Identify author’s purpose (to explain, argue, narrate, critique, compare, etc.).
Match the answer to what the author is doing, not just the topic.
核心知识
Author purpose questions are about the job of the passage or excerpt. Match the answer to what the writer is doing overall, not just to one detail.
深入理解
Purpose is the passage's job, not its topic. Look at the pattern of details. A writer who lists flaws and weak evidence is probably critiquing; a writer who defines terms and walks through causes is probably explaining.
Use whole-passage scope as a check. Many wrong answers describe one vivid sentence or example, while the correct answer describes what the excerpt as a whole is trying to accomplish.
分步讲解
- Ask what the author is doing with the material: explaining, arguing, narrating, comparing, or critiquing.
- Use tone and detail selection to rule out answers that are too neutral or too strong.
- Choose the answer that covers the whole excerpt, not just one line.
常见误解
- Picking an answer that names the topic instead of the author's purpose with that topic.
- Choosing a purpose that matches one vivid detail but not the overall movement of the passage.
- Confusing a critical tone with a neutral explanation.
示例解析
Excerpt: "Rather than celebrating the new rail line, the writer lists its costs, notes the neighborhoods it bypasses, and questions whether the promised ridership estimates are realistic."
The author's primary purpose is to:
选择一个答案查看解析