Question 1·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
In the early 1900s, many city streets were lit by gas lamps. These lamps had to be lit and extinguished by hand each day. When electric streetlights were introduced, the job of lamplighter slowly disappeared as cities adopted the quicker, more reliable technology.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
For function-of-the-underlined-sentence questions, (1) paraphrase the underlined sentence in plain words, (2) read the sentence before and after to see what role the detail plays in the paragraph’s logic, and (3) eliminate choices that introduce ideas not present in the text (e.g., refusals, technical specs, brightness). Then pick the option that best describes how the sentence supports the paragraph’s overall point.
Hints
Read the sentences around it
Look at the sentence before and after the underlined sentence. Ask: how does the underlined sentence help the paragraph move from gas lamps to electric streetlights and the disappearance of lamplighters?
Name the job the sentence is doing
Decide whether the underlined sentence is (a) giving a reason, (b) adding a practical detail about daily use, (c) listing technical design details, or (d) comparing two things.
Eliminate choices that add new ideas
Cross out any option that brings in information the passage never mentions (for example: cities refusing gas lamps, mechanical specifications, or brightness).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the underlined sentence says
The underlined sentence explains that gas lamps had to be turned on and off by hand every day. In other words, using gas street lighting required daily manual labor.
Connect that detail to the rest of the passage
The next sentence says that when electric streetlights were introduced, the lamplighter job slowly disappeared as cities adopted the newer technology. The manual, daily task described in the underlined sentence helps explain (1) why lamplighters were needed and (2) why electric streetlights would eliminate that need.
Match the sentence’s role to the best description
The best choice is the one saying the sentence explains the daily manual work gas lamps required, which electric lights later removed: "It explains that gas lamps required daily manual lighting and extinguishing, unlike electric lights."