Question 111·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
Scholars have long described the city's first public library as a symbol rather than a service, arguing that gilded reading rooms projected civic virtue while doing little to change daily life. The surviving administrative circulars appear to bolster that view, emphasizing ceremonial openings and benefactors' speeches. But the daily ledgers complicate this portrait: they record a steady stream of borrowings of trade manuals and night-school primers by dockworkers and dressmakers, suggesting the library's significance lay in its routine utility more than its pageantry.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
For function questions, map the paragraph’s logic: identify the initial claim, the evidence offered for it, and any pivot words (like “but”) that introduce a shift. Then ask what the underlined detail does in that structure (e.g., provides contrasting evidence, gives an example, supports a conclusion). Choose the option that describes that role in the argument, not just what the detail literally mentions.
Hints
Use the signal word
The third sentence begins with “But,” which signals a contrast. What idea is being pushed against from the earlier sentences?
Identify what kind of detail it is
Is the underlined portion giving timing, defining a term, pointing out a flaw, or providing specific evidence about how people used the library?
Tie it to the sentence’s ending
The clause after the underlined portion makes a conclusion about “routine utility.” How does the underlined information help justify that conclusion?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks for the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole. So you need to explain what role that detail plays in the paragraph’s argument (for example, contrasting earlier claims, providing evidence, or supporting a conclusion).
Track the paragraph’s progression
The paragraph moves in a clear sequence:
- Scholars’ view: the library was a symbol rather than a service.
- Support for that view: administrative circulars emphasize ceremonies and speeches.
- Contrast: “But the daily ledgers…” introduces new evidence that complicates the earlier portrayal.
So the overall structure is claim + supporting official rhetoric + contrasting evidence.
Determine what the underlined detail contributes
The underlined portion reports what the ledgers show: frequent borrowing of practical materials (trade manuals, night-school primers) by working people (dockworkers, dressmakers).
This is concrete, everyday-use evidence, which contrasts with the earlier focus on ceremonial openings and benefactors’ speeches.
Connect the detail to the paragraph’s conclusion
The sentence ends by concluding the library’s significance was its “routine utility more than its pageantry.” The underlined detail directly supports that conclusion by showing sustained, practical use.
Therefore, its function is to provide concrete evidence that shifts focus from official rhetoric to everyday use, complicating the initial symbolic portrayal.
Correct answer: It provides concrete evidence that shifts the paragraph's focus from official rhetoric to everyday use, thereby complicating the initial portrayal of the library.