Question 68·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is adapted from the unpublished memoir of mechanical engineer Luis Ortega (1948). In this passage, Ortega recalls an early stage of his career.
When I first began cobbling together my prototype clocks from cast-off bicycle gears and lumps of scrap brass, I believed—quite naively—that precision was a mere question of patience. What I did not yet grasp was that patience had a twin named error, and it was error, not accuracy, that would become my strictest tutor. Each stuttering tick revealed a misaligned cog, each lagging second a flawed calculation. Eventually I grew less interested in celebrating the rare moments when the mechanism chimed correctly than in interrogating the far more frequent moments when it refused to chime at all. In those obstinate silences I discovered the hidden grammar of motion, and it was only after I learned to read that grammar that the clock finally kept time. I have trusted failure more than success ever since.
Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?
For main-purpose questions, first quickly paraphrase the passage in 1–2 simple sentences, then test each answer against that summary. Eliminate choices that focus on a small detail (like a passing mention of materials), that introduce new ideas not in the text (such as academic training or other people’s behavior), or that misrepresent the tone (turning a reflective passage into a technical explanation or a harsh critique). The correct choice should match both the overall topic and the author’s attitude from beginning to end.
Hints
Look at the beginning and the end
Reread the first sentence and the last sentence of the passage. What attitude does Ortega express at the start, and how does he sum up his experience at the end?
Notice what is emphasized most
Ask yourself: Does the author spend more time describing the materials, the technical workings of the clock, or his experience learning from what went wrong?
Check for ideas that are NOT in the text
Look for any answer choices that introduce topics the passage never discusses, such as other inventors’ habits or formal schooling, and be cautious about picking those.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the question type
The question asks for the main purpose of the text. That means you need a choice that sums up what the entire passage is doing, not a minor detail or something that is only suggested.
Summarize the passage in your own words
Paraphrase the key ideas:
- Ortega describes making early prototype clocks from scrap parts.
- He admits he was naive, thinking patience alone would give him precision.
- He says “error… would become my strictest tutor,” and each problem in the clock exposed a mistake.
- He becomes more focused on studying when the clock fails than when it works.
- In these failures (“obstinate silences”), he discovers a “hidden grammar of motion,” and only after understanding that does the clock finally work.
- He concludes, “I have trusted failure more than success ever since.”
Overall, the passage is about how he learned important lessons from his mechanical failures.
Match that summary to the answer choices
Now compare your summary to each option:
- (A) focuses on criticizing cheap materials and novice inventors; the passage mentions scrap parts but does not criticize them or other inventors.
- (B) promises a technical explanation of how timepieces work; the passage is more personal and metaphorical, not a step-by-step technical guide.
- (C) claims the passage argues that perseverance without formal training is meaningless; the passage never mentions school, degrees, or academic training.
- (D) emphasizes that the author’s repeated mechanical failures gave him valuable insights that led to success, which closely matches the ideas of “error” as tutor, studying failures, finding the “hidden grammar,” and eventually making a working clock.
Choose the best description of the passage’s purpose
Because the passage centers on the author learning from his many failed clock prototypes and using those lessons to eventually make a working clock, the best answer is D) To illustrate how the author's repeated mechanical failures provided valuable insights that ultimately led to success.