Question 25·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
In 1902, inventor Mary Anderson visited New York City during a snowstorm and was struck by how often trolley drivers had to lean out of their vehicles to wipe snow from the windshields. Back home in Alabama, she sketched a hand-operated blade that could be attached to a car’s windshield and cleared from inside the vehicle. When Anderson presented the idea to automobile manufacturers, they were skeptical. They believed drivers would find the rhythmic motion of a mechanical blade distracting and would prefer to stop and clean the glass manually. Undeterred, Anderson patented her device, and within a decade automatic windshield wipers had become standard on cars.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the passage?
For questions asking about the function of a sentence or paragraph, first label what the sentence does (for example: gives a reason, adds an example, shows a contrast, states a result). Quickly paraphrase it in your own words and then look at the surrounding sentences to see how it connects to what comes before and after. Eliminate choices that mention things the sentence never talks about (like a person’s doubts, broad claims, or technical details if those aren’t present), and choose the option that best matches the sentence’s role in moving the explanation or narrative forward.
Hints
Clarify what kind of question this is
Notice that the question asks for the function of the underlined sentence. Think about what role that sentence plays in the story of Anderson and her invention, not just what it says word-for-word.
Paraphrase the sentence
Try to restate the underlined sentence in your own words. What are the automobile manufacturers thinking or doing in that part of the passage?
Connect the sentence to the surrounding context
Look at the sentence just before and just after the underlined one. How does this sentence move the story along from Anderson’s idea to what happens next?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task: function of a sentence
The question asks what the function of the underlined sentence is in the passage. That means you should focus on why that sentence is included—what job it does in the story about Anderson and her invention—not just what it literally says.
Paraphrase the underlined sentence in your own words
The underlined sentence says that the automobile manufacturers thought the moving wiper blade would distract drivers and that drivers would rather stop and wipe the windshield by hand. In simpler terms, it gives the manufacturers’ beliefs and concerns about the proposed invention.
Connect that role to the answer choices
Now match that role to the options:
- It does not say Anderson doubted her own invention.
- It does not make a broad claim about all early drivers being unsafe.
- It is not about how the device works mechanically. Instead, it gives the reason the manufacturers did not accept her idea at first—their skepticism and specific objection. Therefore, the correct answer is: It explains why automobile manufacturers initially rejected Anderson’s invention.