SAT Reading & Writing · Text Structure and Purpose

A small manufacturing company initially resisted adopting new automated equipment, citing the high upfront cost relative to its modest…

A small manufacturing company initially resisted adopting new automated equipment, citing the high upfront cost relative to its modest annual revenue. After a competitor's productivity gains from similar automation began eroding the company's market share, the company reversed its position and invested in the equipment within a single fiscal year.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

Answer and explanation

Answer: B: To describe a company's change in position and the competitive pressure that prompted it

The passage traces a clear sequence: initial resistance, a specific competitive pressure, and a resulting reversal, which is exactly the change-and-cause structure B names. A overgeneralizes a single company's decision into a universal claim about all small businesses. C overstates the passage, which doesn't evaluate whether the original cost concerns were valid, only that competitive pressure changed the calculation. D invents a critical stance toward the competitor that the passage doesn't take.

More Text Structure and Purpose questions

All Text Structure and Purpose questions

Learn the method behind questions like this one

The SAT Reading & Writing course teaches each tested skill through lessons, step-by-step solutions to sample problems, the complete study guide and full-length practice tests.