Function questions
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Function questions ask about the writer’s technique or purpose. These questions focus on how or why the author does something in the passage.
Function questions account for approximately 4% of Section I questions. You’ll probably see a few on Test Day, but there are unlikely to be more than three or four in the entire section.
Function questions focus on a narrow part of the passage, not the whole of it. They zoom in on how or why the author uses a specific element within the passage.
A question asking about the purpose or main argument of the entire passage is a Global question, not a Function question.
Some question stems are more subtle. You might be asked about:
- what the author accomplishes with a specific reference.
- how a particular detail functions in the passage.
- the reason a writer includes specific information.
- what purpose a term or phrase serves.
In a Function question, you must focus on why the author included something, not just what the passage says. This is a crucial distinction that saves time and helps you eliminate wrong answers.
If you’re uncertain whether a question is a Function question, check the answer choices.
If the answers describe how the writer proceeds with their argument, it’s a Function question.
Longer answer choices may describe authorial actions, for example, how the author has structured the argument or how they have used certain literary devices. These answer choices start with verbs that represent different argumentative strategies or literary techniques, similar to those in these examples:
- illustrate the main point
- challenge a preconception
- pre-empt a potential criticism
- distinguish between characters
Question walkthrough
Recognising Function questions from answer choices
Let's practise identifying a Function question by its answer choices.
The answer choices of some Function questions might consist of a single word, particularly in Non-fiction sets. Look for single-word answer choices that name an argumentative strategy, for example:
- denial
- concession
- exaggeration
- comparison
- analogy
- anecdote
- refutation
- exaggeration
Regardless of the length of the answer choices, they will always specify the author’s technique or purpose, not the content of the ideas.
Read the question stem carefully to confirm it’s a Function question. Note exactly which element you’re being asked about. This might be:
- a single word.
- a longer phrase.
- a sentence.
- a paragraph or a stanza.
Use hyperlinks or context clues to locate the relevant part of the passage. Read two or three sentences immediately before and after the highlighted portion to understand the context.
This context is particularly important if the question targets a single word or short phrase. A word or brief phrase rarely functions in isolation. The sentences around it reveal how it contributes to the author’s broader purpose in that section.
Summarise what the author is doing in the relevant part of the passage before you look at the answer choices. For example, the author might be:
- clarifying a concept.
- making a contrast.
- building an argument.
- setting up what comes next.
Identify how a specific element of the passage develops the overall argument or meaning to avoid plausible-sounding wrong answers.
Look for explicit markers in the passage that signal function. Certain phrases can directly indicate what the author is doing. Look for expressions such as:
- in order to defend
- opens up the question
- makes clear
- sheds light on
Function questions in Non-Fiction sets often focus on how persuasive devices contribute to developing the author’s main point. Look for devices such as:
- examples
- figures of speech
- analogies or comparisons
- unusual expressions
You may see functions related to:
- clarifying concepts
- differentiating viewpoints
- expanding scope of analysis
- responding to potential objections
Match the device in the passage to the functions described by the answer choices. The correct answer will precisely describe the role the device plays in the overall argument.
Function questions in Fiction sets often involve storytelling techniques. Look for devices that develop:
- character psychology
- relationship dynamics
- tone and atmosphere
You may see functions related to:
- revealing motivation
- creating contrasts between characters or situations
- expressing deeper connections through metaphor, symbolism or subtext
- building mood through accumulated detail
Function questions in Fiction sets often ask about the actions and emotions of characters. You can answer these questions effectively by distinguishing between the surface action and the underlying motivation. The character may do something for a deeper reason. The function describes the motivation, not just the action.
Function questions in Poetry sets frequently connect formal elements to thematic content.
Consider how technical devices mirror or reinforce what the poem describes. Technical devices can include:
- line breaks and run-on lines
- rhythm
- repetition
- sonic effects, such as alliteration, consonance or assonance
Form and content often work together in poetry.
For instance, when a Function question asks about repetition in a poem, you should trace how each instance functions:
- Does the meaning stay constant across all repetitions?
- Does it progressively change?
- Does it shift dramatically at one key moment?
Never assume a pattern without checking every instance mentioned in the question.
Regardless of passage type, the correct answer must describe what demonstrably happens in the passage.
Wrong answers may confuse related concepts. For example, specifying the type or kind of something (clarification) is not the same as measuring its degree or extent (quantification). Providing reasons to support your position (justification) is not the same as attacking another position (accusation).
Wrong answers may feature vocabulary mismatches: words that contradict what the passage shows, claiming figurative language when it’s actually literal (or vice versa), or describing progressive patterns that actually reverse at a key moment.
Wrong answers frequently import meanings not evidenced in the passage. Watch for answers that:
- add emotional states not present in a poem or Fiction passage
- describe contrasts that don’t exist in the passage
Always verify that claimed elements actually appear in the text.
Wrong answers may depart from the focus of the paragraph in several ways:
- drawing on different parts of the passage when the question specifies a particular part
- focusing narrowly on surface meaning or description when the question targets emotion, subtext, imagery or symbolism
Eliminate answers that address the wrong aspect or part of the passage.
Be aware that there may be intervening text before you reach the support for the correct answer.
For example, the author might spend a few sentences explaining the nature of a problem before actually responding to it. The function of a certain phrase or sentence might be to respond to objections, but you’ll need to read past the description of the objections to see the response.
Wrong answers sometimes play off words or ideas in this intervening text, but with clear distortions or misapplications. If no answer seems correct, double check whether you may need to read a bit further in the passage to find the relevant part.
Question walkthrough
Reading past intervening text to find the function
Let's practise finding support for a Function question where you need to read past intervening text.
Correct answers may simply describe what the author says or does in straightforward language.
Adapt your approach based on what the Function question focuses on.
In Non-Fiction sets, Function questions often ask you about the meaning of a word or phrase.
Check whether the expressions introduce something new or clarify something already mentioned.
Technical vocabulary often functions to specify what kind of concept is being discussed, or to make clear the nature of a distinction about to be explored.
In poems and Fiction passages, the function may well be in the surface description or narration, such as physical details or simple events. By contrast, many functions may require you to go deeper into a narrator’s viewpoints, the relationship between characters, or the passage’s subtext or symbolism.
If a question focuses on a metaphor or comparison, the correct answer typically interprets what the image reveals rather than describing it literally. Wrong answers may stay too surface-level or add concepts not implied by the comparison.
Check each answer in turn against the passage when the answer choices are long and complex. Eliminate as soon as you spot a clear mismatch. You don’t need to fully prove the correct answer before eliminating wrong ones.
Ask yourself four quick questions about each answer:
- Does this describe something that demonstrably appears in the specified section?
- Which specific sentences fulfil this function?
- Does the answer match the actual direction of the author’s argument?
- Does it stay within the scope and focus the question establishes?
Maintain momentum through elimination. This strategy keeps you in control and prevents getting stuck on difficult questions.
Question walkthrough
Eliminating answer choices
Let's practise checking each answer in turn against the passage and eliminating those that do not match.