Question 142·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from a contemporary short story. The narrator visits a former train station that has been converted into a community market.
I stepped into the old station, now a market, all glass and chatter. Baskets of peaches leaned toward me, their skins freckled with sun. The rafters held the morning light the way cupped hands hold water. I slowed, listening for the whistle I remembered, though no trains had run here in years.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
For function-of-a-line questions, first reread one or two sentences before and after the underlined portion, then paraphrase in simple words what that part is doing (for example: setting the scene, showing a reaction, adding a reason, creating a mood). Next, decide the overall tone (positive/negative, calm/tense, factual/poetic). Finally, eliminate any answer choices that introduce ideas not supported by the text (like conflicts or facts that aren’t there) and choose the option that best matches your paraphrase and the tone.
Hints
Focus on what the sentence is doing, not just what it says
Ask yourself: Is the underlined sentence mainly telling you a fact, describing an action, showing a conflict, or creating a picture/feeling?
Use the figurative language as a clue
The comparison "the way cupped hands hold water" is a simile. What kind of author goal usually goes with this type of poetic comparison?
Look at the sentences right before and after
Pay attention to how the narrator talks about entering the old station and remembering train whistles. How does the underlined image fit into that overall tone and focus?
Test each choice against the actual content
For each answer, ask: Do I see evidence of this in the underlined sentence and its context, or is the choice introducing something (like conflict or history) that isn’t really there?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the underlined sentence by itself
Focus on the image: "The rafters held the morning light the way cupped hands hold water." This is a simile (a comparison using “the way”), showing light resting gently in the rafters like water in someone’s cupped hands. It is descriptive and figurative, not literal instructions or facts.
Connect the sentence to the surrounding lines
Look at what comes right before and after:
- Before: the narrator enters “the old station, now a market,” with “glass and chatter” and “baskets of peaches” described warmly.
- After: the narrator slows down, listening for the whistle remembered from the past, even though no trains have run for years.
Together, these details create a soft, reflective mood and show the narrator thinking about the station’s past while standing in the present market.
Decide what kind of function this is
Ask: Is this sentence
- describing a conflict or argument?
- giving actions (something the narrator does)?
- giving factual, historical information about the building?
- or using imagery to create a particular feeling and sense of time?
The sentence is clearly imagery, helping us feel the light and atmosphere and the narrator’s emotional view of the place.
Match that function to the best answer choice
Now compare to the options:
- Choices about conflict, actions, or factual architecture do not fit the figurative, mood-setting description.
- The only option that matches a poetic, nostalgic description that links the present market to the remembered train station is: It creates a warm, nostalgic mood that connects the present market to the station’s past.