Question 163·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from a contemporary short story. Lucia returns home to find her brother Mateo waiting by the door.
MATEO: Finally! Can I borrow your bike? I promised Luis I'd meet him in ten minutes.
LUCIA: Not today. The back tire is flat, and I need to fix it before dark.
MATEO: It looks fine. I'll be careful.
LUCIA: It isn't. I rode over a nail this morning. There's a patch kit on the shelf, but I'm using it now.
MATEO: So that's a no?
LUCIA: That's a no. Ask me tomorrow.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
For main-purpose questions, first read the entire passage or dialogue and then summarize it in one simple sentence in your own words. Next, eliminate any choices that focus on details, background information, or ideas that never actually happen in the text. Finally, pick the answer that best matches your one-sentence summary of what the whole passage is doing from beginning to end, giving extra weight to the opening and closing lines, which often highlight the main purpose.
Hints
Focus on the whole conversation
Read the dialogue from the first line to the last and ask: what is the basic situation between Lucia and Mateo, and how is it resolved?
Pay attention to the beginning and the end
Look closely at Mateo’s very first line and Lucia’s very last line. What does Mateo want at the start, and what is Lucia’s final answer about it?
Separate main idea from details
Some lines give specific reasons or extra information. Ask yourself: which idea is driving the conversation, and which ideas just support or explain it?
Test each answer against the whole text
For each choice, check: does this describe what the entire dialogue is mainly doing, or does it only mention one small part or something that never actually happens?
Step-by-step Explanation
Recognize the question type
The question asks for the main purpose of the text. That means you should focus on the overall point of the entire conversation, not a small detail. Ask yourself: if I had to summarize why this scene is included in the story, what is happening from start to finish?
Summarize the conversation in your own words
Quickly restate the dialogue:
- Mateo asks, "Can I borrow your bike?" because he wants to meet Luis.
- Lucia says no because the back tire is flat and needs fixing.
- Mateo insists it looks fine.
- Lucia explains she rode over a nail and is using the patch kit.
- Mateo checks: "So that's a no?"
- Lucia confirms: "That's a no. Ask me tomorrow."
Overall, the conversation begins with a request and ends with a clear refusal.
Eliminate clearly off-topic choices
Now compare your summary to the answer choices:
- Choice B (street near their house): The text never describes the street itself—only that Lucia rode over a nail earlier. That’s about what happened to the bike, not what the street is like, so this purpose does not fit.
- Choice D (persuade Mateo to get his own bike): Lucia never suggests Mateo buy or get his own bike. She only says he can’t use hers today and to ask again tomorrow. So this purpose does not match the conversation.
You can confidently cross out B and D.
Distinguish main purpose from supporting detail
You should now compare the remaining ideas:
- One option focuses on the bike being refused.
- Another focuses on the patch kit.
In the dialogue, the patch kit (and the nail, and the flat tire) are reasons given inside the conversation. They explain why Lucia says no, but they are not the main point of the scene. The scene’s main action is that Mateo asks to borrow the bike and Lucia denies the request.
Therefore, the best statement of the text’s main purpose is A) To show that Lucia denies Mateo’s request to borrow her bike.