Question 72·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
The passage below is adapted from a speech delivered in 1893 by educator Clara Whitfield to a gathering of school administrators.
If we are to celebrate the marvels of the electric lamp, let us first remember the dim candles by whose glow Newton peered at falling prisms and Faraday bent over whirring coils. We must resist the lazy belief that comfort alone is progress. The lamp is praiseworthy precisely because it frees the hands that once trimmed wicks, granting time to minds that may invent still bolder instruments. But the moment we treat convenience as an end in itself, invention decays into mere adornment: bright, yes, but purposeless. I therefore urge this assembly to measure every innovation not by the novelty of its flash but by the questions it permits our students to ask once their rooms are lit.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the passage?
For main purpose questions, identify the author’s central action (warn, argue, criticize, recommend) by focusing on thesis-like language (for example, "we must" and "I therefore urge") and especially the final sentence, which often states the takeaway. Paraphrase the purpose in one sentence, then choose the option that matches both the author’s stance (here, cautionary) and the passage’s standard for evaluation (here, whether innovation enables deeper student questioning).
Hints
Find the main warning or recommendation
Look for sentences where the speaker tells the audience what they "must" do or what they should be careful about—these often express the main purpose.
Check how the speaker describes the electric lamp
Is the lamp praised without limits, or is there a condition on when it is truly "praiseworthy"? Focus on the explanation that begins with "The lamp is praiseworthy..."
Use the final sentence as a guide
The last sentence mentions how to "measure every innovation." Ask yourself: according to the speaker, what is the key standard by which schools should judge new technologies?
Eliminate answers that focus on side issues
Cross out any choice that focuses mainly on whether electric lighting will replace older methods, on giving credit to practical labor, or on adopting technology for appearance if those ideas aren’t the focus of the whole passage.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the speaker’s main claim and tone
Look at the lines that sound most like a thesis or a warning. The speaker says, "We must resist the lazy belief that comfort alone is progress" and later warns that if we treat convenience as an "end in itself," invention becomes "bright, yes, but purposeless." The tone is cautionary, not purely celebratory of new technology.
Notice how the lamp is praised and limited
The speaker does praise the electric lamp, but in a specific way: "The lamp is praiseworthy precisely because it frees the hands that once trimmed wicks, granting time to minds that may invent still bolder instruments." This means the value of the lamp is in freeing people to think and invent, not in comfort for its own sake.
Pay special attention to the final sentence
The final sentence often directly states the main purpose: the speaker urges the assembly "to measure every innovation not by the novelty of its flash but by the questions it permits our students to ask once their rooms are lit." This shows the key standard for judging technology is whether it helps students ask questions and think more deeply.
Match the overall idea to the best answer choice
Putting this together, the passage’s purpose is to warn school leaders not to confuse comfort or novelty with real progress, and to value technology only when it helps students think and inquire further. Among the choices, only To caution that technological conveniences should be valued only insofar as they foster further intellectual inquiry captures this focus on both caution and the idea that the worth of technology depends on its support for learning.