SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
For years, conservationists tried to protect a rare orchid in the hay meadows of northern England by fencing out grazing cattle. The orchids declined anyway. Ecologist Harriet Moss eventually discovered why: without cattle to trample and crop them, taller grasses spread across the meadows and shaded out the small orchids. Once limited grazing was allowed back in, the orchid population began to recover.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
It presents an unexpected result that the rest of the text explains.
It offers Moss's explanation for why the orchids declined.
It suggests that fencing out cattle was the best way to protect the orchids.
It describes the method Moss used to study the meadows.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The conservationists expected fences to help, but "the orchids declined anyway," a surprising outcome. The next sentences explain why (taller grasses shaded the orchids) and what fixed it. So the underlined sentence presents a puzzle the rest of the text solves, choice A.
Choice B describes the sentence after the underlined one, which gives Moss's explanation.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. Moss's explanation comes in the next sentence. The underlined sentence only reports the decline.
- C. The orchids declined despite the fences, so the sentence undercuts fencing rather than supporting it.
- D. The sentence reports an outcome, not a research method.
Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free, or take a free full-length practice test.