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 (e.g., 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 who is speaking when the phrase appears
Look at which group’s viewpoint is being described in the sentence with the underlined phrase: the residents who support the plan, the residents who oppose it, or the planners?
Ask what changes if you remove the underlined phrase
Reread the sentence without the words "especially near the elementary school at dismissal time." What extra detail or effect is lost when that phrase is gone?
Think about what kind of detail the phrase adds
Does the phrase add a definition, a time and place, a comparison over time, or support for a different group’s claim?
Use process of elimination on the answer choices
For each option, check: does the underlined phrase really do what this choice describes in the context of the whole paragraph?
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 gives a concrete example that illustrates the residents’ concern about congestion. That is exactly what a specific, real-world situation like "near the elementary school at dismissal time" does.
- The other options talk about helping the planners, comparing before vs. after, or defining a technical term; none of those match.
Therefore, the correct answer is: It gives a concrete example that illustrates the residents’ concern about congestion.