#14 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (D).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (E):


This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[emilyjmyer]

Can you please explain why D is correct? I was between A and C on this one and picked A. I thought that the purpose of the passage be something to do with the developmental abilities and not something explaining all 3 of the adaptive responses.

[Luke Haqq]

Hi emilyjmyer!

Happy to address those answer choices.

In general, since this is a global reference question asking for the passage's purpose, one thing to be cautious about in terms of wrong answer choices are those that only cover what is happening in part of the passage. Something only found in part of a passage might be correct for other types of questions but is unlikely to be correct for a question asking for an entire passage's primary purpose.

This issue of being too narrow, of only describing part of the passage, seems to be present in answer choices (A) and (C). Answer choice (A) states that the primary purpose is to "illustrate an organism's functional adaptive response to changing environmental conditions." One thing this answer doesn't include is the first paragraph, which introduces "regulatory, acclamatory, and developmental" responses (lines 1-2). In addition, the second paragraph concentrates on one of these, namely, developmental responses, which aren't mentioned in answer choice (A).

Rather, we want an answer choice that roughly corresponds to the three paragraphs: (1) three types of adaptive responses are introduced, (2) one of these responses is examined through the example of water bugs, and (3) the conclusions about water bugs are distilled.

Answer choice (C) is similarly too narrow. That answer states that the primary purpose is to "explain the differences in form and function between micropterous and macropterous water bugs and analyze the effect of environmental changes on each." This doesn't make room for the first, introductory paragraph. This first paragraph, however, sets up the purpose for bringing in the example of water bugs, namely, to reflect one of the three types of adaptive responses.

Answer choice (D) can encompass all three paragraphs. That answer choice states that the purpose is to "discuss three different types of adaptive responses [1st paragraph] and provide an example [2nd paragraph] that explains [3rd paragraph] how one of those types of responses works." The answer choice encompasses the first paragraph, unlike answer choices (A) and (C). It also encompasses the example given in the second paragraph that is more fully unpacked in the third paragraph.

[emilyjmyer]

Hi emilyjmyer!

Happy to address those answer choices.

In general, since this is a global reference question asking for the passage's purpose, one thing to be cautious about in terms of wrong answer choices are those that only cover what is happening in part of the passage. Something only found in part of a passage might be correct for other types of questions but is unlikely to be correct for a question asking for an entire passage's primary purpose.

This issue of being too narrow, of only describing part of the passage, seems to be present in answer choices (A) and (C). Answer choice (A) states that the primary purpose is to "illustrate an organism's functional adaptive response to changing environmental conditions." One thing this answer doesn't include is the first paragraph, which introduces "regulatory, acclamatory, and developmental" responses (lines 1-2). In addition, the second paragraph concentrates on one of these, namely, developmental responses, which aren't mentioned in answer choice (A).

Rather, we want an answer choice that roughly corresponds to the three paragraphs: (1) three types of adaptive responses are introduced, (2) one of these responses is examined through the example of water bugs, and (3) the conclusions about water bugs are distilled.

Answer choice (C) is similarly too narrow. That answer states that the primary purpose is to "explain the differences in form and function between micropterous and macropterous water bugs and analyze the effect of environmental changes on each." This doesn't make room for the first, introductory paragraph. This first paragraph, however, sets up the purpose for bringing in the example of water bugs, namely, to reflect one of the three types of adaptive responses.

Answer choice (D) can encompass all three paragraphs. That answer choice states that the purpose is to "discuss three different types of adaptive responses [1st paragraph] and provide an example [2nd paragraph] that explains [3rd paragraph] how one of those types of responses works." The answer choice encompasses the first paragraph, unlike answer choices (A) and (C). It also encompasses the example given in the second paragraph that is more fully unpacked in the third paragraph.

Hi Luke!

This helped a ton! With global reference questions like main idea and purpose, do they always encompass an idea from each paragraph?

Emily

[Luke Haqq]

Hi Emily!

Glad the explanation was helpful. To your question,

With global reference questions like main idea and purpose, do they always encompass an idea from each paragraph?

My only hesitation with answering the question in the affirmative is the "always." It seems safe in general as a strategy to expect each of the paragraphs to be encompassed within global reference question types like that.

But it often will not be as clear as a one-to-one correspondence in terms of an answer choice with three sentences for each of three paragraphs. Rather, you might read a sentence in the answer choices for such questions that seems clearly to refer to the first paragraph but then discover (perhaps after eliminating other answer choices) that it actually covers both the first and second paragraphs.

In addition, asking for the main idea or purpose is a more specific task, beyond just knowing the structure of the passage. For instance, the second paragraph might be full of examples. Knowing why the author fills that paragraph with examples is different from merely describing it as such. Such examples might be used to embellish or demonstrate what was mentioned in the first paragraph. Or they might be used to contrast with the first paragraph.

Understanding the structure, but also why the author designs the passage in the way it is structured is important for identifying the main point. It might be something as direct as the final sentence of the first paragraph, or a single sentence raised in the concluding paragraph. In such cases there isn't necessarily a one-to-one correspondence with the answer choice to each paragraph, yet if a single sentence really captures what the author is doing, then it is possible that even that could be referring to all of the paragraphs.