Craft and StructureEasy–MediumFunction of a sentence giving a cause
Craft and Structure practice question
The Dead Sea is so salty that swimmers float without effort. That salinity is no accident: the sea has no outlet, so water leaves only by evaporation, and the minerals it carried stay behind. Over thousands of years the concentration has climbed to nearly ten times that of the ocean.
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence?
- A. It explains the cause of the condition stated in the first sentence.Correct
- B. It questions the accuracy of the first sentence.
- C. It gives an example of the effect described in the first sentence.
- D. It introduces a competing explanation that the third sentence rejects.
Answer: A. It explains the cause of the condition stated in the first sentence.
'That salinity is no accident:' followed by the no-outlet mechanism explains WHY the sea is so salty.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. It questions the accuracy of the first sentence.
- The second sentence accepts the salinity and explains it.
- C. It gives an example of the effect described in the first sentence.
- Floating is the effect; the second sentence gives the cause, not another effect.
- D. It introduces a competing explanation that the third sentence rejects.
- There is only one explanation, and the third sentence extends it rather than rejecting anything.
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