Question 152·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
City officials expected timed traffic signals to shorten queues downtown. Six months after the change, travel data showed the average wait at the river bridge fell, but delays at the hill junction doubled, as drivers rerouted to avoid the bridge. Rather than undo the timing, the transportation team studied origin–destination patterns and found that most congestion came from short trips within downtown. They converted one central lane to bus-only during rush hour and added a small loop shuttle, keeping the signals in place. Early results suggest the changes reduced local car trips without pushing more traffic into surrounding neighborhoods.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
For overall-structure questions, first quickly paraphrase what happens in the passage in simple steps (e.g., "they try X, then Y happens, then they do Z"). Ignore the topic details and focus on the jobs each part of the passage does: introducing a problem, proposing a solution, giving evidence, contrasting ideas, etc. Then compare your step-by-step outline to each answer, eliminating options that introduce elements not in the passage (like theories, costs, or long-term trends). Finally, choose the option that best matches both the number and order of the steps you identified.
Hints
Locate the key transitions
Pay attention to phrases like "Six months after the change," "but," and "Rather than undo the timing"—these signal shifts in what is happening in the passage.
Ask what is happening in each part
For each sentence or group of sentences, decide if it is describing a plan, a problem, a result, a comparison, or a prediction.
Eliminate structures that don't fit the story
Ask yourself: Does the passage discuss theories? Costs? Long-term trends and models? Or is it walking through stages of a practical attempt to manage traffic?
Check for a three-part pattern
See if you can identify three distinct moves the passage makes in order—this will help you match it more precisely to one of the choices.
Step-by-step Explanation
Break the passage into parts
Read the passage in chunks and ask what each part is doing:
- First sentence: "City officials expected timed traffic signals to shorten queues downtown." This is a plan or solution they put in place to address congestion.
- Second sentence: "Six months after the change, travel data showed the average wait at the river bridge fell, but delays at the hill junction doubled, as drivers rerouted to avoid the bridge." This shows what actually happened, including a new problem (delays doubled at another junction) that was not expected.
- Remaining sentences: They decide not to undo the timing. Instead, they study patterns, identify that congestion is from short trips, and then make new changes (bus-only lane, shuttle) while keeping the signals. Early results show improvement.
So overall, the passage clearly has multiple stages: initial action, surprising outcome, then another action based on closer study.
Name the role of each stage
Now, label these stages more precisely:
- Stage 1: A planned solution to a problem (timed signals to shorten queues downtown).
- Stage 2: An unintended consequence of that solution (reduced wait at the bridge but increased delays at the hill junction as drivers reroute).
- Stage 3: A revised, more targeted solution created after analyzing data (studying origin–destination patterns, then shifting one lane to bus-only and adding a shuttle, while keeping the original timing).
The structure is not just "before and after." It’s: initial fix → new, unexpected issue → adjusted fix informed by data.
Match that structure to the choices
Compare that three-part pattern with each option:
- A) talks about competing theories and rejecting both. The passage never presents theories or arguments; it describes actions and their effects.
- B) mentions two unrelated initiatives and comparing costs. Here, all actions are part of one overall effort to manage traffic, and there is no cost comparison.
- C) says it summarizes long-term trends and predicts future outcomes using a model. The passage instead gives a short-term case study and early results, not a long-term trend summary or modeled prediction.
- D) says it presents a plan to solve a problem, notes an unexpected consequence, then describes a revised approach based on new analysis, which exactly matches the three stages identified.
Therefore, the correct answer is D) It presents a plan to solve a problem, notes an unexpected consequence, then describes a revised approach based on new analysis.