SAT Reading & Writing · Text Structure and Purpose
GPS measurements show that the Himalayan mountain range continues to rise tectonically by several millimeters each year in some locations,…
GPS measurements show that the Himalayan mountain range continues to rise tectonically by several millimeters each year in some locations, even as ongoing erosion wears away rock from mountain surfaces, and occasional earthquakes can produce sudden, localized changes in elevation that neither steady process explains on its own.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Answer and explanation
Answer: D: To describe several distinct processes that together determine a mountain range's changing elevation over time
The passage names three distinct forces, gradual uplift, gradual erosion, and sudden earthquake-driven change, and frames them as jointly shaping elevation instead of any one of them acting alone. D captures that multi-factor structure. A overstates the passage into a directional claim it never makes. C isolates one factor as the sole cause, contradicting the passage's explicit inclusion of uplift and erosion as well. B invents a disagreement among scientists that the passage doesn't mention at all.
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