Question 136·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
Community historian Marta Vega created a series of murals along River Street that depict local workers, markets, and festivals from the past century. One panel shows dockhands unloading fruit beside enlarged reproductions of old ledger pages; another features musicians surrounded by copies of vintage concert flyers. By weaving archival materials into lively scenes, the project makes everyday history visible to passersby. The description suggests how public art can turn neighborhood memories into an open-air archive.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
For main-purpose questions, first read the passage and then rest your eyes on the first and last sentences—they usually frame the overall goal. Ask what the author is mainly doing (describing, arguing, comparing, etc.), then quickly eliminate any choices that introduce topics or attitudes not mentioned (like funding, strict rules, or evaluations). Finally, choose the option that matches both the specific details (like examples given) and the overall action the author is taking in the passage.
Hints
Focus on the beginning and end
Reread the first and last sentences. What do they say the text is about overall, not just in one example?
Look at what the author is doing, not just describing
Ask yourself: Is the author mainly explaining, arguing, comparing, or telling a story? This will guide you toward the purpose.
Watch out for topics that never appear
Check each answer for ideas like funding, accuracy, or who is allowed to create art. Do any of those actually come up in the passage?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the passage is mostly about
Look at the first and last sentences to see the central focus.
- First sentence: introduces community historian Marta Vega and her murals that show local workers, markets, and festivals from the past century.
- Last sentence: says the description "suggests how public art can turn neighborhood memories into an open-air archive."
So the whole text is about a mural project and its connection to community history and memory.
Notice how the murals use specific materials
The middle sentences give concrete examples:
- One panel includes dockhands unloading fruit beside enlarged reproductions of old ledger pages.
- Another panel has musicians surrounded by copies of vintage concert flyers.
These details show that the mural project uses archival materials (historical documents) inside the artwork itself.
Determine the author’s purpose and tone
Ask: Is the writer criticizing, comparing, arguing, or mostly describing and illustrating?
- The tone is neutral and descriptive, not judgmental or argumentative.
- The passage does not compare murals to something else or argue that one thing is better.
- Instead, it explains how the project works and what effect it has: "By weaving archival materials into lively scenes, the project makes everyday history visible to passersby."
So the purpose is to explain how this mural project uses historical materials so that community history is visible to the public.
Match that purpose to the best answer choice
Now compare each option to the passage’s focus on how the murals use historical sources to make community history visible.
- Choice A says the text’s purpose is "To show how a mural project uses historical sources to present community history," which directly matches the examples of ledger pages, flyers, and the idea of an "open-air archive."
- The other choices mention evaluating accuracy, tracing funding, or arguing about who should create public art—none of which appear in the passage.
Therefore, the correct answer is A) To show how a mural project uses historical sources to present community history.