Question 21·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
For decades, scholars have dismissed the fifteenth-century chronicler Marta di Lucca as a mere storyteller who embellished local gossip, primarily because she rarely cited her sources. Recently, however, historian Stefan Rojas located city-council ledgers whose phrasing and sequencing closely match several of di Lucca’s supposedly fanciful passages. Rojas argues that the similarities indicate di Lucca had privileged access to official documents now largely lost, and that her narrative strategy was not carelessness but deliberate synthesis.
Which choice best describes the primary purpose of the text?
For primary-purpose questions, quickly summarize the passage in your own words in 5–10 seconds (e.g., "sets up old view, then shows new evidence that challenges it"). Look for contrast words like "however," "but," or "recently" that often signal a shift from background to the author’s main point. Then eliminate any answer choices that introduce topics or purposes not clearly supported by the entire passage (e.g., specific subtopics, processes, or claims that never appear), and pick the choice that best matches the overall structure and goal of the text, not just one sentence or detail.
Hints
Locate the contrast
Pay close attention to the words "For decades" and "Recently, however." What is being described before the "however," and what changes after it?
Think about the overall move, not the details
Ask yourself: from the beginning to the end of the passage, what is the author mainly doing—describing a topic, defending someone, explaining a process, or something else?
Check each option against the whole passage
For each answer choice, ask: does every sentence in the passage support this description, or is the choice focusing on something that’s barely mentioned or not mentioned at all?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task: "primary purpose"
The question asks for the primary purpose of the text. That means you are not looking for small details but for what the entire passage, from beginning to end, is mainly doing or trying to accomplish.
Summarize the first part of the passage
Focus on the opening sentence:
"For decades, scholars have dismissed the fifteenth-century chronicler Marta di Lucca as a mere storyteller who embellished local gossip, primarily because she rarely cited her sources."
This sets up a long-standing negative view of di Lucca: scholars have thought she was unreliable and careless, and they have believed this for a long time ("for decades").
Summarize the new development
Now look at the rest of the passage, especially starting with "Recently, however"—a strong signal of a shift.
We learn that historian Stefan Rojas has found city-council ledgers that closely match several of di Lucca’s supposedly fanciful passages. Rojas argues that:
- These similarities suggest she had special access to now-lost official documents.
- Her narrative style was not careless but a deliberate synthesis.
So the later part presents new evidence and a new interpretation that challenges the old view.
Match that overall action to the correct choice
Putting it together, the passage first states an entrenched negative characterization of di Lucca’s work, then introduces recent evidence and an argument that challenge that view and recast her methods as careful and deliberate.
Therefore, the best description of the text’s primary purpose is: "To highlight recent evidence that contradicts an entrenched characterization of di Lucca’s research methods."