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GMAT Club Forum Index Verbal
How to get "Primary Purpose of Passage" right? : Verbal
Topic Discussion
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jimmyjamesdonkey
Jun 24, 2007
I always get "The Primary Purpose of this passage is to?" wrong on Reading Comp. I'm guessing this is hurting my score as it seems like a simple questions and I always get it wrong.
Any idea on how to nail this??? I started taking notes during the section and it helps. I know what the passage is about, but trying to stick it into one of those GMAT choices is difficult. Suggestions?
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baer
Jun 24, 2007
Main Idea/Primary Purpose Questions:
Many people believe there is no difference between the main or central idea of the passage and the primary purpose of the author of the passage. This is simply not true. Let's take a look at the subtle but important difference between them:
Main Idea
The question might look something like this:
"Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?"
"Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?"
"Which of the following is the principal topic of the passage?"
"The main topic of the passage is...."
Primary Purpose
The question might look like this:
"The primary purpose of this passage is to..."
"The primary purpose of the passage as a whole is to..."
"The primary focus of this passage is on which of the following?"
"The main concern of the passage is to..."
"In the passage, the author is primarily interested in...."
"The passage is chiefly concerned with..."
i think this is helpful to
Answer:
Dichotomy is defined as "a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different."
Mandela's speech uses dichotomy to emphasize his points as evident in the following excerpt: "We speak here of the challenge of the dichotomies of war and peace, violence and non-violence, racism and human dignity, oppression and repression and liberty and human rights, poverty and freedom from want."
The contrasts mentioned in the speech are: war vs. peace; violence vs. non-violence; racism vs. human dignity; oppression and repression vs. liberty and human rights; and poverty vs. freedom from want. The pairs are negative in opposition to the positive experiences or conditions of human existence.
Explanation:
