Question 28·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
When Mira Patel began restoring the century-old town clock, she quickly realized that its damage was more than cosmetic. Several gears were worn thin, the pendulum had lost balance, and the wooden housing had warped from years of humidity. Still, the clock’s provenance—a gift from local shipbuilders in 1906—made the community determined to save it.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
For SAT function-of-a-sentence questions, first read one or two sentences before and after the underlined part to see the flow of ideas. Then, in your own words, label what the sentence is doing (giving examples, providing a reason, adding a contrast, giving background, etc.). Finally, eliminate choices that introduce ideas not actually present in that sentence or that better describe a different part of the passage; pick the option that best matches the sentence’s role in supporting or developing the surrounding claim.
Hints
Look at the sentence before the underlined part
Focus on what the sentence before the underlined one says about the clock’s condition. How might the underlined sentence connect to or support that idea?
Summarize what the underlined sentence is doing
Ignore the details for a moment and describe in your own words what the underlined sentence is doing: is it listing examples, giving background, making a comparison, or telling a story about Mira?
Check each choice against the actual content
For each answer choice, ask: Does the underlined sentence actually talk about this idea (history, contrast, Mira’s learning, or something else), or is that being brought in from somewhere else in the paragraph or from my imagination?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the main point around the underlined sentence
First, read the sentence before the underlined portion to see what claim it makes: "she quickly realized that its damage was more than cosmetic." This tells us that the author is emphasizing that the clock’s problems go beyond how it looks on the outside.
Paraphrase the underlined sentence
Now look closely at the underlined sentence: "Several gears were worn thin, the pendulum had lost balance, and the wooden housing had warped from years of humidity." All of these are specific, serious problems with how the clock works and is built: thin gears, an unbalanced pendulum, and warped wood.
Connect the sentence to the text as a whole
Ask how this list of problems functions in the paragraph. It directly supports and illustrates the idea that the clock’s damage goes beyond appearance by giving concrete examples of internal and structural damage. It does not add new topics like history, contrast, or Mira’s background; instead, it backs up the claim that the clock is in bad shape.
Match this role to the best answer choice
The answer choice that describes a sentence giving specific examples to back up the idea that the clock’s damage is serious and not just superficial is: A) It offers evidence that the clock needed significant repairs.