Author's Main Point
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SAT Reading & Writing › Author's Main Point
In 2007, historian Leena Chowdhury wrote in Letters from the Foundry: “The factory’s owner praised ‘discipline’ in speeches, and later readers assumed he meant only strict rules. Yet the workers’ letters describe something else: the owner paid wages on time even during shortages, kept a small clinic open after an influenza outbreak, and publicly posted promotion criteria to blunt favoritism. These actions did not eliminate exploitation, and the letters still complain of long hours, but they reveal why some workers defended him during a strike. Chowdhury argues that the owner’s authority relied as much on predictable care as on punishment.”
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To describe how an influenza outbreak forced factories to create on-site clinics.
To claim that posting promotion criteria is the best way to prevent strikes.
To explain why workers’ letters are more reliable than owners’ public speeches.
To argue that a factory owner maintained authority through predictability as well as strictness.
Explanation
The passage's main purpose is to argue that the factory owner maintained authority through predictable care and reliability, not just strict discipline. The text sets up a contrast between the owner's public speeches about "discipline" and what workers' letters actually reveal: consistent wages, healthcare provision, and transparent promotion criteria. Choice B narrows the focus to just the influenza clinic, missing the broader pattern of predictable care. Choice D makes an unsupported claim about preventing strikes that goes beyond the text. The key insight is Chowdhury's argument that authority can rest on predictability as much as punishment—a nuanced view of power that challenges simple assumptions about factory discipline.
In 2003, art critic Nia Veldt wrote in Frames of Attention: “Museum visitors often praise ‘realism’ in a portrait, but Veldt argues that realism is frequently manufactured by the frame. She notes that gilded frames push viewers to read the subject as prestigious, while plain frames invite scrutiny of brushwork and flaws. In one exhibit, the same photograph was rehung weekly in different frames; visitors’ written comments shifted from ‘dignified’ to ‘clinical’ without any change to the image. Veldt concedes that lighting and wall color matter too, yet she insists the frame is an underappreciated tool that guides interpretation before viewers realize they are interpreting.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Museum visitors prefer photographs to portraits because photographs appear more realistic.
Gilded frames were originally invented to protect paintings from environmental damage.
Lighting and wall color influence museum visitors more than any other design choice.
Frames can shape how viewers interpret art, making realism seem inherent to the image.
Explanation
The passage's main idea is that frames actively shape how viewers interpret art, making qualities like "realism" seem inherent to the image itself. Veldt's key evidence is the experiment where the same photograph, rehung in different frames weekly, elicited dramatically different viewer responses from "dignified" to "clinical." Choice A overstates by claiming frames influence "more than any other" factor when Veldt acknowledges lighting and wall color also matter. Choice D introduces an unsupported comparison between photographs and portraits. The text reveals how museum presentation shapes perception before viewers even realize they're interpreting—frames don't just display art, they guide how we see it.
In 2023, chemist Dana Okoye wrote in Everyday Catalysts: “A popular blog claimed that copper bracelets ‘neutralize’ fatigue by releasing ions into the skin. Okoye tested the claim by soaking copper and stainless-steel bands in artificial sweat and measuring dissolved metals. Copper did leach small amounts, but at levels comparable to those from common coins, and far below dietary intake. More revealing, Okoye found that wearers reported improvement only when told their bracelet was copper; those given copper but told it was steel reported no change. She concludes that the bracelets may have effects, but the evidence points to expectation rather than chemistry.”
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To argue that reported benefits of copper bracelets likely stem from expectation effects.
To describe why stainless steel is preferable to copper for making jewelry.
To claim that coins are a dangerous source of copper exposure for most people.
To explain how artificial sweat can be used to measure dissolved metals accurately.
Explanation
The passage's main purpose is to argue that reported benefits from copper bracelets likely stem from expectation effects rather than chemical properties. Okoye's experiments show that while copper does leach ions, the amounts are negligible compared to dietary intake, and crucially, benefits only appeared when wearers knew they had copper—those given copper but told it was steel reported no improvement. Choice B focuses on a methodological detail rather than the main conclusion. Choice C makes an unsupported claim about danger that contradicts the passage's finding of negligible copper levels. The text demonstrates how scientific testing can reveal psychological rather than chemical mechanisms behind popular health claims—expectation matters more than ions.
In 2019, biologist S. Ibarra reported in Coastal Light that a small seabird colony began nesting closer to a pier after volunteers installed low wooden screens meant to block wind. The change seemed beneficial: chicks survived storms that had previously flooded exposed nests. But Ibarra notes a second effect: the screens also hid the birds from beachgoers, so fewer people approached the nesting area, and the birds spent less time in alarm flights. Still, the pier’s night lighting attracted insects, which the adults ate, raising chick weights further. Ibarra cautions that the screens mattered not only as shelter but as a subtle reduction in human disturbance.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Beachgoers are unaware that alarm flights consume energy needed for chick care.
Night lighting near piers is the primary driver of seabird chick weight gain.
Wooden screens improved nesting success by sheltering birds and reducing disturbance.
Storm flooding is the most common cause of nest failure in coastal bird colonies.
Explanation
The passage's main idea is that wooden screens improved seabird nesting success through multiple mechanisms—both physical shelter and reduced human disturbance. The text traces how the screens initially seemed to help by blocking wind and preventing storm flooding, but Ibarra's key insight is that they also hid birds from beachgoers, reducing energy-draining alarm flights. Choice B incorrectly identifies night lighting as the primary driver when it's mentioned as an additional factor. Choice C focuses on a detail about beachgoer awareness that isn't in the passage. When analyzing scientific texts, look for the researcher's complete conclusion—here, Ibarra emphasizes that the screens worked through both shelter AND disturbance reduction, not just one mechanism.
In 1912, journalist Alma Reed wrote in her essay collection Streetcar Notes: “When the city announced a new streetcar line, merchants on Harbor Avenue celebrated, predicting more customers. Yet the first month brought mostly curious riders who bought nothing, and the shopkeepers blamed the schedule. Reed instead watched how the stops were placed: the line skirted the public market but paused beside a new private arcade with uniform rents and bright signage. A week later, the market’s foot traffic thinned while the arcade filled, even though both sold similar goods. Reed concludes that the line did not simply ‘serve the neighborhood’ but quietly redirected it, rewarding certain owners while making others seem obsolete.”
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To argue that transit projects can reshape commerce by steering where people go.
To describe merchants’ early excitement and later frustration with streetcar schedules.
To explain why private arcades often charge uniform rents and use bright signage.
To claim that public markets inevitably lose customers when cities modernize transit.
Explanation
The passage's main purpose is to illustrate how transit infrastructure can actively reshape commerce by influencing where people shop. The text begins with merchants' initial excitement about the streetcar line, then reveals through Reed's observation that the line's strategic placement of stops—avoiding the public market while pausing at the private arcade—redirected foot traffic and commerce. Choice A focuses only on the merchants' emotions rather than Reed's larger point about transit's power to shape commerce. Choice D makes an overly broad claim about "inevitable" losses that the passage doesn't support. The key insight is that transit doesn't just serve existing commerce neutrally—it can actively redirect economic activity by choosing where to place stops.
In 2021, linguist Marisol Peña wrote in Small Words, Big Work: “Editors often delete ‘hedges’ like maybe or it seems to make prose sound confident. But in transcripts of medical consultations, Peña finds that hedges can function as invitations: when doctors say, ‘It seems this medication might help,’ patients ask more questions and correct misunderstandings sooner. In contrast, unhedged statements produce fewer interruptions but more follow-up calls later. Peña notes that hedges can also signal uncertainty when evidence is weak, so they are not universally helpful. Still, she argues that removing them by default can reduce clarity rather than increase it.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
In medical talk, hedges can improve understanding by prompting timely patient questions.
Follow-up calls mainly occur because patients forget information given in consultations.
Patients prefer unhedged statements because they reduce interruptions during appointments.
Hedges should always be removed from prose to make writing more confident.
Explanation
The passage's main idea is that hedges in medical communication can actually improve understanding by encouraging patient questions and early clarification. Peña's research shows that when doctors use hedges like "it seems" or "might," patients ask more questions immediately, preventing misunderstandings that would otherwise lead to follow-up calls. Choice A represents the conventional editorial wisdom that Peña is challenging, not her conclusion. Choice C contradicts the passage, which shows patients engage more (not less) with hedged statements. The text teaches us that removing hedges "by default" can reduce rather than increase clarity—a counterintuitive finding that shows how linguistic features we might dismiss as weak can serve important communicative functions.
In 2016, economist R. Tanaka wrote in The Queue Economy: “A city replaced its first-come clinic line with scheduled appointments to reduce waiting. Average time in the lobby fell, and administrators declared success. Yet Tanaka’s interviews show that some patients now arrived early anyway, fearing they would be dropped for lateness, and they waited outside in the cold because the lobby doors stayed locked until opening. Meanwhile, staff spent more time managing no-shows and rescheduling. Tanaka concludes that the reform shifted where and how people waited rather than eliminating waiting, revealing that ‘efficiency’ depends on whose time is counted.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Locked lobby doors are the primary cause of patient dissatisfaction in clinics.
Scheduled appointments reduced waiting by keeping patients from arriving early.
No-shows can be eliminated if clinics punish lateness more strictly.
Clinic reforms can relocate burdens, so efficiency claims depend on measured costs.
Explanation
The passage's main idea is that clinic reforms can relocate rather than eliminate burdens, and efficiency claims depend on whose costs are measured. Tanaka's study reveals how replacing first-come lines with appointments didn't eliminate waiting but shifted it—patients now waited outside in the cold, and staff spent time managing scheduling issues. Choice A misses the critical point that patients still arrived early and waited, just in different locations. Choice C focuses on a minor detail about locked doors rather than the broader insight about burden-shifting. The text teaches us to question efficiency claims by asking whose time and comfort are being counted in the calculation—a valuable lesson about hidden costs in system reforms.
In 2010, environmental writer Jorge Salas wrote in River After Rain: “After a major storm, officials blamed the river’s muddy water on upstream logging, and the accusation made for a clean headline. Salas follows the sediment farther downstream and finds a second source: construction sites along newly widened highways, where silt fences sagged and drainage pipes emptied directly into creeks. He also notes that some muddiness is natural after intense rainfall, even in protected forests. Salas concludes that focusing on a single villain may be politically convenient but can distract from the mix of ordinary and preventable causes that actually cloud the river.”
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To claim that journalists should avoid writing headlines about environmental problems.
To describe how highway widening projects are always more damaging than logging.
To argue that muddy rivers after storms often result from multiple causes, not one culprit.
To explain why protected forests never produce sediment after intense rainfall.
Explanation
The passage's main purpose is to argue that environmental problems like muddy rivers often result from multiple causes rather than a single culprit. Salas challenges the officials' simple narrative blaming upstream logging by revealing additional sediment sources from highway construction sites and noting that some muddiness occurs naturally after storms. Choice B makes an absolute claim about protected forests "never" producing sediment that contradicts the passage. Choice C incorrectly suggests a comparison of damage levels that Salas doesn't make. The text warns against politically convenient single-villain narratives that can distract from addressing the actual mix of preventable and natural causes—a lesson in environmental complexity.
In 2006, historian Dev Patel wrote in Paper Kingdoms: “The empire’s clerks are often praised for neat handwriting, but their true innovation was procedural. They standardized petitions so that a farmer’s complaint and a merchant’s dispute could be logged the same way, then required officials to cite earlier cases when issuing decisions. The system was imperfect—some provinces ignored the forms, and bribery did not vanish—but the archive grew into a tool of governance. By making precedent legible, the state quietly shifted authority from personalities to paperwork.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Bribery persisted in the empire despite efforts to modernize provincial courts.
Procedural recordkeeping helped move political authority from individuals to documents.
Some provinces resisted standardized forms, limiting administrative reform.
Imperial clerks improved handwriting to make petitions easier to read.
Explanation
The main idea of the text is that the empire's clerks innovated through procedural standardization, which shifted political authority from individuals to documented precedents. The passage starts by contrasting the praise for neat handwriting with the true innovation of uniform petitions and required citations of past cases, then acknowledges imperfections like resistance and persistent bribery, before concluding that the archive became a governance tool by making precedent legible. This flow sets up the clerks' underappreciated contribution and builds to its lasting impact on authority. Choice B is a tempting distractor because it references provinces ignoring forms, which is mentioned, but this is a supporting detail about the system's flaws rather than the central claim about shifting authority. In main idea questions, beware of choices that isolate flaws or exceptions without addressing the author's primary emphasis on a transformative outcome.
In 2009, neuroscientist Priya Menon wrote in Attention’s Limits: “People often blame distraction on noisy environments, but our experiments suggest a subtler culprit: prediction. When participants heard a repeating tone, they quickly learned its timing and reported it as less intrusive, even when it remained loud. When the same tone arrived at irregular intervals, it captured attention more strongly and impaired memory for a word list. The point is not that sound volume is irrelevant; rather, the brain’s ability to anticipate events can determine whether a stimulus feels ignorable or invasive.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Irregularly timed sounds can be more distracting than loud but predictable sounds.
Noisy environments are the primary cause of distraction in most daily settings.
Repeating tones improve memory for word lists by training attention over time.
Sound volume alone determines whether a stimulus will impair memory performance.
Explanation
The main idea of the text is that irregularly timed sounds can be more distracting than loud but predictable ones, as the brain's inability to anticipate them impairs attention and memory. The passage challenges the blame on noise volume by describing experiments where predictable tones became less intrusive despite loudness, contrasting this with irregular tones that disrupted word recall more, and concludes that predictability determines invasiveness. This flow sets up a common misconception before using evidence to reveal the subtler role of anticipation. Choice C is a tempting distractor because noisy environments are referenced initially, but the text refutes them as the 'primary cause,' emphasizing prediction instead. In science-based passages, the main idea often corrects a assumption with nuanced findings, so avoid choices that restate the setup without the refinement.