16Hit1600
Craft and StructureMediumOverall structure of a text

Craft and Structure practice question

By the 1950s the Thames in London was so polluted that it was declared biologically dead. Over the following decades, sewage treatment was overhauled, industrial discharge was regulated and oxygen levels in the water slowly rose. Today more than a hundred species of fish live in the river.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. A. It describes a problem, the measures taken to address it and the result.Correct
  2. B. It compares the condition of two different rivers.
  3. C. It argues that regulation of industry does more harm than good.
  4. D. It lists the causes of a problem without describing any solution.

Answer: A. It describes a problem, the measures taken to address it and the result.

Sentence one is the problem (a dead river), sentence two the measures (treatment, regulation), sentence three the outcome (a hundred species of fish). Problem, response, result.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It compares the condition of two different rivers.
Only one river, the Thames, is discussed.
C. It argues that regulation of industry does more harm than good.
Regulation is presented as part of what revived the river — a benefit, not a harm.
D. It lists the causes of a problem without describing any solution.
The text does describe solutions and their effect; that's most of what it does.

More Craft and Structure questions

Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.