16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardOverall structure: claim, complication, resolution

Craft and Structure practice question

The town claims to have Europe's oldest working post office, opened in 1712. Records show a post office in the building from that year, but also that the business moved out in 1850 and did not return until 1901. Whether fifty years' absence breaks the record depends on what 'working' means, and the town, understandably, has not asked.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. A. It presents a claim, introduces evidence that complicates it, and observes that the town avoids resolving the ambiguity.Correct
  2. B. It proves that the post office is the oldest in Europe.
  3. C. It describes the post office's services.
  4. D. It argues that the post office should close.

Answer: A. It presents a claim, introduces evidence that complicates it, and observes that the town avoids resolving the ambiguity.

Claim, the 1850–1901 gap, and the unasked question.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It proves that the post office is the oldest in Europe.
The passage leaves the claim in doubt.
C. It describes the post office's services.
No services are described.
D. It argues that the post office should close.
No such argument.

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