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Purpose of component | Quick guide

What’s the function?

Purpose of component questions ask you to identify why the author referred to something in a certain part of the text. In other words, what was the point of including the reference?

Examples:

“The author mentions ___ most likely in order to”
"The reference in line 3 serves to"
"The primary function of the third [sentence/paragraph] is to"
The third [sentence/paragraph] is primarily concerned with"

Strategies

Don’t overthink it! Unless the reference left you puzzled, you probably already understood the author’s purpose as you made your way through the passage. So try to come up with the answer in your own words first, and then select the choice that best matches your prediction.

Read around the component. If the component did leave you puzzled or if you need a refresher, go back and reread the immediate context around the lines. The author often will supply all the cues you need to understand the purpose of any part of the text right around that text.

Make sure you understand the overall point the author is making. The component may well have been included by the author in order to directly support the main argument.

Common wrong choice types

Tempting wrong choices might take the form of statements that accurately reflect the content of the passage, but don’t address the purpose of including the reference.

In other words, just because a choice is true doesn’t necessarily mean that it answers the question.

Your turn!

Practice these strategies with the example below!

Example

Archaeologists have found much evidence that many of the so-called “barbarians” of ancient times were actually part of socially complex cultures, and their primitive nature was often exaggerated by Roman writers. Essentially, they were the indigenous peoples who lived in lands beyond the direct control of Rome. During periods of expansion, barbarians of one decade might become provincial inhabitants of the Roman Empire of the ensuing decade.

The last sentence of the passage serves to

(Choice A)
differentiate the Roman perception of “barbarians” during periods of expansion versus periods of stagnation
(Choice B)
explain why certain Roman writers exaggerated the primitive nature of “barbarians”
(Choice C)
emphasize that the application of the term “barbarian” was fluid
(Choice D)
clarify the notion of “indigenous peoples” mentioned in the preceding sentence
(Choice E)
observe that archaeologists had exaggerated the complexity of the cultures of the “barbarians”

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Praxis Core Reading

Course: Praxis Core Reading > Unit 1

What’s the function?

Strategies

Common wrong choice types

Your turn!

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