A lesson on SAT Passage Purpose and Structure questions, as the name implies, combines in one lesson two related question types: those that ask about the main purpose of a text and those that explore the overall structure. Both of these question types fall under what the SAT calls Text Structure and Purpose, but that category is varied enough for us to consider Function/Purpose (in the previous lesson) distinctly from questions that ask about the entire passage. Whether you’re asked about the purpose or the structure of the whole paragraph, you’ll need to read the entire text carefully and then consider how it hangs together to accomplish its overall goal.
Historian Martha S. Jones has documented how Black women in the nineteenth century fought for rights in both abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. While often excluded from leadership roles (in abolitionist movements, because they were women; in suffrage movements, because they were Black), they created their own networks of activism and intellectual exchange. Their efforts broadened the very definition of citizenship in the United States.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To explain how Black women reshaped political struggles in the nineteenth century
B. To argue that Black women were less influential than male abolitionists
C. To describe how citizenship laws in the nineteenth century excluded Black women
D. To compare women’s suffrage activism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Passage Purpose questions differ from Function/Purpose questions in that they address the passage as a whole without prioritizing one particular part. Since authors naturally tend to develop their ideas as they go, you can expect that the last sentence of the paragraph will be especially revealing. The last sentence is often a summary, as we see here; the work of Black abolitionists and suffragettes is described as “broaden[ing]” what citizenship looks like. That’s a significant influence, and we should look for something about it in the correct answer.
At the same time, the rest of the passage is still important; here, the first two sentences explain the challenges that Black women in these movements overcame in making their voices heard. This struggle might attract us to answer like choice C, especially because history tells us that Black women were indeed excluded from citizenship. But the passage as a whole does not take such a negative tone, nor does it focus on citizenship for these women. We need to keep looking.
If you notice that male abolitionists are not mentioned at all in the passage, you can eliminate choice B rather quickly; no such comparison is being made. Choice D mentions women’s suffrage activism, which is present in the passage, but it mentions neither abolitionism nor the significant effect that the women mentioned had on the movements. In any case, the passage does not move into the twentieth century as the choice suggests.
That leaves one answer, the one that focuses on the right subject (Black women) and the correct time frame (nineteenth century). Interestingly, this correct answer does not really reference the first two sentences beyond these details; its keyword, “reshaped”, points to the influence mentioned in the last sentence. We have in this a confirmation of how important the last sentence really is! The answer is A.
Make sure to read the question stem, as always; despite the similarities, there are indeed differences between Purpose questions and Structure questions.
Answer this: what does the I in the QUICKER Method stand for?
IDENTIFY the kind of INFORMATION you’ll see.
Archaeologist Jada Benn Torres has conducted extensive research on the history of the Garifuna people of Central America. Using genetic analysis, she has shown how their ancestry connects both to Indigenous Carib communities and to enslaved Africans brought to the region. Her work demonstrates the resilience of cultural identity across centuries of migration and displacement.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To describe the genetic techniques used in modern archaeology
B. To argue that more archaeologists should study the Garifuna people
C. To compare Benn Torres’s research with earlier studies of migration
D. To summarize findings from Benn Torres’s research on Garifuna ancestry
The answer is D. Sometimes a very general answer proves correct; one way to say this is that “a boring answer is often a good answer.” What we mean is that if an answer says something as bland as “to summarize findings,” it might be an uninteresting answer, but it’s very hard to falsify. Is this passage not summarizing findings? Indeed it is. Meanwhile, the more specific answer choices are wrong: it is not focused on describing techniques (it mentions one briefly); it is not making an argument about what archaeologists should study; and it is not comparing Benn Torres’s research with anyone else’s research.
Historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar has shown how advertisements for runaway enslaved women in eighteenth-century newspapers often reveal overlooked details of daily life. Descriptions of clothing, skills, and family connections appear in these notices, even though their purpose was to enforce captivity. By reading these ads critically, Dunbar recovers fragments of women’s lives that might otherwise have been lost.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A. It describes the disappearance of certain documents and then outlines efforts to replace them.
B. It presents a debate about whether newspapers are reliable sources and then supports one side.
C. It identifies a historical source and then explains how one historian has used it to uncover information.
D. It lists the limitations of an approach and then suggests an alternative method.
The answer is C. When questions ask about structure instead of purpose, it pays to pay attention to relationships of general to specific. The opening sentence mentions a scholar who demonstrates something general; we then get some of the specifics that illustrate the scholar’s conclusion, followed by a summary that reiterates the first sentence.
The correct answer isn’t always exactly what we might be expecting; for example, answer C doesn’t mention the final sentence’s return to the main idea. But that same sentence does credit Dunbar with, as the answer says, uncovering information. That’s the best answer, because the passage does begin with a mention of the historical source: advertisements for runaway enslaved women.
The other answers do not summarize the structure correctly. Choice A misreads the fact that documents could have disappeared (apart from Dunbar’s work) as if they did disappear. Choice B is way off; there is no debate and barely a mention of newspapers. Choice D is pretty far off, too; an approach is mentioned but neither its limitations nor an alternative.
Biologist Nalini Nadkarni pioneered the study of rainforest canopies by climbing into treetops to observe species usually hidden from view. Her work revealed complex ecosystems in the upper layers of forests; by revealing these previously unseen ecosystems, she showed how plants and animals depend on one another in surprising ways. Nadkarni’s research helped transform conservation efforts by demonstrating the importance of canopy biodiversity.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A. It describes Nadkarni’s method of study and then explains the study’s effects on a wider field.
B. It presents competing views of conservation and then evaluates them.
C. It outlines challenges Nadkarni faced and then explains how she solved them.
D. It lists discoveries about ecosystems and then compares them to earlier studies
The answer is A. Like most SAT passages involving science, this paragraph begins with a researcher and then expounds upon her research. We must not miss that Nadkarni’s method is mentioned; she climbs into the tops of trees. The second sentence then reveals what she discovers about the interdependence of treetop ecosystems. The final sentence contains the important word “transform”.
Although it doesn’t mention the middle sentence, answer A is best in pointing to the scholar’s method and then, by using the word “effects”, acknowledging the transformation mentioned in the last sentence. Choice B outlines “competing views,” but there are no competing views presented. Choice C talks of “challenges”; although it may be true that Nadkarni faced methodological challenges before she decided to observe things from the treetops, the passage does not indicate that. Choice D cannot be it because there is no “list[ing]” of “discoveries”. There is essentially one discovery mentioned here, along with its import.
Linguist Leanne Hinton has documented the revitalization of Indigenous languages in California. She notes that community-driven immersion programs, often led by elders, have preserved and expanded endangered tongues. Combined with insights about the strong relationship between indigenous language and culture, these efforts highlight the importance of language to cultural survival.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A. It outlines the history of language loss and then explains its inevitability.
B. It summarizes a debate about language policy and then sides with one position
C. It describes Hinton’s fieldwork and then critiques its limitations
D. It introduces Hinton’s research focus and then explains its implications for cultural preservation.
The answer is D. This passage is a little harder to follow than some of those seen earlier, but it does maintain a typical structure: introduction of a scholar and her focus of study, followed by an explanation of why that study is important. That model fits answer D best; the word “implications” suits the context well because the passage connects Hinton’s research with “insights” that, in combination, point to the “importance” of language.
Choice A mentions language loss, which the passage suggests is possible but is actually avoided thanks to the work of scholars like Hinton. So that loss is hardly inevitable; quite the opposite, in fact. Choice mentions a debate that does not take place; only Hinton’s views and research are shown. And choice C starts well, since the passage alludes to Hinton’s fieldwork, but there is no mention of the limitations of her work. On the contrary, the passage ends with positive words about the significance of Hinton’s work.
Certain historians have argued that “experience” should not be treated as raw evidence but as something shaped by language and power. This insight has influenced how scholars interpret memoirs, oral histories, and even scientific records. Their claim is controversial; other theorists have accepted the premise that the experience is complicated but have suggested that focusing on “language and power” is equally reductive.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To argue that certain ideas were rejected by other historians of gender
B. To describe a conversation about uses of “experience” in scholarship
C. To compare theorists’ ideas about colonialism and empire
D. To explain why scholars tend to abandon historical projects
The answer is B. The discussion described in this paragraph is nuanced, and we need to be careful in matching it to an answer choice. For example, because other scholars have responded critically to the original idea mentioned, one might be tempted by choice A. But the word “rejected” is much too strong. The responding scholars acknowledge something about the initial view that they believe to be true; they simply question another conclusion included in the first point of view. Choice C starts well; the passage certainly compares theorists’ ideas, but the passage says nothing about colonialism and empire. And choice D goes way too far; the original theorists’ work is critiqued here, to be sure, but there is no suggestion that those projects have been abandoned.
This leaves answer B; this is another of those “boring but true” answers that characterize some SAT Reading/Writing questions. Because this choice is careful not to say anything specific, but simply suggests a conversation about the central term, “experience”, it hits the mark much better than the other answers.
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