Function or Purpose

1 3

The following text is an excerpt from the 1799 poem The following text is from Samuel Griswold Goodrich's
Pleasures of Hope" by Thomas Campbell. 1836 poem "Song: The Robin."
At summer eve, when heaven's aerial bow At misty dawn, At rosy morn,
Spans with bright arch the glittering hills below, The Redbreast sings alone:
Why to yon mountain turns the musing eye, At twilight dim, Still, still, his hymn
Whose sunbright summit mingles with the sky? Hath a sad, and sorrowing tone.
Why do those cli=s of shadowy tint appear Another day, his song is gay,
More sweet than all the landscape smiling near? For a listening bird is near—
‘Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, O ye who sorrow, come borrow, borrow,
And robes the mountain in its azure hue. A lesson of robin here!

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

A) To question whether bright or dim lighting is more A) To demonstrate that the songs of birds vary extensively
likely to make an individual commit a specific scene to in tone and quality
memory B) To highlight a bird's similar rituals even at di=erent
B) To challenge the idea that people looking at natural times of the day
scenes are more likely to experience depression than C) To convey that one may experience melancholy while
elation alone but cheerfulness around others
C) To describe how a measure of separation can D) To present endearing reminiscences of a morning spent
enhance the allure of something watching birds carefully
D) To show how private experiences with inanimate
objects a=ect the way individuals present themselves in
public settings 4
7
2 The following excerpt Is from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s
1908 novel Anne of Green Gables.
The following text is from Emily Pauline Johnson's 1903 Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road
poem "Fire-Flowers." dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and
And only where the forest fires have sped, Scorching ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its
relentlessly the cool north lands, source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it
A sweet wild flower lifts its purple head, And, like some was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier
gentle spirit sorrow-fed, course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and
It hides the scars with almost human hands. cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde’s Hollow it was a
And only to the heart that knows of grief, Of desolating quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook
fire, of human pain, could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard
There comes some purifying sweet belief, Some fellow- for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that
feeling beautiful, if brief. And life revives, and blossoms Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye
once again. on everything that passed, from brooks and children up,
and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she
Which choice best describes the function of the would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and
underlined portion in the text as a whole? wherefores thereof.

A) It draws a distinction between the flower's Which choice best states the function of the underlined
precariousness and the author's convictions. portion in the text as a whole?
B) It describes the forest as foreboding and
inhospitable. A) It elaborates on the character description provided in the
C) It reveals the author's detachment from the previous sentences.
overwhelming forces of nature. B) It establishes a contrast between two di=erent settings
D) It portrays the flower as having overcome adversity. in the story.
C) It interrupts a character description with a surprising
fact about an element in the setting.
D) It transitions between a description of the setting and a
description of a character.
 Function or Purpose

5 7

The following text is from Jane Austins 1813 novel Pride and The following text is from Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto's 1926 novel
Prejudice. A Daughter of the Samurai.
“Well,”said Charlotte, “I wish Jane success with all my heart. Early one morning there passed an old man who had the
And if she were married to him tomorrow, I should think she slight droop of the left shoulder that always marks the man
had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be who once wore two swords. He went into the o=ice building,
studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in in a moment reappearing in the cap and coat of a uniform,
marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of and taking his stand at the door, opened and closed it for the
the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so people passing in and out. It was Mr. Toda. A number of
similar before- hand, it does not advance their felicity in the young clerks in smart European dress pushed hastily by
least. They always continue to grow su=iciently unlike without even a nod of thanks. It was the new foreign way
afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to assumed by so-called progressive youths. It is well for the
know as little as possible of the defects of the person with world to advance, but I could not help thinking how, less
whom you are to pass your life.” than a generation before, the fathers of these same youths
would have had to bow with their fore- heads to the ground
Which choices best states the main purpose of the text? when Mr. Toda, sitting erect on his horse, galloped by. The
door swung to and fro, and he stood with his head held high
A) It establishes that Charlotte thinks Jane has a good and on his lips the same half-humorous smile. Brave,
chance at happiness even if Jane rushes into her marriage. unconquered Mr. Toda!
B) It lays out how Charlotte believes that being happy in your
marriage is not something that can be assured. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
C) It chronicles the events that caused Charlotte to believe
what she does about marriage. A) It presents a formerly high-status warrior serving as a
D) It shows that Charlotte did nothing to improve her own doorman and uses it as a rea- son to condemn the state of
happiness in marriage by getting to know her partner first. the modern world.
B) It illustrates how Japanese society banned the use of its
traditional clothing in favor of European dress.
6 C) It chronicles how a man from the former social elite
continued to live a proud life in a changing society.
The following text is from H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel The War of D) It explains how an old man was able to come to work as a
the Worlds. doorman for a building where clerks were employed.
No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as
sources of human danger, or thought of them only to
dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or
improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits
of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied
there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to
themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise.
Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as
ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast
and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with
envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against
us.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined

portion in the text as a whole?

A) It elaborates on the danger posed by the Martians.

B) It establishes a contrast with the idea introduced in the
preceding sentence.
C) It presents specific examples of what humans once
thought about the Martians.
D) It sets up the specific beliefs presented in the next
sentence.
 Function or Purpose
8 9

The following text is from Homer s eighth-century B.C.E. The following text is adapted from a 1961 speech by
work The Odyssey. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
As the two men were talking, a dog that had been lying Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had
asleep raised his head and pricked his ears. This was no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares
Argos, whom Ulysses had bred before setting out for Troy. could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But
In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national
when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent
now that his master was gone he was lying neglected in armaments industry of vast proportions. We recognize the
front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail
it away to manure the great close; he was full of fleas. As to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources,
soon as he saw Ulysses standing there, Argos dropped his and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our
ears and wagged his tail, but he could not rise to greet society. In the councils of government, we must guard
master. When Ulysses saw the dog on the other side of the against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether
yard, he dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaeus sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.
seeing it.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A) It establishes why a random man has an emotional A) It allows President Eisenhower to present himself as a
reaction to the sight of an old, flea-infested dog he has credible authority on this situation, which then allows him to
never met before. make the case for disbanding the armaments industry.
B) It shows how a dog su=ering from poor treatment reacts B) It establishes why President Eisenhower tolerates the
in fear at the mere sight of its owner. existence of the military-industrial complex despite going on
C) It illustrates a man concealing his emotional reaction to to describe it as a potential threat to American society.
the poor state of a dog and why he would hide a tear. C) It illustrates why the creation of the military- industrial
D) It explains why a dog and its owner have the emotional complex was an unreasonable act.
responses they do upon finally seeing one another again. D) It introduces the idea that America can build up its
national defense over time, as new threats arise.

19
 Function or Purpose
10 11

Parfleche, the widely adopted French name for rawhide The following text is from Henry Wadsworth Longfellows
items fashioned by the Native Americans of the Great 1869 poem “The Building of the Ship.” The poem describes
Plains, has especially come to mean an envelope-shaped the work of a master shipbuilder.
container used to store clothes, food, and personal items. “Build me straight, O worthy Master!
These wallets or bags, depending on the size, served not Staunch and strong, a goodly vessel,
only as a practical and durable storage solution but also That shall laugh at all disaster,
as a decorative object of spiritual significance. Among And with wave and whirlwind wrestle!”
certain tribes, The merchants word,
notably the Cheyenne, parfleches were deco- rated by the Delighted the Master heard;
women’s painting society, whose members among the For his heart was in his work, and the heart
Cheyenne were known as the Selected Ones. Although Giveth grace unto every Art.
similar in economic and social importance to craft guilds . . . And first with nicest skill and art,
in medieval and Renaissance Western Europe, the Perfect and finished in every part,
painting society also had a spiritual or religious nature, A little model the Master wrought,
The shamanistic society required application for Which should be to the larger plan,
admission and held its members to high artistic and What the child is to the man,
moral standards. The society further established its Its counterpart in miniature;
importance by defining aspects of Cheyenne wealth and That with a hand more swift and sure
status. The greater labor might be brought,
To answer to his inward thought.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the
A) It analyzes the social connotations of a particular craft. text?
B) It chronicles how a particular craft came into
existence. A) It establishes the Master’s satisfaction at his charge to
C) It explains why a particular craft came to be known as build a ship, and then explains why he will first construct a
the parfleche to the French. model.
D) It disputes the spiritual significance associated with B) It presents the words of the Masters speech about
the making of the parfleche. shipbuilding, and then puts forth the claim that the Master is
especially skilled at his craft.
C) It emphasizes the Masters reluctance to agree to a new
shipbuilding project, and then explains why he concedes to
make a miniature ship.
D) It details the Masters entire process for shipbuilding, and
then describes an alternative method used by shipbuilders
in the past.
 Function or Purpose
12 14

The following text is from P.G. Wodehouses 1923 novel The Meditation has been around for thousands of years,
Inimitable Jeeves. starting as a religious practice. Hindu scripture from
When I had scrubbed my face and got my eye to stop around 1500 B.C.E. describes meditating on the divine,
watering for a moment, I saw that the evening’s and art from this time period shows people sitting
entertainment had begun to resemble one of Belfast’s livelier cross-legged and solitary in a garden. In China and
nights. The air was thick with shrieks and fruit. The kids on India around the fifth century B.C.E., other forms of
the stage, with Bingo buzzing distractedly to and fro in their meditation developed. Several religions, including
midst, were having the time of their lives. I suppose they Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, have
realized that this couldn’t go on for ever, and were making the meditative rites. In 20th-century Europe and America,
most of their chances. The Tough Eggs had begun to pick up secular forms of meditation arrived from India. Rather
all the oranges that hadn’t burst and were shooting them than focusing on spiritual growth, secular meditation
back, so that the audience got it both coming and going. In emphasizes stress reduction, relaxation, and self-
fact, take it all round, there was a certain amount of improvement.
confusion; and, just as things had begun really to hot up, out
went the lights again. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

Which choice best states the function of the underlined A) It discusses the history of meditation as a religious
sentence in the text as a whole? practice to illustrate how it can impact spiritual growth.
B) It argues that religious and secular meditation
A) It characterizes the fruit-throwing as an exciting improve well-being, including the regulation of the
opportunity that would not likely happen again. impacts of stress.
B) It establishes the people on stage are happy with the C) It presents meditation as a practice that has been
events going on around them. historically connected to various world religions.
C) It provides specific details about how the people on stage D) It describes the history of meditation, from its
were using the thrown fruit against the audience. religious origins to its developing non-religious forms
D) It disputes the excitement the people on stage were over time.
feeling at their treatment by the audience.

13

Astronomers typically have di=iculty detecting newly-forming

planets because the young planets are obscured by large
amounts of dust and debris. Astronomer Feng Long, however,
has recently discovered a new potential method for identifying
young planets. Using extensive data from computer models,
Long reports that precisely positioned clusters of material
buildup — 120 degrees apart— may signal the presence of a
new planet.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined

sentence in the text as a whole?

A) It provides the cause of a problem for which a possible

solution is presented in the sentences that follow.
B) It establishes a contrast with the problem that is mentioned
earlier in the sentence.
C) It suggests an alternative solution for a problem that di=ers
from the potential solution that is presented in the sentences
that follow.
D) It elaborates on a potential solution for a problem that is
mentioned earlier in the sentence.
 Function or Purpose
15 17

Scientists have known for over 50 years that bacteria propel The following text is adapted from Sir Arthur Conan
themselves by coiling and uncoiling filaments attached to the Doyle’s 1887 short story “A Study in Scarlet.”
cell wall, called flagella, that push the bacteria along like tiny Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and
propellers. But flagella are composed of identical protein within eccentric limits his knowledge was so
segments, and strands of identical proteins should simply extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations
form a straight structure that can’t create motion. Edward have fairly astounded me. . . . His ignorance was as
Egelman and an international team have determined that the remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary
protein in the flagella has 11 di=erent states and that the literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know
precise arrangement of these states is what causes the next to nothing. . . . My surprise reached a climax,
flagella to coil. however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant
of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the
Which choice best states the function of the underlined solar system.
portion in the text as a whole?
Which choice best states the function of the underlined
A) It states the hypothesis Egleman and team investigated. sentence in the text as a whole?
B) It presents the paradox Egleman and team researched and
resolved. A) It elaborates on the character trait mentioned in the
C) It o=ers an alternative explanation for the findings of previous sentence.
Egelman and team. B) It provides a specific example of the behavior of a
D) It provides additional context to explain how bacteria character described in the previous sentence.
move. C) It introduces a new setting for the events described in
the sentences that follow.
D) It establishes a contrast with the character description
16
in the previous sentence.

The following text is from Louisa Mav Alcott’s 1SS7 novel Eight
Cousins.
Rose sat all alone in the big best parlor, with her little
handkerchief laid ready to catch the first tear, for she was
thinking of her troubles, and a shower was expected. She had
retired to this room as a good place in which to be miserable;
for it was dark and still, full of ancient furniture, somber
curtains, and hung all round with portraits of solemn old
gentle-men in wigs, severe-nosed ladies in top heavy caps, and
staring children in little bob-tailed coats or short-waisted
frocks. It was an excellent place for woe; and the fitful spring
rain that pattered on the window-pane seemed to sob, “Cry
away: I’m with you?

Which choice best states the function of the underlined

portion in the text as a whole?

A) It establishes a contrast with the description of the setting

mentioned earlier in the sentence.
B) It provides an example that supports the description of the
setting mentioned earlier
in the sentence.
C) It sets up the character description presented in the rest of
the sentence.
D) It introduces a character trait that contrasts with the
description in the previous sentence.
 Function or Purpose
18 19

The following text is adapted from Philip Gibbs’ 1920 In the late 1960s, Dr. Donald Hopkins was hired by the
nonfiction book Now It Can Be Told. Centers for Disease Control to help implement a
British World War I veterans were told bluntly that they had program to eradicate smallpox in Sierra Leone. The
“wasted” three or four years in the army and could not be of country had had a major outbreak of the disease one
the same value as boys just out of school. The o=icer class year before Hopkins' arrival and had the highest number
was hardest hit in that way. They had gone straight from the of recorded cases in the world. Upon their arrival,
public schools and universities to the army. They had been Hopkins and his team immediately began mass
lieutenants, captains, and majors in the air force, or infantry distribution of the smallpox vaccine, using any means of
battalions, or tanks, or trench-mortars. . . . What knowledge transportation necessary. Through the use of jet
had they of use in civil life? None. They scanned injectors, they were able to vaccinate 1,000 people every
advertisements, answered likely invitations, were turned 60 minutes.
down by elderly men who said: “I’ve had two hundred
applications. And none of you young gentlemen from the army Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
are fit to be my o=ice-boy.” They were the same elderly men
who had said: “We’ll fight to the last ditch. If I had six sons I A) To present the e=ects of smallpox on Sierra Leone
would sacrifice them all in the cause of liberty and justice.” B) To describe Hopkins' career with the Centers for
Disease Control
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? C) To highlight the availability of the smallpox vaccine
D) To explain how Hopkins addressed smallpox in Sierra
A) It presents the situation faced by World War I veterans Leone
trying to find jobs as a way to critique their decision to fight in
the war as younger men.
B) It shows that employers were uninterested in hiring World
War I veterans because they mistrusted them for their actions 20
during the war.
C) It discusses the di=iculty that veterans faced trying to find The following text is from James E. McGirt's 1906 poem
jobs after World War I as their wartime experience o=ered “A Sailor's Departure.”
little attractiveness to employers. My dearest child, I have no wealth to give you,
D) It illustrates the hypocrisy of an elderly British man who No ring of gold to you can I impart;
lost six sons in World War I only to insult soldiers who Going, yet why should going grieve you?
survived the war. You have my heart.
In calm, in storm, no matter how the weather,
My one great thought shall ever be of thee;
Tell me, I pray thee, tell me whether
You'll think of me?

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) To assure a loved one that she will not be forgotten

B) To explain why the speaker loves an individual so
dearly
C) To justify to a loved one why the speaker is leaving and
when he will be back
D) To instruct a loved one on what to do while the speaker
is gone
 Function or Purpose
21 22

The following text is adapted from Hubert Crackanthorpe's The following text is adapted from Mary Johnston's 1915
1896 short story "Anthony Garstin's Courtship." novel The Fortunes of Garin. Garin, a young man bound
A stampede of huddled sheep, wildly scampering over the to serve Lord Raimbaut, has been given an opportunity to
slaty shingle, emerged from the leaden mist that mu=led the leave and assist a church leader.
fell-top, and a shrill shepherd's whistle broke the damp Garin sought his inn and his horse. He was in Roche- de-
stillness of the air. And presently a man's figure appeared, Frêne upon Raimbaut's business, but that over,
following the sheep down the hillside. He halted a moment to he had leave to ride to Castel-Noir and spend three days
whistle curtly to his two dogs, who, laying back their ears, with his brother. The merry-making in the town tempted,
chased the sheep at top speed beyond the brow; then, his but the way was long and he must go. A chain of five girls
hands deep in his pockets, he strode vigorously forward. A crossed his path, laughing, making dancing steps, their
streak of white smoke from a toiling train was creeping silently robes kilted high, red and yellow flowers in their hair.
across the distance: the great, grey, desolate undulations of "What a beautiful young man!" said their eyes. "Stay-
treeless country showed no other sign of life. stay!" Garin wanted to stay — but he was not without
judgment and he went.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined
sentence in the text as a whole? Which choice best describes the function of the
underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A) It emphasizes the man's solitude and the stillness of his
environment. A) It exemplifies a circumstance that is established in the
B) It suggests that the man longs to travel away from his dull previous sentence.
home. B) It foreshadows an emotion that a character
C) It provides a description of what the man sees on his daily experiences in the following sentence.
walk. C) It provides a visual description of several characters in
D) It illustrates the vastness of the surroundings compared to the scene.
the train's destination. D) It hints at the urgency a character feels about the task
before him.

23

The following text is adapted from Charles Dickens's

1859 historical novel A Tale of Two Cities.
There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a
plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king
with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the
throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than
crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and
fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) To compare and contrast the conditions of two

competing nations
B) To establish that the ruling classes enjoyed an
apparent stability in their respective nations
C) To assert that the kings of each nation were similar to
each other but the queens were strikingly distinct
D) To criticize the upper classes for hoarding food and
withholding resources from the lower classes
 Function or Purpose
24 26

An experiment headed by University of Wisconsin The following text is adapted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's
psychologist Sohad Murrar provides compelling evidence that 1864 novella Notes from the Underground. The narrator is
individuals feel more inclusive toward other groups when they an unnamed Russian man employed as a civil servant.
are informed that pro-diversity attitudes and behaviors are I could never stand more than three months of dreaming
extremely popular among their peers. Students were at a time without feeling an irresistible desire to plunge
presented with either a neutrally messaged poster or a poster into society. To plunge into society meant to visit my
that displayed fellow students of diverse ethnic backgrounds, superior at the o=ice . . . I was overcome by a sort of
a statement about valuing diversity, and statistics indicating paralysis; but this was pleasant and good for me. On
their fellow students' strong support for the statement. The returning home I deferred for a time my desire to
study found that students were more likely to embrace embrace all humankind
inclusive statements and reject racist statements even weeks
after they were exposed to the pro-diversity poster. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined A) To convey the man's apprehension about his
sentence in the text as a whole? employment and his relationship with his employer
B) To foreshadow the man's imminent termination from
A) To analyze the implications of the results of the experiment his job for daydreaming
B) To demonstrate the di=iculty of assessing individuals' views C) To suggest that the man's social engagement with a
on inclusivity and racism colleague prolonged his isolation from society
C) To highlight a specific instance in which the findings of the D) To advocate the social benefits of working with others
experiment were confirmed in an o=ice environment
D) To describe certain aspects of the design and methodology
of the experiment
27

25 The following text is from Alexander S. Pushkin's 1834

short story "The Queen of Spades." Aman named
The following text is adapted from L. Frank Baum's 1911 Tomsky is sharing with friends a story about his
novel The Sea Fairies. Mayre Gri=iths, nicknamed Trot, is a grandmother.
little girl. Cap'n Bil Weedles is a retired sailor with a wooden "On returning home, my grandmother removed the
leg. patches from her face, took o= her hoops, informed
Trot liked Cap'n Bil and had a great deal of my grandfather of her loss at the gaming-table, and
confidence in his wisdom, and a great admiration for his ordered him to pay the money. My deceased grandfather,
ability to make tops and whistles and toys with that as far as I remember, was a sort of house-steward to my
marvelous jackknife of his. In the village were many boys grandmother. He dreaded her like fire; but, on hearing of
and girls of her own age, but she never had as much fun such a heavy loss, he almost went out of his mind; he
playing with them as she had wandering by the sea calculated the various sums she had lost, and pointed
accompanied by the old sailor and listening to his out to her that in six months she had spent half a million
fascinating stories. francs, that neither their Moscow nor Saratov estates
were in Paris, and finally refused point blank to pay the
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined debt."
sentence in the text as a whole?
Which choice best states the function of the underlined
A) It reiterates Trot's fascination with Cap'n Bill's impressive sentence in the text as a whole?
creative talents.
B) Its comparison conveys the depth of Trot's regard and A) It explains the previous dynamic between the
a=ection for Cap'n Bill. narrator's grandparents.
C) It contrasts the carefree pleasures of youth with the B) It provides background information on the narrator's
weighty responsibilities of adulthood. relationship with his grandfather.
D) It reveals the subtle di=erences between Trot's C) It reveals why the grandmother lost money at the
assessment of Cap'n Bill and his assessment of her. gaming-table.
D) It establishes the memories of the narrator in his
house.
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