On the test
Usually in the first questions of each Reading and Writing module, about questions 1 to 7 (27 questions per module, 2 modules), mixed with Words in Context. You will see about 2 to 4 of these in each module.
13 to 15 questions in the whole test (about 7 in each module). Usually questions 1 to 7 of each module.
How I approached it
A small story from Aime
When I meet a Text Structure and Purpose question, I do not ask what the text says. I ask what each part is doing. Think about a bus ride to Kigali. The conductor calls the stops, the driver steers, the people at the door collect the money. They all talk and move, but each one has a different job. A text is the same. One sentence gives the main idea, another gives an example, another warns you about a problem. The SAT asks, 'What is this sentence's job?' or 'Why did the author write this?' So I read for jobs, not only for facts. I name the job of each sentence in two or three words, and then the answer is easy to see.
This skill feels strange at the start because you read for the author's plan, not the story. But after a few questions the pattern becomes clear, and many students tell me it becomes one of their quickest types.
What is inside this part
You decide why the author wrote the whole text.
Explain · Argue · Describe or narrate · Correct a mistaken idea
You decide what job one underlined sentence or part does for the text as a whole.
Gives an example · Offers a counterpoint · States a result or significance
You describe the order of ideas in the text from start to end.
Belief then evidence then conclusion · Problem and solution · Assumption, discovery, explanation
How to know a question is from this part
The question asks about the purpose, function or structure of the text, not its facts.
- 'Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?'
- 'Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?'
- 'Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?'
- The answer choices begin with verbs such as 'To explain', 'It introduces', 'It illustrates'
- The choices describe how the text works, not facts from it
The lesson
1. What this question is really asking
Most reading questions ask 'What does the text say?' Text Structure and Purpose asks something different: 'How is the text built?' and 'Why did the author write it?'
So you are not hunting for facts. You are looking at the plan of the writer: what comes first, what comes next, and what job each part does.
The text can be a science paragraph, a part of a story, a poem, or a social studies passage. The method is the same for all of them.
2. The three forms of the question
Form 1, main purpose: 'Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?' You must say why the author wrote the whole text: to explain, to argue, to describe, to compare, to tell a story, to correct a wrong idea.
Form 2, function of a sentence: 'Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?' You must say what job one sentence does for the rest.
Form 3, overall structure: 'Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?' You must describe the order of ideas, such as: a belief, then evidence against it, then a new conclusion.
3. Purpose words you should know
Here are the verbs that appear in the answer choices. Learn them in plain words.
Introduce: begin a topic. Explain: make something clear. Illustrate or exemplify: give an example. Support: add evidence for a claim. Challenge, undermine or question: weaken an idea. Contrast: show a difference. Concede: admit a point that is true in the other side. Summarize: give the short version. Propose: suggest an idea. Qualify: add a limit to a claim.
A good habit: when you read a sentence, write one of these verbs next to it in your head.
4. The method: label the jobs, then match
Step 1: Read the whole text once, and write a tiny label for each sentence: 'claim', 'example', 'but', 'result', 'so what'.
Step 2: Read the question to see which form it is, whole text or one sentence.
Step 3: Before you read the choices, say the answer in your own words, like 'it gives an example of the claim'.
Step 4: Pick the choice that matches your words. Then check every detail in the choice: each part of the choice must be true in the text. One wrong detail makes the whole choice wrong.
5. Worked example 1: function of a sentence
Here we find the job of the first sentence.
Many people think that a tomato is a vegetable. In fact, botanists classify it as a fruit because it develops from the flower and contains seeds. Cooks, however, treat it as a vegetable because of its savory taste. Which choice best describes the function of the first sentence? A) It gives a definition the author supports. B) It states a common belief that the text then corrects. C) It describes the author's personal experience. D) It introduces a problem the text solves.
Show the steps
- The first sentence says 'Many people think'. This is a belief that other people have.
- The next sentence starts with 'In fact', which is a signal to correct the belief.
- So the job of sentence 1 is: a common belief that gets corrected. That is choice B.
B
6. Worked example 2: overall structure
For structure questions, label each sentence and then read the labels in order.
Economists often explain the popularity of ride apps by pointing to lower prices. Yet a recent survey suggests price is only part of the story: riders ranked quick pickup and cashless payment above cost. This suggests that convenience may keep riders loyal. Which choice best describes the overall structure? A) A theory is tested in two experiments. B) A history is told in order of time. C) A common explanation is given, then evidence complicates it, then a new conclusion follows. D) Two ideas are compared and one is thrown away.
Show the steps
- Sentence 1 label: common explanation (lower prices).
- Sentence 2 label: 'Yet', evidence that complicates it.
- Sentence 3 label: new conclusion (convenience).
- The order explanation, evidence, new conclusion matches C.
C
7. Worked example 3: main purpose of a story part
In literature, the purpose is often about feeling or character, not facts. Ask what the passage helps the reader see.
Maribel's grandmother kept the radio on all day, though she rarely listened. 'A house with no sound,' she told Maribel once, 'starts to listen back.' Years later, after her grandmother had moved away, Maribel found herself turning on the radio in her empty rooms. Which choice best describes the function of the final sentence? A) It shows Maribel has come to share her grandmother's feeling about silence. B) It shows Maribel dislikes music. C) It explains how radios work. D) It introduces a new character.
Show the steps
- The first part sets up a habit and a saying about silence.
- The last sentence shows Maribel doing the same thing, which means she took the saying to heart.
- So it connects the two people and shows the lasting effect. Choice A.
A
8. Common traps
Trap 1, a true fact but the wrong job: the choice repeats a fact from the text but says nothing about the purpose.
Trap 2, too small: the choice describes one sentence when the question asks about the whole text.
Trap 3, too strong: words like 'proves', 'attacks', or 'rejects' when the author only suggests or adds a limit.
Trap 4, one wrong detail: the choice is mostly right but says the author 'compares two theories' when there is only one.
See it
- 1Read the text and give each sentence a job label
- 2Decide: whole text or one sentence?
- 3Say the answer in your own words
- 4Match, then check every part of the choice
| Signal | Job of the sentence |
|---|---|
| many people think, it is often said | A common belief is being introduced |
| in fact, actually, yet, however | A correction or contrast is coming |
| for example, for instance | An example of the previous claim |
| therefore, thus, this suggests | A conclusion or result |
| admittedly, although | The author concedes a point |
- What does the text say?
- Find the fact in the lines
- Example: the date, the name
- What is each part doing?
- Find the job of the sentence
- Example: gives example, corrects belief
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