Text Structure, Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections

Text Structure and Purpose Questions

These ask: "Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?" or "The primary purpose of the text is to..."

Common Text Purposes

Purpose	Signal Words
Introduce a debate	"Some scholars argue... while others contend..."
Present a finding	"A recent study found..." "Researchers discovered..."
Challenge a view	"However," "contrary to," "this overlooks..."
Provide context	"Historically," "traditionally," background information
Illustrate a point	"For example," "consider the case of..."
Qualify a claim	"Although," "to some extent," "with certain limitations"

Strategy for Purpose Questions

Ask yourself: "Why did the author include this?" — not "What does it say?"

The difference:

• What it says: "The passage describes three species of deep-sea fish."
• Why it's there: "The passage uses examples of deep-sea fish to illustrate the diversity of life in extreme environments."

The correct answer addresses the WHY, not the WHAT.

Cross-Text Connection Questions

The SAT presents two short passages (Text 1 and Text 2) and asks how they relate. Common relationships:

Relationship	Example Question
Agreement	"Both authors would most likely agree that..."
Disagreement	"How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Text 1?"
Extension	"Text 2 provides additional evidence for the claim in Text 1"
Qualification	"Text 2 suggests a limitation of the approach described in Text 1"

Strategy for Cross-Text Questions

1. Read Text 1 and identify its main claim
2. Read Text 2 and identify its main claim
3. Determine the relationship: agreement, disagreement, extension, or qualification
4. Eliminate choices that misrepresent either text's position

SAT Trap: A choice that accurately describes Text 1 but misrepresents Text 2 (or vice versa). Both parts must be correct.