Question 166·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
The city council is considering replacing two downtown parking lots with small parks. Some residents support the plan, citing the need for green space, but others warn it could worsen traffic and slow buses, especially near the elementary school at dismissal time. City planners maintain that traffic patterns can be adjusted to accommodate the change.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined phrase in the text as a whole?
For SAT “function of a phrase” questions, first mark who is speaking (which side or viewpoint) when the phrase appears. Then briefly read the sentence without the underlined part and ask what new information or effect the phrase adds: an example, a definition, a contrast, a reason, or something else. Finally, eliminate choices that mismatch the speaker (for example, say it helps planners when it’s in the residents’ sentence) or that describe actions not present in the text (like comparing before/after or defining a term), and select the option that best matches the phrase’s actual role in the passage.
Hints
Locate whose point the phrase is part of
The underlined phrase appears in the sentence describing the worry about traffic and buses. Decide whether it’s supporting the residents’ concern or the planners’ response.
Remove the phrase and see what changes
Mentally reread the sentence without the underlined words. What extra information does the phrase add (for example: a definition, a comparison, or a specific example)?
Match the effect to the choices
Look for the option that describes adding a specific time/place to make a general concern feel more specific and real. Eliminate choices that claim it defines a term or compares “before vs. after.”
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the two sides in the passage
First, notice there are two groups with different views:
- Some residents support the plan, saying the city needs green space.
- Others (other residents) warn it could worsen traffic and slow buses, especially near the school.
- City planners say traffic patterns can be adjusted.
The underlined phrase is inside the sentence about the residents who are worried, not the planners.
Focus on what the underlined phrase actually says
Read the sentence with and without the underlined phrase:
- Full: "…others warn it could worsen traffic and slow buses, especially near the elementary school at dismissal time."
- Without phrase: "…others warn it could worsen traffic and slow buses."
The underlined part adds a specific place and time where the problem (traffic and slow buses) would be particularly bad.
Decide the phrase’s role in the argument
Ask: What does adding this specific place and time do for the reader?
- It does not introduce a new idea.
- It makes the general warning about traffic more vivid by pointing to a real-world situation parents, students, and bus riders might recognize as sensitive.
- This strengthens and clarifies the worried residents’ point about congestion.
So its function is to support or illustrate that concern, not to help the planners or define vocabulary.
Match that role to the best answer choice
Now compare each option to what you found:
- One option says the phrase specifies a particular time and place to make the residents’ traffic concern more concrete. That is exactly what a specific, real-world situation like "near the elementary school at dismissal time" does.
- The other options shift the purpose to the planners, claim a before/after comparison, or claim it defines a term; none of those match.
Therefore, the correct answer is: It specifies a particular time and place to make the residents’ traffic concern more concrete.