Question 97·Easy·Text Structure and Purpose
Urban planners recently evaluated adding so-called "pocket parks" to several densely populated neighborhoods. Residents in these areas often lack access to green spaces, a deficiency linked to increased stress levels and reduced community interaction. By repurposing vacant lots into mini-parks equipped with benches, native plants, and shade trees, the planners aim to provide relaxing communal areas within a five-minute walk of every apartment building. Early surveys show strong neighborhood support for the idea.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
For SAT questions about the function of a sentence, first read 1–2 sentences before and after the sentence in question to see the mini-structure (for example: problem → solution, claim → evidence, idea → example). Then, briefly paraphrase the target sentence and ask what it is doing (introducing a problem, offering a solution, giving evidence, contrasting a point, summarizing, etc.). Finally, match that role to the answer choices and quickly eliminate any option that adds elements not present in the sentence (like data, future issues, or reactions) to avoid being tricked by choices that sound reasonable but don’t fit the actual text.
Hints
Look at what comes right before the underlined sentence
Reread the sentence before the underlined one. What problem or situation is described there, and how might the next sentence logically respond to it?
Paraphrase the underlined sentence
Try to say the underlined sentence in your own words: Is it mainly telling you about an action, about results, about a new issue, or about people’s opinions?
Compare general roles, not small details
Ask yourself: overall, is the underlined sentence giving a plan, giving proof with data, raising a new concern, or explaining how people reacted? Eliminate any answer choice that describes something the sentence clearly does not do.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the overall structure of the paragraph
Read the whole paragraph and notice the sequence:
- Sentence 1 introduces the idea the planners are considering: adding "pocket parks".
- Sentence 2 describes the problem: residents lack green spaces, which is linked to stress and reduced community interaction.
- The underlined sentence comes next.
- The final sentence mentions early surveys showing support for the idea.
So the text moves from idea → problem → [underlined sentence] → reaction/support.
Paraphrase the underlined sentence in your own words
The underlined sentence says that the planners will repurpose vacant lots into mini-parks with benches, native plants, and shade trees, so that every apartment building has a relaxing communal area within a five-minute walk.
In simpler words: it describes how the planners plan to use empty lots to create nearby, relaxing shared green spaces.
Identify what type of role that description plays
Ask: Is this sentence
- giving a plan/strategy (what they will do),
- presenting data/evidence,
- introducing a new problem, or
- summarizing residents’ reactions?
The sentence clearly explains the specific actions the planners aim to take. It does not include numbers or results, does not state a new problem, and does not mention what residents think. It describes the planners’ intended solution to the earlier problem (lack of green space).
Match your understanding to the answer choices
Now compare this role to the options:
- One option says the sentence describes the planners’ strategy for dealing with the previously stated problem. That matches exactly what we saw: the underlined sentence explains how the planners will turn vacant lots into nearby mini-parks to address the shortage of green space.
- The other options talk about data proving effectiveness, a new future problem, or residents’ reactions to past projects—none of which fits the underlined sentence.
Therefore, the correct answer is: A) It outlines a strategy proposed by the planners to address the problem identified earlier in the text.