SAT #13 (Question 26)

Question

The third and fourth paragraphs (lines 18-33) primarily serve to [...]?

Answer 1

Answer Choice D is the correct answer because the third and fourth paragraphs of the Passage primarily detail the methodology of the experiment, explaining how the researchers designed it and its various controls. This most closely matches Answer Choice D, which says that the two paragraphs “explain the experiment’s conditions.” Answer Choice A is incorrect because, although the passages do discuss and outline the “methods” of the experiment, they don’t make an “evaluation” or judgment about them. Answer Choice B is incorrect because these paragraphs simply outline the methodology of the study, and don’t formulate its goal, which comes earlier in the Passage. Answer Choice C is incorrect because the paragraphs don’t discuss the findings of the experiment, which come later.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “The third and fourth paragraphs (lines 18-33) primarily serve to [...]?” To solve this, we should go back to those two paragraphs and look at what they have in common, and their general structure and content. They can be outlined like this:

1. the researchers set up eight different zones or environments. the plants grew for four months and could interact with fungi in the soil.
2. but each of their relationships to the fungi was different. some could communicate via chemicals and water, some via hyphae and some via roots.

We see then, that these two paragraphs set up the methodology of the study, and we should expect our answer choice to reference this.

Answer Choice A says that the paragraphs serve to “evaluate the experiment’s methods.” This answer choice seems plausible, because the paragraphs do discuss the experiments methodology, so we can keep this option. Answer Choice B says that the paragraphs serve to “formulate the experiment’s goal.” Because this formulation came earlier in the Passage, during the {hypothesis} stage of the research, and isn’t given in these paragraphs, we should eliminate this option. Answer Choice C says that the paragraphs serve to “document the experiment’s findings.” Because the findings of the research come later in the Passage and aren’t given in the paragraphs, we should eliminate this option as well. Answer Choice D says that the paragraphs serve to “explain the experiment’s conditions.” Because this answer choice also says that the two paragraphs concern the conditions, or setup of the experiment, we should keep this option.

So, we’re left to decide between Answer Choices A and D. To decide between them, we need to focus clearly on their distinctions, and {pull them apart}. We should notice that Answer Choice D uses the neutral verb “explain,” while Answer Choice A uses the more “opinionated” verb “evaluate,” which suggests that the paragraphs talk about whether the methods were good and bad. Because the methodology is simply given, and not “evaluated,” we should eliminate Choice A and choose Answer Choice D as our correct answer.