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text structure & purpose

These questions check whether you can trace how a passage is built and why specific parts are included. They often ask about the role of an underlined portion, the function of a sentence, the overall organizational pattern, or the purpose of the text.

types of questions

Normally, there are 4 archetypes of questions that are normally asked, being:

  • Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?
  • Which choice best describes the function of the ___ sentence in the overall structure of the text?
  • Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
  • What choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

Each question has a different focus, and we'll go over each one in detail.

underlined portion / sentence questions

The way you would answer these isn't too crazy. Here are the suggested steps you should take:

  1. Read the question
  2. Read the whole passage and understand what its about, including the blurb. Keep in mind, the function of the sentence is defined by the surrounding text.
  3. Try to identify the tone and purpose of the underlined portion / indicated sentence. Is it challenging something? Is it marking a change in tone? Is it making a point?
  4. Identify the main idea of the paragraph. Summarize in your own words.
  5. Predict the function before looking at the choices. This is key — avoid jumping into the options prematurely.
  6. Now, go through the answer choices and eliminate wrong answers systematically.

Passage Excerpt

In recent years, governments and corporations alike have invested heavily in renewable energy infrastructure—yet why do fossil fuels still dominate global energy consumption?While solar and wind capacity has grown significantly, many countries continue to rely on coal and natural gas to meet rising energy demands. Analysts point to inconsistent policy enforcement, energy storage limitations, and the geopolitical stability of fossil fuel markets as key reasons for the slow transition. As a result, experts suggest that simply increasing renewable supply is not enough; systemic changes in energy distribution and consumption are also required.

Question: Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the context of the paragraph as a whole?

  • A) It introduces a counterargument that undermines the case for continued investment in renewable energy.
  • B) It highlights a central tension that the paragraph goes on to explain in greater detail.
  • C) It expresses the author’s skepticism about the feasibility of reducing fossil fuel reliance.
  • D) It signals a shift in focus from historical trends to future energy policy recommendations.
Show Explanation

Correct Answer: B) It highlights a central tension that the paragraph goes on to explain in greater detail.

Explanation: The underlined question occurs after a statement about investment in renewables. It introduces a contrast: despite investment, fossil fuels still dominate. The rest of the paragraph explains why this is the case — giving reasons and suggesting solutions.

Choice Review:
A) Incorrect. The paragraph doesn’t argue against renewables; it analyzes challenges.
B) Correct. The underlined portion introduces the main tension discussed.
C) Incorrect. The tone is analytical, not skeptical.
D) Incorrect. The underlined question sets up the issue before the paragraph moves toward policy implications.

structure questions

These questions are asking how the passage is organized. The goal is to understand how the ideas unfold across the paragraph. Here's a step-by-step approach you can follow:

  1. Read the question so you know what to focus on.
  2. Read the entire paragraph carefully — don't skim. You need to track how ideas are introduced and developed.
  3. Pay attention to any transitions or shifts (e.g. "however", "then", "as a result"). These often mark structural changes.
  4. Summarize the structure in your own words. Ask: What happens first? Then what?
  5. Look at the answer choices. Eliminate those that don’t match the flow of ideas.

Passage Excerpt

When the printing press was introduced to Europe in the 15th century, it revolutionized the way knowledge was produced and shared. Previously, books were copied by hand and remained accessible only to scholars and the wealthy. But the printing press made it possible to replicate texts quickly and inexpensively, leading to a dramatic rise in literacy rates and the spread of new ideas. This innovation laid the foundation for the scientific revolution, the Reformation, and the broader democratization of knowledge in the centuries that followed.

Question: Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  • A) It identifies a major invention and describes how it functioned mechanically.
  • B) It presents a historical problem and outlines how a new technology solved it.
  • C) It explains the introduction of a key development, then describes its far-reaching effects.
  • D) It contrasts two competing views on how innovation spread through early Europe.
Show Explanation

Correct Answer: C) It explains the introduction of a key development, then describes its far-reaching effects.

Explanation: The passage begins by introducing the invention of the printing press, then details how it transformed knowledge-sharing and triggered large-scale historical change. This structure — cause followed by wide-reaching consequences — best matches option C.

Choice Review:
A) Incorrect. The passage doesn't describe mechanical aspects.
B) Incorrect. There's no specific “problem” described that needed solving.
C) Correct. The passage introduces the printing press, then elaborates on its impact.
D) Incorrect. The passage doesn’t present two competing views.

purpose questions

These questions ask why the author wrote the passage or a particular section of it. Your job is to determine what the passage is mainly doing — not just what it says. Follow these steps:

  1. Read the question carefully so you know what kind of purpose to look for.
  2. Read the entire paragraph closely, looking for the author's intent.
  3. Summarize the paragraph in your own words. What’s the passage doing overall?
  4. Look for options that match both the content and purpose — not just topic words.
  5. Eliminate answers that are too narrow, too broad, or that distort the focus of the passage.

Passage Excerpt

In the early 20th century, as progressive reformers worked to expand access to public education in the United States, educator and activist Nannie Helen Burroughs opened the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C. At a time when many Black women had limited opportunities beyond domestic labor, Burroughs’s school offered coursework in business, skilled trades, and cultural studies. Her goal was not only to provide employment training but also to instill pride and self-sufficiency in her students. Burroughs’s efforts helped shape a broader conversation about the role of education in racial and gender empowerment during the Jim Crow era.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

  • A) To emphasize how Burroughs’s educational model offered an alternative to domestic labor for Black women during the Jim Crow era
  • B) To illustrate Burroughs’s significant role in expanding educational and professional opportunities for Black women
  • C) To explain how progressive reformers influenced the curriculum design of training schools like Burroughs’s
  • D) To compare the aims of the National Training School with those of public education reformers in the early 20th century
Show Explanation

Correct Answer: B) To illustrate Burroughs’s significant role in expanding educational and professional opportunities for Black women

Explanation: The entire passage focuses on Burroughs’s work: the founding of her school, her goals for her students, and her larger influence. While reform efforts are mentioned in the opening sentence, the paragraph is not broadly about reformers — it’s specifically about Burroughs’s contribution.

Choice Review:
A) Too narrow. The focus is broader than just providing an alternative to domestic labor.
B) Correct. It captures both what she did and why it mattered.
C) Incorrect. The curriculum is not shown to be influenced by reformers.
D) Incorrect. No comparison is made between her school and others.

Let's practice with a few College Board questions!

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Hard - Sentence Function

The 1967 release of Harold Cruse’s book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual isolated him from almost all other scholars and activists of the American Civil Rights Movement—though many of those thinkers disagreed with each other, he nonetheless found ways to disagree with them all. He thought that activists who believed that Black people such as himself should culturally assimilate were naïve. But he also sharply criticized Black nationalists such as Marcus Garvey who wanted to establish independent, self-contained Black economies and societies, even though Cruse himself identified as a Black nationalist.

Which choice best describes the function of the last sentence in the overall structure of the text?

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Hard - Purpose

Studying late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts from an agricultural and domestic site in Texas, archaeologist Ayana O. Flewellen found that Black women employed as farm workers utilized hook-and-eye closures to fasten their clothes at the waist, giving themselves a silhouette similar to the one that was popular in contemporary fashion and typically achieved through more restrictive garments such as corsets. Flewellen argues that this sartorial practice shows that these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically demanding occupation.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

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Medium — Structure

Using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Mercedes López-Morales and colleagues measured the wavelengths of light traveling through the atmosphere of WASP-39b, an exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system. Different molecules absorb different wavelengths of light, and the wavelength measurements showed the presence of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in WASP-39b’s atmosphere. This finding not only offers the first decisive evidence of CO₂ in the atmosphere of an exoplanet but also illustrates the potential for future scientific breakthroughs held by the JWST.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

final tip

Think like a builder. Each sentence is a brick. Ask why it sits in that exact spot and how it supports the passage’s overall design before choosing any answer about structure or purpose.

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Text Structure & Purpose Unlocked

A clear map of the passage makes every detail easier to place.

Next Up

16: cross text connections

Learn to compare ideas across passages.