SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
Many people assume that the most effective way to memorize information is to study it in one long session. Research on learning suggests otherwise. In one experiment, students who studied vocabulary words in three short sessions spread over a week remembered far more words a month later than students who studied the same words for the same total time in a single session. Psychologists call this the spacing effect.
Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?
It presents the assumption that the rest of the text argues against.
It defines a term that was introduced in the first sentence.
It provides experimental evidence for the claim made in the second sentence.
It describes an exception to the spacing effect.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The second sentence says research contradicts the common assumption. The third sentence supports that claim with an experiment showing spaced study beats a single session. Choice C describes this role.
Choice A describes the first sentence, which states the assumption; the third sentence gives the evidence against it.
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