Answer:
The author's purpose for including this sentence is:
Option 1: *to undermine the significance of his critics’ letter
Option 2: *to condemn the insincerity of his critics’ advice
Option 3: *to establish his professional credentials
Explanation:
This is an incomplete question that can be answered in three different ways depending on the sentence you are referring to. All of the options come from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Sentence 1
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. What is the author’s purpose for including this sentence?
to emphasize the productivity of his daily routine
*to undermine the significance of his critics’ letter
to establish the impressive credentials of his staff
to explain the nature of his profession
By using the if clause the author is stating the fact of answering to criticism as an unreal situation which undermines the importance he gives to what others think about his procedures.
Sentence 2
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. What is the author’s purpose for including this sentence?
*to condemn the insincerity of his critics’ advice
to contrast the motivations of people in power
to explain the need for mutual understanding
to criticize people who treat others cruelly
The author mentions in these lines that it is more hurtful than a person who can be considered a "good" person does not get or understand you than to be rejected by a person who sees everything as negative and incorrect. Since the second situation is expected to be and should not be taken seriously.
Sentence 3
Read the excerpt from “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. What is King’s purpose for including this sentence?
to emphasize his own Southern roots
to illustrate the depth of his religious faith
*to establish his professional credentials
to explain his ties to the city of Atlanta
These lines give a clear curricular description of the professional activities of the author about the political field in the nation at the current time.
