Question 38·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
Historian Felipe Ramos begins his article on early printing in the Americas by describing a dramatic scene: in 1539, a small wooden press arrived by mule train at the gates of Mexico City, its metal type rattling in crates. Ramos then shifts focus, outlining how that single press sparked a network of colonial print shops that soon produced laws, religious tracts, and poetry. By moving from the vivid arrival of the press to a broader discussion of its impact, Ramos invites readers to picture a pivotal moment before considering its far-reaching consequences.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
For SAT structure/purpose questions, first ignore the answer choices and quickly summarize, in your own words, what the first part of the passage is doing and what the second part is doing (for example, "tells a short story, then explains its effects" or "states a claim, then gives reasons"). Then scan the answer choices for the one that matches that summary exactly, and eliminate any choice that mentions a type of structure you don’t see at all (like a debate, a comparison, or a list narrowing to a single case). Focus on the relationship between parts of the passage (specific→general, problem→solution, claim→evidence) rather than the topic details.
Hints
Classify the beginning of the passage
Look closely at the first sentence. Ask yourself: is the author giving general background, statistics, a comparison, or telling a specific little story about something that happened?
Notice how the focus changes after the first sentence
Read the sentences after the scene with the printing press. Do they keep describing that moment in detail, or do they start talking about larger patterns, results, or consequences?
Compare the pattern you see with the answer choices
Decide whether the passage is mainly comparing things, describing a disagreement, listing items and then zooming in, or moving between a single example and a more general discussion. Then pick the choice whose description best matches that pattern.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks for the overall structure of the text, not what it is about. That means you should focus on how the author organizes the information from beginning to end (for example, specific to general, comparison, debate, list, cause-and-effect), instead of on the historical facts themselves.
Analyze the first part of the text
Look at the beginning:
"Historian Felipe Ramos begins his article on early printing in the Americas by describing a dramatic scene: in 1539, a small wooden press arrived by mule train at the gates of Mexico City, its metal type rattling in crates."
This is a single, specific scene told like a little story: a press arriving by mule train, metal type rattling. That kind of short, vivid story about a moment is called an anecdote or a concrete example.
Analyze how the focus shifts in the rest of the text
Now read what happens next:
"Ramos then shifts focus, outlining how that single press sparked a network of colonial print shops that soon produced laws, religious tracts, and poetry. By moving from the vivid arrival of the press to a broader discussion of its impact, Ramos invites readers to picture a pivotal moment before considering its far-reaching consequences."
Here, the author moves away from the single scene and talks about larger effects: a network of print shops, types of texts produced, and the consequences of that first press. This is a move from one specific event to a broader explanation of its impact or significance over time.
Match that pattern to the best answer choice
Now compare this pattern—starting with a vivid, specific story and then moving to a wider explanation of the event’s importance—to the answer choices:
- Choice A talks about contrasting two technologies, but the passage only describes one press and does not compare it to any other technology.
- Choice B mentions a debate among historians and refuting both sides, but there is no argument between historians in the text—just Ramos’s description.
- Choice C says the text lists several outcomes and then narrows to one printer in detail, but the passage actually starts with one press and then expands to broader outcomes; it does not zoom in on one printer at the end.
- Choice D accurately describes what the passage does: it opens with an anecdote to capture interest, then broadens to explain the historical significance of the event.