worth going to at home—church and a few people’s houses—but there’s no explicit comparison made nor is a time of day mentioned for these events back home. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t support the idea that Joe feels regret over leaving home. Instead, Joe is described as “wild with enthusiasm” at being in the city. Joe’s home is mentioned, but only to compare it unfavorably with the city.

Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole. The text’s subject is Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, notable for its innovative, experimental arrangements. According to the text, the album was not initially admired, but in recent years it has become popular among younger musicians. The underlined portion of the text mentions two of those musicians, Blood Orange and Moses Sumney, who “cite the album as an influence.” Therefore, the underlined portion of the text offers examples of younger musicians whose work has been impacted by Keyboard Fantasies. Choice A is incorrect because even though the underlined sentence states that Blood Orange and Moses Sumney were influenced by Keyboard Fantasies, it doesn’t say that all other musicians should also embrace the album’s experimental style. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text states that Keyboard Fantasies was not admired on its first release, the text doesn’t present any criticism of the album by younger musicians: it only presents two younger musicians who cite it as an influence. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t mention any differences between Keyboard Fantasies and the work of Blood Orange and Moses Sumney.

Choice D is the best answer. This best describes the overall structure of the text. In the first half of the text, the speaker describes our attempts to control nature: cultivating, taming, and irrigating different kinds of land. In the second half, the speaker states that we can never tame the sea or the beach. Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never argues that we should not interfere with nature. Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of land as “temporary.” Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of land as an “admirable” approach to nature.” Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The narrator asserts that she loves both her “own” country (Japan) and her “adopted country” (the United States) even though the two countries differ “widely.” She also indicates that, at first, she would try to explain unfamiliar experiences that she had in the United States using the standards ingrained in her from growing up in Japan. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to convey the narrator’s experience of observing and making sense of the differences between two cultures she embraces. Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no reference to possible companions. Although the text does indicate that the narrator sometimes used the cultural framework she acquired growing up in Japan to explain some experiences she’s had, there is no suggestion that this was in service of making friends. And although “no one seemed to know” strongly implies that the narrator has interacted with other people in the United States, there is no indication that these conversations involved her discussing Japanese customs. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the narrator was hesitant to ask questions. In fact, the narrator indicates that “no one seemed to know the origin” of various customs, which provides evidence that, rather than being hesitant, she Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Craft and Structure Skill Text Structure and Purpose Difficulty 2.11 sought information from several people. Choice D is incorrect because the text makes no reference to the physical distance between Japan and the United States. Although the narrator indicates that the two countries differ “widely” and likens them to “two separate worlds,” these descriptions relate to cultural aspects of the countries and the narrator’s feelings about the two countries, not the physical distance between them.

Choice D is the best answer. The text starts by introducing Mitchell’s philosophy about using simple, repetitive language in books for young children. Then it describes a book influenced by that philosophy, Goodnight Moon. Choice A is incorrect. Although two authors are mentioned in the text, they both agree about the type of language that should be contained in books for young children. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the evaluation of children’s literature. It does provide one view of how children’s books should be written, but never introduces a competing view. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention “many classics of children’s literature.” Instead, it describes an educational theory and identifies one example of a famous children’s book that was influenced by that theory.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence explains that Bernabei and his team studied growth rings to obtain information about the ancient oak planks found during a construction project in Rome. The next sentence presents what the researchers learned: the wood from the planks came from France’s Jura region, which is far from Rome. The underlined sentence then presents the implications of the findings about the planks: the wood must have been brought to Rome by boat, a difficult task that suggests Roman trade routes were complex. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to present a conclusion about Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the team thought the ancient planks were used in the construction of a boat, nor does the underlined sentence question that conclusion. Instead, the text states that the wood could only have been transported from Jura to Rome in a boat. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence simply offers a conclusion drawn from the team’s findings about the likely place of origin of the ancient planks; the text never mentions why oak was chosen for the planks instead of other wood. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined sentence nor the text as a whole addresses any methods that Romans used in constructing subways. Instead, the underlined sentence offers a conclusion drawn from the team’s findings about the likely place of origin of the ancient wooden planks discovered.

Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by stating what moral philosophy is concerned with and naming two examples of works in the field. Then it describes a shortcoming of some works in that field (they say how but not why), and finally it states that other works try to avoid that shortcoming (by including both how and why to live a morally good life). Choice B is incorrect. This is too extreme. The text never mentions whether the two works are popular or not, and it never argues that these works don’t serve their intended purpose of describing how to live a morally good life. Rather, the text claims that works of moral philosophy that don’t include both how and why to be moral are not useful to readers who don’t already want to be moral. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never discusses the history of moral philosophy at all, and it doesn’t propose any topic for further research. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never discusses which of the two works is more widely read.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence presents the general claim that industrial activity is not always a threat to wildlife. The underlined portion of the sentence that follows suggests that the silver-studded blue butterfly is an example of wildlife thriving in areas of industrial activity: active limestone quarries. Thus, the function of the underlined portion is to introduce a specific example in support of the general claim in the previous sentence. Choice A is incorrect. Although the first sentence indicates that “industrial activity is often assumed” to harm wildlife, in the case of the silver-studded blue butterfly the text mentions neither an assumption about this species nor any challenge to such an assumption. Choice C is incorrect because the text mentions only one study: the “survey.” Additional studies are not mentioned in the text. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor any other portion of the text provides a definition for any of the terms used in the text’s argument.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by noting that Anne “reveled in the world of color about her”—that is, she takes great delight in colorful things. It then relates a scene when she enthusiastically enters the house with autumn foliage and announces that she will decorate her room with it. The focus of the text then shifts to Marilla, who has an undeveloped “aesthetic sense,” or appreciation of beauty, as can be seen when she dismisses the maple leaves as “messy things” and criticizes Anne for cluttering her room with objects from outside. This episode thus illustrates that Anne and Marilla differ in their appreciation of beauty and, more generally, in their basic character: Anne is exuberant and joyful, while Marilla is stern and critical. Therefore, the purpose of the text is to show that Anne and Marilla have very different personalities. Choice A is incorrect because the text presents Anne’s appreciation of nature as a basic personality trait, not as a newfound enthusiasm, and never indicates how recently she developed that appreciation. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text portrays Anne and Marilla as having different personalities and attitudes toward natural beauty and home decoration, it doesn’t show them engaging in an argument about this difference or suggest that they often argue about it. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text does indicate that Marilla disapproves of how Anne plans to Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Craft and Structure Skill Text Structure and Purpose Difficulty 2.16 decorate her room, Marilla’s disapproval is a supporting detail that serves to develop her personality, which the text as a whole contrasts with Anne’s personality.

Choice D is the best answer. This best states the function of the underlined sentence. The sentence basically says: “He stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” Then the rest of the text describes him in detail. Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The previous sentence basically says: “He was still standing in the middle of the cottage”—it doesn’t include any description of the character himself. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The following sentences describe the character, not the setting. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The underlined sentence basically says: “He stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” The previous sentence basically says: “He was still standing in the middle of the cottage.” There’s no contrast between these two sentences.

Choice D is the best answer. The text defines horizontal gene transfer and then gives one possibility for how it happens in vertebrates (via infection by parasites). The underlined part describes how that mechanism could work. Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. Parasites are only described as the mechanism that does the transferring, not the species that gives or receives the genes. Choice B is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. The text never discusses which genes are more likely to be transferred. Choice C is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. The text never discusses how horizontal gene transfer occurs among invertebrates.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to discuss how Derksen’s compositions incorporate elements from both Indigenous and classical music. After introducing Derksen, the text describes how the songs Derksen composed for her album Orchestral Powwow feature aspects of the two musical traditions. Specifically, the text notes that Derksen wrote songs in the style of traditional powwow music but accompanied them with classical arrangements played by an orchestra that followed the beat of a powwow drum rather than the directions of a conductor. In this way, Derksen’s compositions blend different cultures. Choice B is incorrect because although the text suggests that Derksen’s songs contain innovative elements since they blend styles from two different musical traditions, it doesn’t discuss whether her compositions constitute a new style of music, let alone whether Derksen should be recognized for creating a new style of music. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention any difficulties Derksen encountered when producing her album. Rather, the text describes how the songs on the album exemplify how Derksen combines music from two different cultures. Choice D is incorrect because although the text mentions Derksen’s Cree heritage and suggests that she relies on knowledge of both Indigenous and classical music when she composes her songs, it doesn’t discuss her musical training. Additionally, the text is primarily focused on how Derksen combines different cultural traditions, not on contrasting Derksen’s training with her heritage.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The first two sentences establish a natural phenomenon: there is a richness of plant life found in the Atacama Desert despite the hard soil that makes it challenging for seeds to germinate. The next sentence, which contains the underlined portion, offers a potential explanation for the phenomenon: local birds dig ground nests exposing seeds to moisture and materials in the soil necessary for germination. The last sentence summarizes a study that compared the fertileness of mounds of dirt dug up by birds to mounds that were undisturbed to support the explanation in the underlined portion. Thus, the underlined portion mainly functions to explain how certain birds promote seed germination in the Atacama Desert soil. Choice A is incorrect because the underlined portion doesn’t address the topic of the soil’s tough crust or its formation. Instead, the text elaborates on the idea that local birds that build ground nests may help seeds germinate in the hard soil. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined portion describes how some birds may support seed germination in Atacama Desert soil but doesn’t describe how the seeds are deposited into the soil before germination begins. Choice C is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole identifies a reason that a particular bird species may choose to dig ground nests in the Atacama Desert soil.

Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by stating a problem with research on the status of Choctaw women in the 1600s and 1700s: written primary sources underestimate the power they had in their traditional roles. Then it presents one historian’s solution: looking to oral tradition and archeological findings for more insight into these roles. Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never says that research should avoid written primary sources, just that research should also use oral tradition and archeological sites as sources. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never mentions the advantages of using written primary sources. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never says that the status of Choctaw women during the 1600s and 1700s is too challenging to research. And it doesn’t mention any other topics to research instead.

Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by introducing a common view among archaeologists about the need for an elite class to direct large-scale engineering projects. Then, it discusses the discovery of a large canal most likely built by a society without an elite class, which challenges the first view. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text discusses carbon dating as an archaeological method, it doesn’t compare it to any other alternative methods. Choice C is incorrect. The study doesn’t resolve any contradictions—rather, it introduces a contradiction to the one view presented at the beginning of the text. Choice D is incorrect. The text never identifies any gaps in scientific research.