SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
Each spring, volunteers in the town of Elmswood gather along the banks of Fenn Creek to plant willow cuttings. The willows' roots grip the soil, keeping the banks from washing away during heavy rains. Since the project began, the creek has carried far less mud downstream, and trout have returned to stretches where they had not been seen in years.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
It introduces the volunteers who started the planting project and explains why they began it.
It explains how the willows help bring about the results described in the next sentence.
It describes a problem that the willows have made worse.
It provides evidence that trout feed on willow roots.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The underlined sentence explains what the willows do: their roots hold the soil in place. The next sentence gives the results, less mud in the creek and the return of trout. So the underlined sentence explains how those results came about, choice B.
Choice D links trout and willows, but the trout return because the water is cleaner; nothing says they eat roots.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The volunteers appear in the first sentence. The underlined sentence is about what the willow roots do.
- C. Roots that keep the banks from washing away are a benefit, not a problem made worse.
- D. The trout return because less mud reaches the creek. Nothing says they feed on willow roots.
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