SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
Medieval European craft guilds are often portrayed as monopolies that protected their members' incomes by limiting competition and resisting new techniques. Economic historian Sofia Lindahl does not deny that guilds restricted entry into their trades. Her analysis of guild records from the Low Countries, however, shows that many guilds required apprentices to train for years under masters, a system that spread specialized skills more widely than informal instruction could have. Guilds, Lindahl argues, may have both held back and encouraged economic growth.
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
It summarizes the conclusion that Lindahl reaches about the economic effects of guilds.
It concedes part of the common view of guilds before the text presents Lindahl's evidence complicating that view.
It presents the main evidence that Lindahl uses to support her argument.
It explains why guilds in the Low Countries differed from guilds elsewhere in Europe.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The first sentence gives the common view of guilds as restrictive monopolies. The second sentence says Lindahl "does not deny" one part of that view, that guilds restricted entry. Then "however" introduces her evidence about apprenticeships. So the second sentence is a concession before the challenge, choice B.
Choice C describes the third sentence, which contains the guild records and the evidence about apprentice training.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The second sentence only concedes that guilds restricted entry. It does not summarize Lindahl's final conclusion, which appears in the last sentence.
- C. The second sentence states a concession about entry restrictions. The main evidence regarding guild records and apprenticeship training appears in the third sentence.
- D. The text does not compare Low Countries guilds to those elsewhere. The sentence simply acknowledges a shared trait before introducing Lindahl's specific findings.
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