Question 164·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
While many ecological datasets are recent, some scientists look to older sources. In a recent archival study, entomologist Dr. Laila Ortiz compared pollination timing recorded in early twentieth-century farm diaries with modern field observations from the same counties. Ortiz’s team matched entries noting the first day bees were seen visiting apple blossoms to recent counts that used the same definition of first visit. They also consulted digitized weather logs and herbarium records to confirm bloom dates. The researchers found that first bee visits now occur about two weeks earlier than they did a century ago, a shift consistent with earlier flowering in a warming climate.
Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?
For "main purpose" questions, quickly summarize each paragraph or sentence in the margin (e.g., context → study design → result) and then decide whether the passage is mainly informing, analyzing, or persuading. Focus on the overall structure and tone rather than small details, and eliminate answer choices that introduce ideas (like comparisons, proposals, or strong arguments) that the passage doesn’t actually develop. Choose the option that best fits what the passage does from start to finish, not just a single sentence.
Hints
Look at the beginning and end of the passage
Reread the first and last sentences. Ask: What situation is introduced at the beginning, and what is the main takeaway at the end?
Decide if the author is informing or persuading
Ask yourself whether the author is simply explaining what a study did and found, or if they are trying to argue for a change, judge something, or convince you of a particular opinion.
Match choices to what actually happens in the passage
Check whether the passage ever discusses replacing professionals, changing the way data should be recorded, or bee population size. Eliminate any choice that focuses on ideas the passage does not develop.
Think about methods versus conclusions
Notice that several sentences describe how the researchers collected and checked their data, and one sentence states what they found. Look for an answer that fits both of those parts together.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks for the main purpose of the text. That means you need to capture what the passage is mainly doing overall (its job), not a small detail or side point.
Notice the passage’s structure
Summarize each part of the passage in your own words:
- First sentence: Introduces the idea that some scientists use older sources for ecological data.
- Middle sentences: Describe what Dr. Ortiz did in her study—comparing farm diaries with modern field observations, matching definitions of “first visit,” and consulting weather logs and herbarium records.
- Last sentence: States what the researchers found (bee visits occur about two weeks earlier now) and connects it to earlier flowering in a warming climate.
This structure is: context → description of a specific study and its methods → the study’s main result.
Decide if the tone is neutral description or argument
Ask yourself: Is the author trying to convince you to agree with something, or mainly reporting what happened in a study?
The passage:
- Uses a neutral, factual tone ("In a recent archival study," "Ortiz’s team matched...", "They also consulted...").
- Does not give opinions or recommendations.
That means it is mainly informative, not persuasive or evaluative.
Test each answer choice against the whole passage
Now see which answer best matches the overall job of the passage:
- One wrong choice focuses on whether amateurs can replace professionals, but the passage never compares or judges them.
- Another wrong choice focuses on increasing bee populations, but the passage talks about timing of visits, not how many bees there are.
- Another wrong choice talks about proposing a new standard, but the passage only describes how this particular study recorded data; it doesn’t propose a new rule for everyone.
The remaining choice is the one that matches the passage’s neutral explanation of a study’s methods and its finding.
State the correct answer
The best description of the passage’s main purpose is A) To present a research finding and summarize the methods used to reach it.