SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
In parts of the Sahel, a dry region just south of the Sahara, farmers have long struggled with soil that hardens into a crust and sheds rainwater instead of absorbing it. A traditional technique called zai offers a remedy. During the dry season, farmers dig small pits across their fields and fill each one with compost or manure. When the rains come, the pits catch water and hold it near the roots of the seeds planted inside them, while termites drawn to the compost tunnel through the crust and help water soak into the ground.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It describes a traditional technique and then explains why farmers stopped using it.
It compares two methods of improving soil and then recommends one of them.
It identifies a problem that farmers face and then describes a technique that addresses it.
It explains how termites damage crops and then describes a way to control them.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The first sentence presents a problem: crusted soil that sheds rainwater. The rest of the text describes zai, a technique that "offers a remedy" by catching water and helping it soak in. That is a problem followed by a solution, as choice C says.
Choice D is tempting because termites appear in the text, but they help water soak into the ground rather than damaging crops.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The text never states that farmers stopped using zai. It presents the technique as a current remedy for soil issues, not an abandoned practice.
- B. The passage focuses on a single technique, zai. It does not compare zai to another soil improvement method or offer a recommendation between two options.
- D. Termites are described as helping water soak into the ground by tunneling through the crust. They are not presented as damaging crops or requiring control.
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