Question 37·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from a 2015 email a recent college graduate writes to a friend.
I finally settled into my new apartment downtown, and I have to say, moving closer to the center was the right decision. Here I can walk to work in ten minutes, catch a late-night concert without worrying about buses, and sample every cuisine imaginable within two blocks. The traffic noise is real, but the energy and convenience more than make up for it.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
For SAT "main purpose" questions, read the whole passage and then summarize in your own words what the author is mainly doing (telling a story, explaining a decision, arguing a point, etc.). Pay attention to tone (positive/negative), repeated ideas, and whether the author is trying to get the reader to do something or just to understand something. Then eliminate choices that focus on minor details, overstate a small part of the passage, or add goals (like persuading or complaining) that the author doesn’t clearly show, and pick the option that best matches your brief summary.
Hints
Check the tone
Is the writer mostly positive, mostly negative, or neutral about the new apartment and location? Focus on words and phrases that show feelings.
Look at the examples
Ask yourself: why does the writer mention walking to work, catching late-night concerts, and trying different cuisines? What are those details helping to show?
Consider what the writer wants from the friend
Does the email ask the friend to do something right now, like visit immediately, or is it mainly sharing news and opinions about the move?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the overall tone and context
Notice that this is an email from a recent college graduate to a friend. The tone is informal and mostly positive: the writer sounds pleased and excited about the new apartment and location, not upset or demanding.
Look at what details the writer emphasizes
The writer lists specific benefits of living downtown: walking to work in ten minutes, going to late-night concerts without worrying about buses, and having many food options nearby. These are all examples of good things about the new location. The traffic noise is a negative, but it is quickly minimized by saying the good parts "more than make up for it."
Ask: What is the writer mainly doing with these details?
Think about why someone would include this list of positives and one small negative. Is the main focus to complain? To advertise concerts and restaurants? To push the friend to do something? Or to share and justify how they feel about their own decision to move?
Match this main focus to the best answer choice
The email’s central purpose is to share that the writer is happy with the move and to support that with reasons and examples. The choice that best captures this is C) To explain why the writer believes moving downtown was a good idea.