Craft and StructureHardMain purpose of a critique of a phrase
Craft and Structure practice question
Tourist boards love to promote 'hidden gems', and the phrase always carries a contradiction: a place cannot stay hidden once it has been advertised. The villages so labelled usually gain visitors and lose the quiet that drew the first ones. The honest advice would be to stay away — which no tourist board will ever give.
What is the main purpose of the text?
- A. To point out a contradiction in a common promotional practice.Correct
- B. To recommend particular villages that are worth visiting.
- C. To explain how villages become popular with tourists.
- D. To praise tourist boards for their honesty with travellers.
Answer: A. To point out a contradiction in a common promotional practice.
The text names the contradiction in the first sentence, shows its consequence, and ends by noting the advice that would resolve it will never be given. It is a critique of the practice.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. To recommend particular villages that are worth visiting.
- No village is named or recommended.
- C. To explain how villages become popular with tourists.
- The text mentions growth in visitors only as a consequence of the labelling, not as a topic to explain.
- D. To praise tourist boards for their honesty with travellers.
- The final sentence says tourist boards will never give honest advice — the opposite of praise.
More Craft and Structure questions
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Which choice best describes the function of the underlined final sentence in the text as a whole? - Hard
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
What is the main purpose of the text?
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