Question 146·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from a contemporary essay. The narrator observes a local festival.
In the coastal village, the weekly market spilled across the square in bright awnings and louder claims. The mayor praised the festival’s “revival of tradition,” a phrase borrowed from last year’s press release. Drummers circled the fountain while vendors stacked plastic wristbands beside antique-style postcards.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined phrase in the text as a whole?
For SAT “function in the text” questions, first read a bit before and after the underlined portion to understand the full sentence and tone. Ask: What new information or attitude does this specific phrase add? Put that in your own words, then go to the answer choices and eliminate any that: (1) introduce ideas not stated or clearly implied, (2) change the subject to something else in the passage, or (3) restate nearby content without capturing what the underlined part is actually doing (such as commenting on tone or style). Choose the option that best matches the role you already identified from the text, not the one that just sounds sophisticated.
Hints
Zoom in on the underlined phrase’s role
Reread the sentence with and without the underlined phrase. What extra idea do you get from knowing that the wording is “borrowed from last year’s press release”?
Think about what is being described
Is the underlined phrase mainly adding information about the festival itself, about the timing of the event, or about the way the mayor is speaking?
Test each answer choice against the actual text
Ask yourself for each option: Do we really learn this from the words “a phrase borrowed from last year’s press release,” or is that idea never stated or implied? Eliminate any choice that introduces new information not supported by the passage.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate what the underlined phrase refers to
First, identify the phrase being described. The sentence says: the mayor praised the festival’s “revival of tradition,” a phrase borrowed from last year’s press release.
So the underlined part is commenting on the words “revival of tradition.” It tells us where those words came from (last year’s press release).
Ask what new information this adds
The main clause is that the mayor praised the festival’s “revival of tradition.” That alone sounds positive.
The underlined phrase adds that these exact words are borrowed from last year’s press release, meaning they are not new and come from an official document. This gives us extra information about the nature and style of the mayor’s praise, not about the event itself.
Connect this to the passage’s tone and purpose
The narrator is observing a scene: bright awnings, loud claims, drummers, and vendors selling plastic wristbands with antique-style postcards. That mix of old and new has a slightly ironic tone.
Saying the mayor’s praise uses language taken from a press release fits that tone by suggesting the speech sounds like standard publicity talk, rather than a unique emotional reaction. The underlined phrase therefore comments on how the praise comes across, not on what the event is called or why it exists.
Match this function to the answer choices
Now compare with the options:
- It’s not naming the event (so not providing a title).
- It doesn’t give any reason the festival was revived this year.
- It doesn’t change the subject to vendors; it’s still about the mayor’s words.
Instead, it shows the mayor’s compliment relies on recycled, official language rather than a fresh, in-the-moment statement. Therefore, the best answer is: It implies the mayor’s praise is formulaic rather than spontaneous.