SSAT Reading Question 264: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 264
6. The primary purpose of the passage is to
- A. present a scientific explanation of the San Francisco earthquake
- B. provide an eyewitness report of the San Francisco earthquake
- C. convey the despair of San Francisco residents as they watched the destruction of their city
- D. describe the conditions that allowed the fires to spread
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
B is correct. As evidenced by lines 42-44 ("At that time I watched the vast conflagration from out on the bay."), the author was an eyewitness to the earthquake. His primary purpose for writing this passage was to report what he saw during that terrible time. Choice A is wrong because the passage provides no scientific explanation telling how earthquakes occur. Choice C is wrong because the passage describes the events of the earthquake, but does not go into the feelings of the residents. Choice D is wrong because only one paragraph of the account is devoted to the winds that helped the fire spread. Choice E is wrong because the author’s praise for the firefighters’ efforts is only one small part of the account, not its entire focus.