SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is from an 1898 short story by Rupert Sayle.
Old Mrs. Kerr had sold eggs at the market crossroads for forty years, and she was known for two things: her eggs were always fresh, and she never gave credit. "Pay today or eat bread," she would say. So when the Dalys' cottage burned that spring, and Tom Daly came to her stall with empty pockets, the women nearby waited to see him turned away. Mrs. Kerr counted out two dozen eggs, wrapped them in newspaper, and wrote nothing at all in her book.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It describes a character's business and then explains why the business failed.
It introduces a family's misfortune and then describes how the whole community helped rebuild their home.
It establishes a character's reputation for strictness and then shows her acting against that reputation.
It presents a disagreement between two characters and then shows how they settled it.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The text first establishes that Mrs. Kerr "never gave credit," and the onlookers expect her to refuse Tom Daly. Instead she gives him eggs and writes nothing in her book, so he owes nothing. A reputation is set up and then broken, choice C.
Choice B picks up the fire, but the text says nothing about rebuilding; it focuses on how Mrs. Kerr responds.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. Mrs. Kerr has sold eggs for forty years, and nothing suggests her business fails.
- B. The fire is mentioned, but nothing is said about rebuilding. The focus is Mrs. Kerr's response to Tom Daly.
- D. Tom Daly and Mrs. Kerr never disagree. The tension comes from what the onlookers expect.
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.