16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardFunction of the last sentence of an obituary's critique

Craft and Structure practice question

The obituary lists the composer's prizes, her professorships, the orchestras that played her work. It says nothing of the twenty years in which no one played it at all. The omission is kind. It is also the reason the list of prizes makes no sense, since every one of them was given for work written in those silent years.

Which choice best describes the function of the final sentence in the text as a whole?

  1. A. It argues that the period the obituary leaves out is essential to understanding the honours it lists.Correct
  2. B. It praises the obituary for its tact.
  3. C. It lists the composer's prizes.
  4. D. It explains why no one played the composer's work.

Answer: A. It argues that the period the obituary leaves out is essential to understanding the honours it lists.

The silence produced the prizes.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It praises the obituary for its tact.
Kind is granted and then set aside.
C. It lists the composer's prizes.
The list is in the first sentence.
D. It explains why no one played the composer's work.
No reason for the silence is given.

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