Question 108·Hard·Central Ideas and Details
The following text is from a letter published in 1884 by naturalist Amelia Hartwright to the Midland Gazette. In the letter, Hartwright responds to growing public concern about the annual flooding of the Grayleaf River.
It has become fashionable among the city newspapers to denounce the Grayleaf’s spring swelling as a catastrophe to be contained at any cost. I do not deny that the swollen currents undo roads, soak granaries, and test the nerves of every farmer who lives within sight of the levees. Yet those same muddy torrents carry silt richer than any manure spread by hand; they refresh the oxbow marshes where the black-crowned night-heron breeds, and they replenish the groundwater that sees us through August’s drought. Had we the power to bind the river completely, we might congratulate ourselves for a season—until we discovered our fields crusted with exhaustion and our wells drawing air. Let us mend what must be mended after each inundation, but let us not forget that the river’s seeming violence is the price of its enduring generosity.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
For main-purpose questions, identify (1) what viewpoint or situation the author responds to in the opening and (2) what takeaway the author emphasizes in the final lines. Then describe the author’s goal with a strong verb (challenge, defend, warn, explain) and verify that most details in the middle support that goal. Eliminate choices that are (a) too narrow (only one detail), (b) introduce ideas not in the passage, or (c) shift the focus away from the author’s central message.
Hints
Pay special attention to the beginning and the end
Reread the first and last sentences. What criticism is Hartwright responding to, and what does she want readers to remember by the end?
Track how the author talks about the floods
List one harm she admits and two benefits she emphasizes. Which side gets more development and emphasis?
Test each option against the whole passage
Ask whether each answer describes the overall goal of the letter or just one supporting point (like a warning or a suggestion).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the situation and audience
From the intro and first sentence, Hartwright is responding to public concern and newspaper claims that the Grayleaf’s spring swelling is a “catastrophe.” This frames the passage as a rebuttal to a prevailing negative view.
Track the author’s pivot from harm to benefit
Hartwright concedes the harms (roads undone, granaries soaked), then pivots with “Yet” to emphasize benefits: nutrient-rich silt, refreshed marsh habitat, and replenished groundwater.
Use the ending to confirm the author’s purpose
The conclusion warns that “binding” the river would bring long-term costs (exhausted fields, empty wells) and urges readers not to forget that the river’s “violence” is tied to its “generosity.” This reinforces that the author’s goal is not to deny damage, but to challenge the idea that floods are only bad.
Choose the option that matches the overall aim
The passage’s main purpose is to counter a popular, negative portrayal of flooding by explaining why periodic floods are beneficial to the ecosystem. Therefore, the correct choice is To challenge the prevailing view that the river’s floods are purely harmful by explaining their ecological benefits.