SAT #16 Reading (Question 25)

Question

The main purpose of the second paragraph (lines 16-31) is to [...]?

Answer 1

Answer Choice B is the correct answer because the second paragraph mostly talks about how the bionic leaf works and some of its features. Lines 16-19, the opening sentence, says, “Nocera’s artificial leaf, which serves as the fuel source in the bionic leaf, works by sandwiching a photovoltaic cell between two thin metal oxide catalysts,” and Lines 19-25 continue to explain how the leaf works, with two sentences at the end explaining its efficiency. This most closely matches Answer Choice B, which says that the purpose of the second paragraph is to “explain the workings of a central component of the bionic leaf.” Answer Choice A is incorrect because the artificial leaf described in the second paragraph isn’t a competitor to the bionic leaf, but one of its parts. Answer Choice C is incorrect because the paragraph doesn’t take a primary focus on photosynthesis, because the artificial leaf only “mimics” photosynthesis and doesn’t actually perform it, and because it doesn’t mention how photosynthesis played a role specifically in the “development” of the bionic leaf. Answer Choice D is incorrect because, while the Passage does look at the efficiency of the artificial leaf, it only compares it to that of naturally occurring photosynthesis and not to that of the bionic leaf.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “The main purpose of the second paragraph (lines 16-31) is to [...]?” To solve this, we should begin by going back to the second paragraph to look for [...].