Question 18·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
Read the passage below from an early-twentieth-century memoir.
The more Mr. Lytton proclaimed that our modest enterprise would transform the village, the more an indefinable unease settled over me. His charts and ledgers fanned across the oak table like the plumage of an exotic bird—flawless, irrefutable, dazzling. Yet beneath that calculated brilliance stirred the memory of last spring’s venture, when equally certain numbers evaporated with the April thaw. I nodded and smiled, but the figures before me had already begun to blur into the ghost of a loss we had never fully confessed.
Which choice best describes the main purpose of the passage?
For “main purpose” questions, first quickly paraphrase the passage in one simple sentence: who is involved, what is happening, and how the narrator feels about it. Then check the tone—positive, negative, or mixed—and what the author spends the most time on (description, argument, emotion, or narration). Finally, eliminate choices that (1) focus on a minor detail instead of the big picture, (2) add ideas not supported by the text (like clear manipulation or broad economic claims), or (3) contradict the narrator’s attitude, and choose the option that best matches your one-sentence summary and the overall tone.
Hints
Focus on the narrator, not just the charts
Reread the passage and ask: Is the author mainly describing facts about the business plan, or is the author showing how the narrator feels about that plan?
Look for positive and negative language
Underline words that describe Mr. Lytton’s charts and ledgers and then underline words that describe the narrator’s emotional state. How do those sets of words differ?
Use the memory of last spring’s venture
Pay special attention to the sentence about “last spring’s venture.” How does that memory affect the narrator’s reaction to the current proposal?
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate what the question is asking
The question asks for the main purpose of the passage. That means you should figure out why the author included this scene and what it mainly does, not just a detail it mentions.
Summarize the passage in your own words
Paraphrase the paragraph:
- Mr. Lytton is making big promises about transforming the village.
- His charts and ledgers look very impressive: “flawless, irrefutable, dazzling.”
- Despite this, the narrator feels “an indefinable unease” and remembers a past failure “last spring’s venture” where the numbers also looked certain but then “evaporated.”
- The narrator outwardly “nodded and smiled,” but inside the figures blur into “the ghost of a loss we had never fully confessed.”
So the passage is mainly about how the narrator reacts to Mr. Lytton’s presentation.
Identify the key contrast and tone
Notice the contrast:
- Positive description of the presentation: “flawless, irrefutable, dazzling,” “calculated brilliance,” charts like the “plumage of an exotic bird.” This shows admiration or at least recognition of how impressive the presentation is.
- Negative feelings and memory: “indefinable unease,” “last spring’s venture” that failed, numbers that “evaporated,” “ghost of a loss,” “never fully confessed.” This shows deep doubt and emotional discomfort.
The tone toward Mr. Lytton’s presentation is mixed: visually and logically impressive, but emotionally troubling and untrustworthy in the narrator’s mind.
Match your understanding to the best answer choice
Now compare this understanding to the choices:
- The passage is not mainly proving that the data are correct; the narrator actually doubts them.
- It is not mainly about giving detailed facts about the village’s hardship; the hardship appears only indirectly through a remembered failure.
- It is not clearly accusing Mr. Lytton of deliberate manipulation; the focus is on the narrator’s reaction.
Instead, the whole paragraph dramatizes how the narrator is torn: they admire how impressive the charts look but distrust what they promise because of past experience. Therefore, the best answer is To dramatize the narrator’s internal conflict between admiration for Mr. Lytton’s presentation and distrust of its promises.