16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardOverall structure: a claim tested and refined

Craft and Structure practice question

It is said that the oak by the church is a thousand years old. Tree-ring cores put its age nearer six hundred, which would still make it the oldest living thing in the parish. The legend, then, is wrong by a factor of nearly two, and the tree loses nothing by the correction.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. A. It states a traditional claim, tests it against evidence, and revises it while preserving what matters in it.Correct
  2. B. It argues that tree-ring dating is unreliable.
  3. C. It describes how oaks grow.
  4. D. It lists the oldest trees in the parish.

Answer: A. It states a traditional claim, tests it against evidence, and revises it while preserving what matters in it.

Legend, cores, correction, and the tree still oldest.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It argues that tree-ring dating is unreliable.
The cores are trusted.
C. It describes how oaks grow.
Growth is not described.
D. It lists the oldest trees in the parish.
One tree.

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