Critical Reading

Craft and Structure

Text Structure and Purpose
Purpose

By Mr. Mohamed Elgendy

Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify the two main types of purpose questions on the

SAT Reading test

Apply specific strategies to analyze an author's purpose at

both text and sentence levels

Evaluate answer choices critically by questioning key

terms and staying grounded in the passage

Avoid common pitfalls and distractors in purpose

questions

Practice with real SAT-style purpose questions to build

confidence and accuracy

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Types of Purpose Questions

SAT Reading Purpose Questions fall into two main categories:

1. Text-Level Purpose Questions

Ask about the main purpose of the entire passage.
"Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?"

2. Sentence-Level Purpose Questions

Focus on the function of a specific element within the text.
"Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the
overall structure of the text?"

Both require understanding why the author wrote something,

not just what they wrote.

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 Understanding the purpose of a text.
When authors write, they do so for many reasons: to
provide information, to make people laugh, to convey
emotion, or to convince others of a certain argument,
The Purpose among other things. Putting yourself in the place of an
author and thinking about the reasons why you might
write similar statements can help you discover an
author’s purpose.

1. Text-Level Purpose Strategy for Text-Level Purpose Questions:

Questions To discover the writer’s purpose, ask yourself the

following questions:
"Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?" 1. What is the main topic of the text?
2. What does the author say about that topic?
3. Why does the author write about that topic
Remember: The purpose will include reference to the main ideas in the text.
 Understanding the purpose of the text.
The Bretton Woods system was hailed as a vast improvement over both the rigid gold
standard of pre-1914 and the monetary anarchy of the interwar period. For a quarter-
century, Bretton Woods undergirded a rare period of steady growth, full employment, and
financial stability. But in many respects, the vaunted role of the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, and the Bretton Woods rules specifying fixed exchange rates
The Purpose was a convenient mirage. The system's true anchor was the United States — the U.S.
dollar as the de facto global currency; the U.S. economy as the residual consumer market
for other nations' exports; and U.S. recovery aid in the form of the Marshall Plan, which
dwarfed the outlays of the World Bank.
1. Text-Level Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

Purpose
Questions 1. To emphasize the central role of the United States in the Bretton Woods system.

2. To provide a critical analysis of the Bretton Woods system.

3. To correct a common misconception about the role of an economic system.

4. To outline the real factors behind the Bretton Woods' success.

5. To challenge the conventional understanding of the Bretton Woods system.

6. To underscore the pivotal role of the United States in the post-war global economic
order.
 Understanding the purpose of the text.
By combining Indigenous and classical music, Cree composer and cellist Cris Derksen
creates works that reflect the diverse cultural landscape of Canada. For her album
Orchestral Powwow, Derksen composed new songs in the style of traditional powwow
The Purpose music that were accompanied by classical arrangements played by an orchestra. But where
an orchestra would normally follow the directions of a conductor, the musicians on
Orchestral Powwow are led by the beat of a powwow drum.
1. Text-Level Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Purpose
Questions A. To examine how Derksen's musical compositions blend cultures
Practice 1.1
B. To argue that Derksen should be recognized for creating a new style of music

C. To describe the difficulties Derksen encountered when producing her album

D. To establish a contrast between Derksen's classical training and her Cree heritage
 Understanding the purpose of the text.
In 2016 Ana Filipa Lopes and colleagues published a study concluding that ocean
acidification has a strong effect on the behavior of Atherina presbyter, a species of
The Purpose fish. However, Lopes and colleagues' study relied on a mean sample size of only about
15 fish. In a 2022 review of various scientists' conclusions about the impacts of ocean
acidification on fish behavior, Timothy D. Clark and colleagues caution that relying on
1. Text-Level such a relatively small sample size can increase the potential for biased analysis. Such

Purpose analysis, in turn, can contribute to reports of exaggerated effect.

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

Practice 1.2
A. To discuss an aspect of ocean acidification that is frequently overlooked

B. To note a potential concern about the findings of a scientific study

C. To present a debate between two research teams about the cause of ocean
acidification

D. To explain how the behavior of a fish species has changed over time
 To answer these questions, ask yourself: "Why did the author
include this specific sentence?"

To understand the function of a sentence within the wholw text, ask

The Purpose
yourself the following questions:

1. Does this sentence present examples of a generalization mentioned

earlier in the text?
2. Does it illustrate a claim by introducing evidence?
3. Does it contradict or support the following or previous sentence?
2. Sentence-Level 4. Does it present the findings of a study mentioned in the text?
5. Does it outline the methodology of the study?
Purpose Questions 6. Does it introduce or guide the discussion for what comes next?
7. Does it present another researcher’s perspective on the study?
8. Does it provide a historical context to the main topic of the text?

When answering, consider how the sentence relates to what comes before
“Which choice best describes the function of the
and after it in the passage.
underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?”
 Chorioactis geaster, a species of mushroom that makes a distinctive hissing sound
when it releases its spores, is an elusive fungus that has been observed only in Texas
and Oklahoma in the US and in the Miyazaki and Nara Prefectures in Japan. Scientists
aren't entirely sure why C. geaster is distributed in this way (genetic analysis reveals

The Purpose
that the US and Japanese strains diverged 19 million years ago), but the mushroom
appears to be very selective: it is typically found on the decaying stumps and roots of
only a few tree species that are abundant in these areas,
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a
whole?

2. Sentence A. It explains the relationship between C. geaster and its habitats.

Practice 2.1
B. It highlights the negative impact C. geaster has on the trees on which it's found.

C. It emphasizes the uncertainty about C. geaster alluded to earlier in the text.

D. It elaborates on a characterization of C. geaster presented earlier in the text

 “I had neither kith nor kin in England and was therefore as free as air—or as free
as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be.
Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool
into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. There

The Purpose I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless,
meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more
freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon
realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the
country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living. Choosing
the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to
take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expensive domicile.

2. Sentence
Practice 2.2 Which choice best describes the function of the underlined part in the overall
structure of the text?

A) It indicates that the narrator’s wealth contributed to his freedom.

B) It implies that the narrator would inevitably become homeless.

C) It qualifies a statement that the narrator made earlier in the paragraph.

D) It supports the claim that the narrator would never experience true liberty.
Tips for Success
Practice active reading by asking yourself about the author's
purpose as you read. This builds the habit of thinking critically
about purpose.

Use process of elimination to narrow down choices. Cross out

answers that are clearly wrong, then evaluate the remaining
options more carefully.

Pay attention to transitions like "however," "therefore," and

"consequently" that signal relationships between ideas and
reveal structure.

Create your own purpose statements after reading passages

before looking at the questions. This helps you develop your own
understanding first.

Don't get hung up on unfamiliar words . Focus on the overall

meaning and structure of the passage rather than individual
vocabulary.

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Summary and Next Steps

Key Takeaways
Purpose questions assess your ability to understand why
an author writes something, not just what they write.

The two main types are text-level purpose questions

(about the entire passage) and sentence-level purpose
questions (about specific elements).

Success requires questioning key terms in answer choices,

staying grounded in the passage, and avoiding common
pitfalls like selecting answers that are too limited or too
general.

Recommended Resources
The Official SAT Study Guide (College Board)

Khan Academy's free SAT practice ([Link]/sat)

College Board's Official SAT Practice Tests