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How to Solve Function and Purpose on the NEW Digital SAT
Reading for Function
Have you ever been puzzled by SAT questions asking about the primary purpose of certain lines or a passage? You're not alone. Many students find themselves in a tricky situation when tackling these questions.
Picture this: You read a section, feel confident about its meaning, but when you look at the answer choices, they seem unrelated. You reread, feeling more confused, and end up guessing between two options that look equally possible.
This confusion often happens because test-takers don't realize that function questions are asking why something is said, not just what is said. Understanding the content is necessary, but it's not enough to grasp the function.
TTA Pro Tip: The SAT tests both your ability to understand what's written and why it's written. Function questions want you to look beyond the literal meaning and understand the larger purpose.
Function questions typically require you to identify the main point that the information supports. They're similar to "illustrate" questions, as both ask you to work backwards from examples to bigger ideas.
Remember, while answers to function questions are based on the passage's wording, they won't be stated word-for-word in the text. The answers might use more general or abstract language, and it's your job to make the connection.
Test Your Understanding
Let's practice identifying function in a passage about space exploration.
In the early days of space exploration, scientists believed that traveling to distant planets was impossible. However, recent advancements in propulsion technology have opened up new possibilities. Engineers are now developing spacecraft capable of reaching Mars in just a few months, rather than years.
What is the function of the first sentence in this passage?
- To introduce the main topic of space exploration
- To contrast past beliefs with current possibilities
- To explain why space travel was considered impossible
- To emphasize the importance of propulsion technology
Types of Function Questions
Function questions can ask about single sentences, parts of sentences, or entire passages. You'll see both types regularly on the SAT.
Common Phrasings
Function questions often use these phrases:
"The primary purpose of the passage is to ..."
"Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence?"
"The underlined portion primarily serves to ..."
Two Categories of Answers
Answers to function questions fall into two groups:
1. Answers found by looking at the specific wording in the lines mentioned in the question. These lines often have special phrasing, punctuation, or key transitions that point to a particular answer.
2. Answers that need information from other parts of the passage. For these, you might need to look before or after the referenced section.
TTA Pro Tip: You can't tell which type of question you're dealing with right away. Be ready to read a bit before and after the mentioned sentence, then focus on the right lines as needed.
If the underlined part is near the start of the passage, go back to the beginning. First sentences often give the main point, which helps you understand how other information fits in.
For underlined parts in the middle of longer passages, you probably don't need to go all the way back to the start. Just back up a sentence or two as needed.
Key Relationships
SAT Reading focuses a lot on how ideas connect. Questions often look at parts of the passage where new information comes in or the focus changes. These connections are sometimes shown by specific words, phrases, or punctuation that match up with certain functions.
Common Function Indicators
| Indicator | Function |
|---|---|
| However, but, yet, although | Contrast or qualification |
| For example, for instance | Illustration or elaboration |
| Therefore, thus, as a result | Conclusion or result |
| Similarly, likewise | Comparison or addition |
| In fact, indeed | Emphasis or clarification |
Functions of Key Words and Punctuation
Function Question Example
To musicians, the color green signifies go, but in a recording studio it tells sound engineers to pause and adjust. Music production facilities like the one on the third floor of Nashville's Music Rowāa room filled with mixing boards and real-time audio displays of vocal performancesārepresent the heart of a recording system. The studio's array of microphones, cables, and processors are the veins connected to the rest of the body. "Most people don't realize there are ears listening to every note," says Sarah Johnson, the studio's chief engineer. But in reality, sound technicians carefully monitor each performance, making subtle tweaks that enhance and balance the music.
Step-by-Step Analysis
Ask yourself: "Why does the passage mention microphones, cables, and processors?" or "What point is the reference to these items used to support?"
The highlighted sentence is in the middle of the paragraph, where supporting evidence usually appears. Look at the beginning and end of the paragraph for main ideas.
The paragraph starts by comparing a recording studio to the heart of a system. The highlighted sentence must develop this comparison further.
The last sentence, introduced by "But in reality," provides crucial information: sound technicians monitor each performance and make adjustments.
The highlighted sentence explains how sound technicians can monitor musicians' performances in detail: through the microphones, cables, and processors that capture and transmit the audio.
The correct answer is D: To provide examples of ways in which musicians' performances can be captured in detail.
Explanation
This question requires you to understand the function of a specific part within the whole passage. By following the steps above, we can see that the highlighted sentence supports the main idea of sound technicians monitoring and adjusting performances. The microphones, cables, and processors are the tools that allow for this detailed capture and analysis of the music.
Function Question Example 2
In September 2023, a group of international astronomers announced the discovery of GAIA-22b, a second planet orbiting GAIA-22. Using data from both planets, they calculated that GAIA-22b has an average density similar to Mars. This suggests it's likely a rocky planet composed of minerals akin to those in Mars' crust. Not that anyone would mistake it for Mars. The planet and its star are only 2.1 million kilometers apart, 30 times closer than the scorched planet Venus is to our Sun. Due to this proximity, the planet is tidally locked to its star, much like how the Moon is locked to Earth.
Step-by-Step Analysis
Ask yourself: "What is the purpose of the highlighted statement within the passage?" or "What point does the highlighted statement support?"
The sentence starts with "The planet," so we need to determine which planet. Looking back, we find it's GAIA-22b.
The sentence before the highlighted portion is key: "Not that anyone would mistake it for Mars." This suggests GAIA-22b is very different from Mars.
It provides information about GAIA-22b's distance from its star, comparing it to Venus' distance from the Sun. This supports the idea that GAIA-22b is very different from Mars.
The highlighted sentence expands on how GAIA-22b differs from Mars, emphasizing its much closer proximity to its star compared to planets in our solar system.
The correct answer is A: It emphasizes a significant difference between GAIA-22b and Mars.
Explanation
The highlighted sentence serves to support the idea that GAIA-22b is very different from Mars, despite their similar densities. It does this by providing specific information about GAIA-22b's orbital distance, which is much smaller than the distances we're familiar with in our solar system. This reinforces the notion that while GAIA-22b may be similar to Mars in composition, its environment is drastically different.
Main Point vs. Primary Purpose
When looking at questions about a whole passage, we need to think about both the big picture and the function. These questions can be tricky because they're a mix of two types.
Sometimes, students get confused when they see a question about the primary purpose of a passage. They might think about the main point and then get stuck when they don't see that exact idea in the answer choices.
While the purpose and the point of the passage are connected, they're not exactly the same. It's important to understand the difference so you're not surprised by how the answers are worded.
Main Point
This is the main idea the author is trying to get across. You can usually find it stated pretty clearly in the introduction and conclusion of the passage.
Primary Purpose
This is the overall goal of the passage in terms of what it's trying to do (like explain, emphasize, or describe something). While it's based on the whole passage, there's often one key sentence that points to the right answer.
If you understand the main point well, figuring out the primary purpose is often not too hard. But sometimes, the wording can change a bit between the main point and the purpose.
Example
Let's say a passage is about how Marie Curie's discovery of radium was influenced by earlier work on uranium (in simple terms, "MC used U research 7 Ra discovery").
A primary purpose question might have an answer like: "To describe Curie's discovery of radium."
Or it could be more general: "To explain the background of a scientific breakthrough."
In the second case, you'd need to connect "radium" to "scientific breakthrough" and "earlier work on uranium" to "background".
Using the First Sentence
When a question asks about the purpose of an entire passage, you might think you need to consider every word. However, sometimes you can find the most likely answer by focusing on just one sentence - often the first one.
Just remember to read that first sentence carefully and completely. Then, skim the rest of the passage to make sure your answer fits. It's like the saying goes: trust, but verify.
Example Passage
Throughout the ocean's long history, there has been a steady increase in the size and complexity of marine life; however, the advantage of larger bodies and intricate structures is not immediately obvious. The streamlined shape of the great white shark seems perfect for swimming - but for swimming where? The shark would be inefficient in the shallow coral reefs where many smaller fish thrive. The bodies of some whales, moreover, are enormous and bulky - a design that seems poorly suited for agile movement - and their intricate social structures are still not fully understood by marine biologists.
Analysis
Let's break this down step by step:
1. The first sentence tells us that the advantage of larger bodies and intricate structures in marine life is not immediately obvious. In other words, it's unclear.
2. The word "however" in the first sentence suggests that what follows is the main idea - we won't see information that contradicts this later.
3. Based on this, we can guess that the passage's purpose is to discuss this lack of clarity.
4. Looking at our answer choices, only C ("perplexing") and D ("mystery") contain words that match this idea of unclear advantage.
5. The passage doesn't mention a theory or a study, so we can eliminate A and B.
6. Between C and D, there's no indication in the passage that this is a new mystery, so D is less likely.
7. C talks about "a perplexing trend," which matches well with the idea presented in the first sentence. The rest of C is also consistent with the descriptions of marine life in the passage.
Therefore, C is the best answer.
Fiction Example: Main Purpose
Let's look at a fiction passage and think about its main purpose. We've seen this passage before when we talked about the main point ("proud of family's ink business"), but now we'll consider its primary purpose.
In our clan, the women created the paper. We remained at home. All of us worked - myself, LiMei, my aunts and female cousins, everyone. Even the infants and Great-Grandmother had a task of removing pebbles from the dried rice we cooked for the morning meal. We gathered daily in the papermaking workshop. According to Great-Grandmother, the workshop began as a grain storehouse that stood along the front wall of the courtyard home. Over time, one generation of sons added stone walls and a ceramic roof. Another reinforced the supports and extended it by two columns. The next laid the floors with tiles and excavated pits for storing the materials. Then other descendants constructed a cellar for preserving the paper sheets from heat and cold. "And now behold," Great-Grandmother often boasted. "Our workshop is a paper palace."
Analysis
When you see a question about the purpose of a passage right after reading it, you might worry that you need to reread everything. But if you remember the main point, figuring out the primary purpose isn't too hard.
In this case, the correct answer, B, simply restates the main point from a slightly different angle: the narrator takes great pride in her family's business and her role in it, and the passage aims to show this fact.
Let's look at why the other answers don't work:
A) The passage doesn't focus on learning a skill, but on the family's established business.
C) While Great-Grandmother is mentioned, the passage isn't mainly about her impact on the family.
D) There's no mention of a choice or its consequences in the passage.
Playing Positive and Negative with Function Questions
One simple way to approach function questions and quickly eliminate answer choices is to consider whether the tone is positive or negative. Positive passages or parts of passages usually have positive answers, while negative ones usually have negative answers.
Even if answer choices use more neutral words than the passage itself, the rest of the answer might be clearly positive or negative. This method might not always get you the right answer, but it can help you quickly remove one or two choices, giving you more time to look at the finer points of the remaining answers.
Example
Almost every month, research teams reveal the outcomes of new studies, adding to a wealth of data suggesting we've been underestimating the intelligence of animals, even those of us who have thought highly of them. Novel animal behaviors and abilities are observed in nature, often involving the use of tools - or at least the manipulation of objects - the very kinds of activities that inspired the renowned biologist Jane R. Goodall to establish the field of cognitive ethology (the study of animal thinking) in 1976: crows fashioning hooks from wire to retrieve food, for instance; or elephants using branches to swat flies and scratch hard-to-reach places; or octopuses stacking shells to create protective barriers around their dens.
Analysis
1. The passage has a scientific tone, which is usually neutral. However, the phrase "a wealth of data" suggests a positive attitude toward the subject.
2. This implies the correct answer will likely be positive or neutral. We can eliminate negative options.
3. Looking at the answers, we can see that B and D contain negative phrases ("simplicity" and "boundaries"). We can eliminate these immediately.
4. Between A and C, we need to be careful. A refers to something mentioned after the underlined portion, which is a common trap.
5. The key information is actually in the second sentence: "Novel animal behaviors and abilities are observed in nature, often involving the use of tools". The word "novel" is important here.
6. C rephrases this sentence, using "unexpected" instead of "novel". This makes C the correct answer.
Common Function Words and Phrases
* Signals an answer that is likely to be incorrect.
Function Question Practice [answers to the right]
Amidst the lofty spires of learning, Eli discovered his second abode within the hallowed halls of the Harper Library. The halls he had once traversed with trepidation in his first year now echoed with the marks of his diligent quest for knowledge. As he walked upon the gleaming marble floors, the lofty shelves of tomes leaned in with a quiet grace, their spines adorned with the wisdom of the ancients, murmuring the secrets of bygone eras to his attentive ears. He took his place once more by the majestic bay window, where the gentle light cast a warm glow upon the countless afternoons he had surrendered to the realms of books and daydreams.
Reading for Function FAQ
What are function questions on the SAT?
Function questions ask about the purpose of specific lines, sentences, or entire passages. They require you to determine why the author included certain information, which often involves understanding the broader context and intention behind the text.
How do I identify the function of a text segment?
To identify the function of a text segment:
- Read the surrounding context carefully.
- Ask yourself what main point the segment supports or contrasts.
- Look for key phrases that indicate purpose, such as "to illustrate," "to contrast," or "to explain."
What are some common phrases used in function questions?
Common phrases include:
- "The primary purpose of the passage is to ..."
- "Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence?"
- "The underlined portion primarily serves to ..."
What should I focus on when answering function questions?
Focus on the following:
- The relationship between the highlighted text and the overall passage.
- How the information connects to the main argument or theme.
- Identifying whether the tone is positive, negative, or neutral, which can guide your answer choice.
Can you give an example of analyzing a function question?
Sure! For instance, if a passage describes an animal's unique behavior, you might analyze why that behavior is significant. Consider if the function highlights a key difference between that animal and others, or if it reinforces the broader theme of adaptability in nature.
Function question: What purpose does this sentence serve?
- To provide evidence of intelligence in crows.
- To contrast with other animals lacking such behavior.
What tips do you have for answering function questions on the SAT?
- Be familiar with the main idea of the passage before tackling specific questions.
- Practice identifying function indicators, such as transitions and cue words that signal the relationship between ideas.
- Stay aware of the overall tone and context to avoid being misled by answer choices that seem plausible but donāt accurately reflect the text's intent.
How can I improve my skills in answering these questions?
Improvement comes from practice. Try reading various passages and answering function-related questions. Websites with SAT prep resources and practice exams can provide valuable training. Analyzing your answers afterward will also reinforce learning.
TTA Pro Tip: Always relate function questions back to the overall purpose of the passage. Understanding the larger context will significantly help in determining the function of specific sentences or phrases.
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