16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardFunction of the last sentence about a widow's age

Craft and Structure practice question

The census taker recorded the widow's age as forty in 1851 and as forty again in 1861. Either she lied once or the taker guessed twice. Her gravestone, cut in 1870 by a son who would have known, says she died at sixty-three. The stone, then, agrees with 1851 and makes a liar of 1861.

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

  1. A. It uses the gravestone to decide between the two possibilities the text raised.Correct
  2. B. It describes the gravestone.
  3. C. It accuses the son of lying.
  4. D. It explains how censuses were taken.

Answer: A. It uses the gravestone to decide between the two possibilities the text raised.

The stone settles which record is wrong.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It describes the gravestone.
The stone is described earlier.
C. It accuses the son of lying.
The son is trusted.
D. It explains how censuses were taken.
No method.

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