Question 98·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
In the late 1980s, a vacant lot on Chicago’s South Side was transformed into a patchwork of vegetable beds by residents seeking fresher food and safer streets. The Englewood Unity Garden, as they named it, flourished for a decade until changes in property laws forced its closure. Yet the idea never vanished. In 2015, former volunteers regrouped, negotiated a 30-year lease with the city, and rebuilt the garden, this time adding a greenhouse and hosting weekly workshops for neighborhood schools. Today, the Englewood Unity Garden donates nearly two tons of produce annually and serves as a hub for urban-agriculture training.
Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?
For overall purpose questions, first read the short passage and then, before looking at the choices, sum up its main job in 5–8 words (for example: brief history and current role of a garden). Then check each answer against the entire passage: a correct purpose must fit every part, especially the ending, and not just one detail from the beginning. Eliminate choices that zoom in on a single idea (like one motive, one problem, or one detail) or that describe a type of writing the passage clearly is not (such as step-by-step instructions or a legal analysis). Focus on what the author spends the most time doing and how the passage is structured (chronology, comparison, explanation) to quickly find the best match.
Hints
Think about the whole passage, not one detail
Ask yourself what the passage is mainly doing from beginning to end. Is it telling a story over time, focusing on one problem, or explaining how to do something?
Notice the structure of time
Pay attention to the time markers like in the late 1980s and in 2015 and today. How does this timeline help you understand what kind of writing this is?
Check what the last sentence adds
The last sentence explains what the garden is doing now. How does that final point connect back to the earlier history to show the passage’s main purpose?
Guard against trap answers
Look for choices that focus too narrowly on one idea mentioned only once, such as safety, specific laws, or technical gardening techniques, instead of the big picture.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks for the overall purpose of the text. That means you need a choice that covers what the entire passage is mainly doing, not just one sentence or detail.
Quickly summarize each part of the passage
Go sentence by sentence and note the main ideas:
- Sentence 1: In the late 1980s, residents turn a vacant lot into a vegetable garden for fresher food and safer streets.
- Sentence 2: The garden thrives for a decade but closes because of changes in property laws.
- Sentence 3: The idea does not disappear.
- Sentence 4: In 2015, volunteers return, negotiate a long lease, rebuild the garden, and add a greenhouse and school workshops.
- Sentence 5: Today, the garden donates a lot of produce and serves as a training hub for urban agriculture. Overall, the text moves through time: origin, closure, rebirth, and current role.
Decide what kind of purpose fits that summary
Ask yourself: Is the author mainly trying to argue a point, give step-by-step instructions, describe technical methods, or tell the story of this garden and what it does now? The passage is not arguing for or against anything; it is mainly informative and narrative, giving a short history and ending with what the garden currently provides to the community.
Compare choices to the whole passage and choose the best match
Now test each answer against the full passage:
- Safety is only briefly mentioned in the first sentence.
- Legal issues appear in only one or two phrases.
- Growing methods are not described in detail at all. The only choice that matches the passage as a whole, covering the garden’s past (creation and closure) and present role (donations, workshops, training), is B) To summarize the history and renewed mission of the Englewood Unity Garden.