Question 129·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
Popular retellings of the northeastern United States' return to forest in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries present the change as an automatic, 'natural' rebound, attributing it chiefly to the shuttering of small farms and the migration of rural families to factory towns. Environmental historian Lila Morton, however, shows that when we read nursery catalogs alongside town budgets and fire-insurance maps, the regrowth looks orchestrated: municipalities subsidized planting, fuelwood cooperatives coordinated harvests, and early fire-suppression programs stabilized young stands.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
For SAT function questions, first restate the underlined portion in your own words and identify whose viewpoint it represents (author, another scholar, or “popular” belief). Then check nearby transition words like “however” to see whether the passage is contrasting, extending, or illustrating that idea. Finally, choose the option that describes the underlined text’s specific job in the passage and eliminate choices that misidentify the speaker or treat a claim as evidence (or vice versa).
Hints
Restate the underlined claim
Put the underlined words in your own words: what do “popular retellings” say caused the forests to return?
Use the transition word
Notice the word “however” in the second sentence. What relationship does it signal between the popular retelling and Morton’s account?
Look for a ‘setup then challenge’ pattern
Many passages first present a common view and then revise/complicate it with new evidence. Which choice describes that structure?
Step-by-step Explanation
Pinpoint what the underlined words are saying
Focus on the first sentence: “Popular retellings of the northeastern United States' return to forest ... present the change as an automatic, 'natural' rebound.” This describes how popular retellings portray the regrowth: as something automatic and natural, happening on its own.
Identify whose viewpoint it represents
Because the sentence begins with “Popular retellings,” the underlined portion is not the author’s or Morton’s claim. It summarizes a widespread portrayal told by others.
See how the next sentence uses contrast
The next sentence begins with “however,” signaling a contrast. Morton’s evidence (nursery catalogs, town budgets, fire-insurance maps) makes the regrowth look orchestrated by intentional human actions (subsidized planting, coordinated harvests, fire suppression).
Match the function to the choices
The underlined portion sets up a common narrative (“natural rebound”) that the passage then complicates by presenting Morton’s evidence of deliberate planning. Therefore, the correct choice is It characterizes a widespread portrayal of the reforestation that the passage then complicates by emphasizing intentional human actions.