Question 143·Medium·Inferences
At the opening of the city’s new central library branch, the director explained that rather than expanding the print collection, the branch had dedicated much of its budget to building modular study rooms, installing secure charging lockers, and creating a small studio for audio recording. She noted that while the number of first-edition volumes had not grown, overall circulation remained steady, whereas weekly requests for “quiet rooms” and “collaboration hubs” had increased by 40% over the past two years. The library continued its children’s story hour but moved it outdoors in warmer months to a shaded plaza to accommodate larger crowds. Some longtime patrons worried that investing in technology made the building feel less like a traditional library. The director replied that the average visitor now stays longer than before, that educators from nearby colleges reserve the studio on weekday mornings, and that during last summer’s blackout the branch served as a cooling center and device-charging site for residents.
It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the director views the library primarily as ______.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading questions about an author’s or speaker’s primary view, first underline what they emphasize across the whole passage, especially how they defend decisions or respond to criticism. Then, quickly test each answer: eliminate any choice that focuses on a single example, adds strong words like “only,” “mainly,” or “exclusively” that the passage doesn’t support, or contradicts key details. Finally, choose the option that best summarizes the full range of roles or qualities described, not just one line or striking detail.
Hints
Focus on the director’s overall attitude
Look at how the director justifies the library’s budget choices and responds to complaints that it feels “less like a traditional library.” What does that tell you about how she thinks the library should function?
Notice the range of activities described
List the different ways people use the library in the passage—study rooms, lockers, studio, story hour, blackout support, etc. Ask yourself: do these activities all point to emergencies, to rare books, to college students only, or to something broader?
Match choices to the primary, not minor, role
One answer choice may match a detail that appears only once (like the blackout or the college educators). Make sure the answer you pick fits what the library does most of the time, not just in a single situation.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
The question asks how the director primarily views the library. That means you must infer her main idea or overall perspective from the details she gives, not just focus on one sentence or isolated fact.
Collect key evidence about the library’s role
Scan the passage for what the director emphasizes:
- The budget is used for modular study rooms, secure charging lockers, and an audio recording studio, instead of expanding the print collection.
- Children’s story hour is moved outdoors to handle larger crowds.
- She responds to worries that it feels “less like a traditional library” by pointing out:
- The average visitor now stays longer.
- Educators from nearby colleges use the studio.
- During a summer blackout, the branch was a cooling center and device-charging site for residents. These details show the library is serving many different purposes for many different kinds of people, not just storing books.
Test and eliminate answer choices that don’t match the evidence
Now compare each answer with what the passage actually shows:
- Choice A (archival institution preserving rare volumes): The director says “the number of first-edition volumes had not grown” and focuses on facilities and services instead. That goes against the idea that preserving rare books is the main role.
- Choice B (temporary shelter for emergencies): The blackout example is one situation; the rest of the passage is about everyday use (study rooms, story hour, college educators). So emergency shelter is a side benefit, not the primary purpose.
- Choice C (educational facility exclusively for college students): College educators do use the studio, but the library also hosts children’s story hour and serves residents in general. The word “exclusively” clearly does not fit. After this, only one choice matches the broad, everyday role the director describes.
Choose the answer that fits the broad, ongoing role described
The remaining option is Choice D, “a community hub that provides services beyond lending books.” This matches the director’s emphasis on many different services (study rooms, technology, outdoor events, blackout support) used by children, college educators, and neighborhood residents, showing she sees the library as a multi-use center for the whole community, not just a traditional book-focused library.