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Craft and StructureMediumStructure: question, answer, complication

Craft and Structure practice question

Why do onions make us cry? When an onion is cut, its damaged cells release a chemical that turns into a gas, and the gas irritates the eyes. Chilling the onion first slows the reaction — but so, oddly, does cutting it under running water, which most cooks find more trouble than the tears.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. A. A question is posed, answered, and followed by remedies with a practical drawback noted.Correct
  2. B. A common belief is stated and then disproved.
  3. C. Two competing explanations are compared.
  4. D. A process is described in the order in which it occurs.

Answer: A. A question is posed, answered, and followed by remedies with a practical drawback noted.

Question (why tears), answer (the gas), remedies (chilling, running water) with the note that one is impractical.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. A common belief is stated and then disproved.
No belief is disproved; the question is answered directly.
C. Two competing explanations are compared.
Only one explanation is given.
D. A process is described in the order in which it occurs.
The remedies aren't steps in the crying process; they are ways to reduce it.

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