SAT Reading & Writing: Function of a Sentence in Context
29+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
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These questions ask what a sentence does in context — its purpose, not its content. Ask: "Why did the author include this sentence? What would be lost without it?"
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Common functions: introduces a topic, provides an example, offers a counterargument, qualifies a previous claim, transitions to a new idea, establishes context.
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Describe what the sentence does, not what it says. "It explains that bees navigate using the sun" is content; "It provides an example supporting the previous claim" is function.
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Look at the sentences immediately before and after the target — the target sentence's function is defined by how it fits into the surrounding context.
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Wrong answers often describe the sentence's content accurately but misidentify its function (e.g., saying "introduces a new argument" when it's actually supporting the previous one).
- ✗ Answering what the sentence says rather than what it does — these are two very different types of answers.
- ✗ Confusing "provides an example" with "makes a claim." An example illustrates something already stated; a claim introduces a new assertion.
SAT-style practice
A passage argues that urban trees reduce air pollution and lower temperatures. The next sentence reads: "In one Chicago study, neighborhoods with dense tree coverage recorded summer temperatures 4°F lower than treeless blocks nearby." What function does this sentence serve?
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