Detail Function Questions

What is the function of this particular highlighted detail?

Incorrect. While this may seem to be the case on the surface, your task is to understand the function of the coin within the fuller context of the passage. In other words, try to figure out what the author is getting at and how this detail helps to deliver this idea.

That's not quite it. Your task is to figure out what the author is getting at and how this particular detail helps to deliver this idea. There is no mention in the passage that people do not enjoy reading Borges's work, so the function of the coin cannot be to put forth this idea.

Saving the rainforests has been a classic environmental cause for decades. Rainforests absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide from the air and make it suitable for human use. However, recent developments have started a debate concerning the endangered state of the rain forests. New “secondary” forests have been cropping up in tropical regions around the world. These new forests are growing in land that had been used for farming or logging but has lain fallow in recent years as farmers and rural dwellers migrate to the cities in search of better work and opportunities. Scientists are now debating the newfound benefits of the “secondary” forests and deciding whether they can be valid replacements for the old rainforest that is being destroyed daily. The rainforests play a vital role in removing carbon dioxide, one of the main heat-trapping gasses and a major cause of global warming, from the air and turning it into oxygen by a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis occurs in two separate reactions. During the light reaction, chlorophyll and other pigments such as beta-carotene absorb slightly different lengths of light waves and transmit the energy to the central chlorophyll molecule. The energy collected from the light reaction is stored in molecules of ATP, which is similar in structure to the building blocks of human DNA. The ATP is used in the Calvin Cycle in combination with carbon dioxide to form complex sugars, giving off oxygen as a byproduct. Some scientists believe that the new forests can supplement waning rainforest foliage and absorb carbon dioxide in its place. One statistic says the new forests are replacing the destroyed areas at a rate of 50 to 1. Because of the heat and intense rainfall in these tropical areas, the new growth increases at an astounding rate and makes these new forests appear to the untrained eye as if they had flourished for hundreds of years. Some scientists concerned with carbon emissions look at the emerging forests and conclude that they are suitable replacements. After all, indigenous peoples cleared lands in the areas that are now clearly visible as lush rainforest. Not all scientists agree that “secondary” forests are a perfect solution. Although they agree that the new forestry can reduce carbon emissions, they argue that new forests do not possess all the same qualities as the primary rainforests. “Secondary” forests suffer from a notable difference in floristics and species diversity. Since the unused farmland is often situated hundreds of miles away from the native rainforests, species endangered by their destruction cannot benefit from the new growth in those areas. To this group of scientists, the ecosystems in the new forests are just not the same as those of a true rainforest. The question of whether these forests can provide a safeguard against further environmental degradation thus remains moot. What is the most probable reason the author of the passage is discussing photosynthesis?

Incorrect. This question asks for you to choose the answer choice that would explain the function of the word _photosynthesis_ in the passage. Hopefully, you will know from your __initial reading__ that the main idea of the passage is the debate as to whether secondary forests can help mitigate the problem of disappearing rainforests and the work they do to reduce carbon emissions. The function is not to explain how plants adapt to the environment. Remember to use the notes taken during your __initial reading__. A detail's function may be linked to the main idea. But it's also still important to read the detail in the context of the paragraph in which it's found.

No, not quite. The function of the word _photosynthesis_ is not to explain why plants are green, but for reasons that relate to the larger point the author is making in the passage. Use your notes from the __initial reading__, too, as the function of a detail may be linked to the main idea of the passage. But it's also important to read the detail in the context of the paragraph in which it's found.

Now that you know what a __Detail Function__ question asks for, it would help to be able to identify them when you take the GRE.

Which of the following do you think is a __Detail Function__ question?

You got it! All of these questions ask you about a specific detail—whether it is a sentence, a word, or a phrase—and its function in the passage.

To sum up: [[summary]]

Yes, this is one of the phrasings a __Detail Function__ question might use. But consider some of the other answer choices as well. In fact, all of these questions ask you about a specific detail—whether it is a sentence, a word, or a phrase—and its function in the passage.

In the Reading Comprehension section, __Detail Function__ questions ask you _how_ or _why_ an author uses a specific detail given in the passage. In other words, you are asked to identify the detail's __function__ in helping the author deliver an idea. In the computer-based version of the test, the word, phrase, or sentence in question will be highlighted. In the print version of the test, these details will usually be referenced by their line number, especially for long passages.

To understand what is meant by _function_, consider the detail of the "common coin" in the following passage: When someone brings up the term “magical realism,” the work of the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) often comes to mind. Indeed, his works include many situations in which the ordinary is blended with incidents that appear to be magical or unreal, such as a common coin that the owner cannot lose. However, it is contested as to whether his work is truly representative of magical realism. Many contend that it is more likely that his work predates the term. A better example of magical realism, according to critics, can be found in the work of Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014). In any case, it would be safe to say that Borges’s work is foundational to what we understand as magical realism today.

That's right! Details such as these help the author to communicate certain __premises__ or facts in the passage. Mention of the common coin functions to illustrate how something ordinary (the common coin) is blended with the unreal (its owner's inability to lose it). Remember: Sometimes you will need to refer to the notes from your __initial reading__ to answer __Detail Function__ questions. Your notes may help point you to the right area in cases where the detail is not highlighted in the text and when __Detail Function__ questions are closely linked to the main idea of the text. Now that you understand how to identify the function of a detail, try the following __Detail Function__ question based on a longer passage.

Nicely done! The word _photosynthesis_ is used by the author to emphasize the importance of rainforests in reducing carbon dioxide from the air, and to ultimately explain the main idea of why it is debatable as to whether secondary forests can help mitigate the loss of rainforests. Remember to refer to the notes taken during your initial reading to help you identify the main idea of a long passage. Also, remember that sometimes the function of a detail is closely linked to the main idea.

It tells the reader that the owner of the coin is terrible at losing things.

It explains why some people do not enjoy reading Borges's work.

It helps to explain how something ordinary is blended with incidents that are magical or unreal.

To teach how plants adapt to the environment

To explain the biological reasons why plants are green

To emphasize how rainforests reduce carbon emissions

The author of the passage most probably mentions _X_ in order to:

The author uses the word _X_ most probably to emphasize that:

The author refers to _X_ in order to point out:

The importance of _X_ mentioned in lines \_\_\_\_\_ is that it:

Which of the following best describes the function of the sentences in lines \_\_\_\_\_?

All of the above

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