Question 117·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from an essay by an urban designer about public spaces.
When cities install benches to make a plaza feel welcoming, they often find the benches stay empty. At lunchtime, people crowd stairs, planter rims, and the low edge of a fountain, balancing containers on their knees while the benches wait in the shade. People don't seek benches; they seek edges. Edges lend a back to lean against, a ledge to set a cup upon, a corner to share without feeling watched. That is why the same plaza, rearranged with a waist-high wall or a row of broad steps, fills overnight with readers, texters, and pairs in close conversation. The material is incidental—stone, wood, or brick will do. The geometry is not: a continuous line that makes a limit and, by doing so, makes a place.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
For “function in the text” questions, always read at least one or two sentences before and after the underlined portion, then label what each part is doing (setting up an example, stating a claim, providing evidence, defining a term, offering a contrast, etc.). Identify whether the underlined sentence is more general (likely a claim or main idea) or more specific (likely evidence, example, or detail), then test each answer choice by asking, “Can I point to clear lines before and after that show this role?” Eliminate choices that describe actions (like defining a term, giving a counterexample, or simply transitioning) that you do not see explicitly happening in the text.
Hints
Use the whole paragraph
Reread the entire paragraph, not just the underlined sentence. Ask yourself: what overall point is the author making about how people use public plazas?
Compare before and after the underlined sentence
Look at what happens in the first two sentences and then what happens after the underlined sentence. Do the later sentences give reasons, examples, definitions, or a contrast related to that underlined line?
Think about structure, not just meaning
Decide whether the underlined sentence is mainly: (1) stating a big takeaway, (2) just connecting two topics smoothly, (3) introducing a specialized term, or (4) giving an exception to a previous observation.
Test each answer against the text
For each option, ask: can I point to specific sentences that show this function (for example, where something is defined, where a counterexample appears, or where a main point is supported)?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks about the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole. That means you are not just interpreting what the sentence says, but how it works in the paragraph: does it state a main idea, give an example, provide a transition, introduce a term, or something else?
Summarize the surrounding context
Read the whole paragraph:
- First two sentences: they describe a situation where installed benches stay empty while people crowd other spots like stairs, planter rims, and the edge of a fountain.
- Underlined sentence: “People don't seek benches; they seek edges.” This is a short, broad statement that sums up the pattern described.
- Sentences after: they talk about what edges provide (a back to lean against, a ledge, a corner) and how changing the plaza’s design (walls, broad steps) suddenly attracts people. Notice how the underlined sentence turns the specific observations into a general idea.
See how later sentences relate to the underlined sentence
Look closely at the sentences that follow the underlined one:
- “Edges lend a back to lean against, a ledge to set a cup upon, a corner to share without feeling watched.” This explains why people seek edges.
- “That is why the same plaza, rearranged with a waist-high wall or a row of broad steps, fills overnight...” This gives a concrete example that supports the idea.
- “The material is incidental... The geometry is not...” This further develops the idea, emphasizing that the shape (edges) matters more than the material. All of this is expanding and illustrating the idea in the underlined sentence, which shows that sentence is central to the paragraph’s argument.
Match that role to the answer choices
Now compare this role to each option:
- One choice says the sentence states the main idea or claim, and the rest of the paragraph then explains and illustrates it.
- Another calls it mostly a transition, another says it introduces a technical term, and another says it offers a counterexample. From the analysis, the underlined sentence is clearly the general claim that the earlier observations lead up to, and that the later sentences develop and exemplify. Therefore, the best answer is:
A) It articulates the essay's central claim, which the subsequent sentences explain and illustrate.