Question

Which excerpt represents Armstrong’s purpose in writing this passage? “ . . .you’d like to hear about how Lance Armstrong became a Great American . . . .” “When I was 25 I got testicular cancer and nearly died.” “I’m not here to make polite conversation. I want to tell the truth.” “Death is not exactly cocktail-party conversation, I know . . . .”

Answer 1

The passage of Armstrong is missing, here is the passage:

When I was 25 I got testicular cancer and nearly died. I was given less than a 40 percent chance of surviving, and frankly, some of my doctors were just being kind when they gave me those odds. Death is not exactly cocktail party conversation, I know, and neither is cancer, or brain surgery, or matters below the waist. But I'm not here to make polite conversation. I want to tell the truth. I'm sure you'd like to hear about how Lance Armstrong became a Great American and an Inspiration To Us All, how he won the Tour de France, the 2,290-mile road race that's considered the single most grueling sporting event on the face of the earth. You want to hear about faith and mystery, and my miraculous comeback, and how I joined towering figures like Greg LeMond and Miguel Indurain in the record book. You want to hear about my lyrical climb through the Alps and my heroic conquering of the Pyrenees, and how it felt. But the Tour was the least of the story.

The correct answer to this question is C.  “I’m not here to make polite conversation. I want to tell the truth.”

Explanation:

In texts, the purpose is defined as the main reason for writing a text, which can include to inform, persuade, explain, etc. In the case of the passage presented, the purpose of Lance Armstrong is to explain his truth, this is directly expressed in the section "But I'm not here to make polite conversation. I want to tell the truth".

Moreover, this purpose is supported through other details that include the fact Armstrong had cancer and his perspective that his triumph in the Tour of France was not the only important part of his story because this shows Armstrong want to tell all the truth about himself and his story rather than being polite and only tell those parts the audience wants to hear.