16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardFunction of a final sentence that reinterprets data

Craft and Structure practice question

The city's oldest tree was measured in 1890, in 1950 and in 2010, and each measurement made it taller than the last. The 1890 figure, though, was taken with a rope thrown over a branch; the 1950 figure with a surveyor's instrument; the 2010 figure with a laser. Some of the tree's growth may be the growth of our ability to measure it.

Which choice best describes the function of the final sentence?

  1. A. It suggests that the apparent increase may partly reflect changing methods rather than the tree itself.Correct
  2. B. It confirms that the tree has grown steadily since 1890.
  3. C. It accuses the 1890 surveyors of falsifying their measurement.
  4. D. It describes how a laser measures the height of a tree.

Answer: A. It suggests that the apparent increase may partly reflect changing methods rather than the tree itself.

After listing three different methods, the last sentence draws the implication: better measuring, not only a taller tree.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It confirms that the tree has grown steadily since 1890.
The sentence casts doubt on the growth rather than confirming it.
C. It accuses the 1890 surveyors of falsifying their measurement.
A rope is called crude, not dishonest.
D. It describes how a laser measures the height of a tree.
The laser is mentioned; its workings are not.

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