Question 5·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
Portus, the sprawling harbor complex that served ancient Rome, has long been understood as a mere transit point for goods arriving by sea. Recent archaeological work, however, argues that the port also functioned as a bureaucratic center that closely regulated those goods. Excavators point to warehouses arranged in strict grids, an office block containing dozens of writing tablets, and a trove of stamped ceramic jars recovered from a collapsed storage shed.
One of the jars bears the same official weight inscription as containers found in granaries nearly fifty miles inland, indicating that officials at Portus used standardized measures that were recognized throughout the region.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
For SAT "function of a sentence" questions, first identify the main claim or purpose of the paragraph, then ask how the target sentence helps that purpose: does it provide evidence, explain a term, offer a counterexample, or shift topics? Read one or two sentences before and after the target, paraphrase in your own words what the target sentence is doing, and then eliminate answer choices that describe actions you do not see (like changing topics, giving opposing views, or discussing ideas that never appear). Focus on the role of the sentence in the argument, not just on its subject matter.
Hints
Locate the main argument
Reread the sentence that begins with "Recent archaeological work, however, argues..." What does it say Portus did besides serve as a transit point?
See how details are used
Look at the list of archaeological findings: warehouses in grids, an office block, stamped jars. Ask yourself: Are these just random facts, or are they being used to prove something about how Portus operated?
Zoom in on the underlined sentence
The underlined sentence explains what the weight inscription on the jar shows. How does that explanation connect back to the idea of regulation or bureaucracy mentioned earlier?
Eliminate mismatches
For each answer choice, ask: Does the underlined sentence really do this? Does it talk about boundaries, argue against grain shipments, change the topic, or support the earlier claim?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the passage’s main claim
Focus on the sentence that starts with "Recent archaeological work, however, argues". It says that Portus "also functioned as a bureaucratic center that closely regulated those goods." That is the key claim the rest of the paragraph is trying to support.
See how the paragraph supports that claim
After the claim, the author lists specific findings: warehouses in strict grids, an office block with writing tablets, and stamped ceramic jars. Each of these is a piece of evidence suggesting organization, record-keeping, and regulation—things an administrative center would do.
Focus on what the underlined sentence adds
The underlined sentence gives a very specific detail about one jar: it has the same official weight inscription as containers in inland granaries, which "indicat[es] that officials at Portus used standardized measures" across the region. This strengthens the idea that officials at Portus were part of a formal system of regulation, not just moving goods through.
Match that role to the best answer choice
Because the underlined sentence provides a specific example that strengthens the earlier claim that Portus was a bureaucratic, regulatory center, the best description of its function is: It offers evidence that supports the claim about Portus’s administrative role.