Text Structure and Purpose
The Verb-First Match Method · 9 Rules
SAT R&W
Craft & Structure
66 problems · ≈ 1–2 per module
CORD —
C Concept
O Operation · Method
R Recognition
D Drill
What this chapter tests: three sub-types of the same skill — main purpose of a short passage, function of an underlined sentence, and the passage's overall structure. Every correct answer starts with the right author's verb, then matches the right object.
Know These 3 Terms
Author's verb
What the author is doing in the passage. describe · argue · present · illustrate · introduce · convey · portray — the top 7 cover ~80% of correct answers.
Structure pattern
How the text is organized. chronological · compare/contrast · cause/effect · problem/solution · general→specific · specific→general · argument/counter · description
Sub-trap
A named pattern living inside a larger trap. Invented Comparison and Motive Fabrication are sub-traps of Outside Info (Rule 6).
Foundation Rules · 1–3 · Verb-First Match
Rule 1
Read the WHOLE text
The stem says "as a whole" — so the whole passage counts, not just one sentence. Skim end-to-end before peeking at choices. A single line can mislead you about the author's overall move.
RecognitionPicks an answer based on one striking sentence instead of the whole passage.
Rule 2
Decide the author's VERB
Name what the author is doing in one word: describe / explain / present / introduce / illustrate / argue / convey. Pick the verb BEFORE reading choices so a slick wrong verb can't anchor you.
RecognitionReads the choices first, then anchors on a slick wrong verb.
Rule 3
Cross wrong verbs, then check the object
Eliminate any choice whose first verb doesn't match the author's move. Of the survivors, check the object (what's being described/argued/explained) for Outside Info or Half-Right slippage.
RecognitionKeeps a choice whose first verb is wrong because the object sounds right.
Quick Card · Page 1
Read whole · Name the verb · Cross wrong verbs, then check the object
Text Structure and Purpose · Rules 4–9
Specialized Rules · 2 question variants + 4 trap families
SAT R&W
Craft & Structure
Rules Catalog
💡 How to use this with explanations. When you review a wrong answer, the explanation will say violates Rule N.
Look up that rule below to see the pattern and the example. Foundation Rules 1–3 are on Page 1.
Outside Info is the single biggest wrong-answer family (≈45%). If a choice mentions a thing the passage never brought up — a comparison, a motive, a second example — it's almost certainly the trap. The other 55% split between Half-Right (26%), Wrong Verb (17%), and a long tail.
Match the passage to a standard pattern: general→specific (most common), problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, chronological. Watch the sequence — a reversed order is a classic trap.
Opens with broad claim → narrows to one study → general → specific
RecognitionPicks the right structure pieces but in the reversed sequence.
Map what comes before and after the underline. The underlined sentence usually defines, gives an example, presents a claim, or emphasizes something already stated.
Sentence right after a definition that says "for instance…" → gives an example
RecognitionConfuses an example sentence's purpose with the whole passage's overall purpose.
Rule 6
Outside Info trap ★
(45% of wrongs)
Drill 13
Choice adds a claim not in the text. Sub-traps: Invented Comparison (says X vs Y when only X is mentioned) and Motive Fabrication (assigns a reason the author never gave).
Text describes one painter → trap: "contrasts two painters' techniques"
RecognitionPicks a choice naming a comparison or motive the passage never mentioned.
Rule 7
Half-Right trap
(26%)
Drill 3
Right verb, wrong object — or right object, wrong verb. Sub-trap: Subject Swap (correct action attached to the wrong noun in the passage).
Author describes a method → trap: "describes the researcher's career"
RecognitionKeeps a choice that matches half (verb or object) but distorts the other half.
Rule 8
Wrong Verb trap
(17%)
Drill 3
Choice opens with a verb the passage never earns: "argues" when the text only describes, "contrasts" when nothing was compared, "refutes" when no opposing view appeared.
Neutral description of a finding → trap: "argues that the finding is significant"
RecognitionPicks 'argues' or 'refutes' when the passage merely describes neutrally.
Rule 9
Reversed / Extreme / Plausible / Also-True
Drill 6
Combines the long-tail patterns: Reversed Order (right pieces, wrong sequence), Extreme Tone (always/proves/disproves), Plausible Unsupported, and Also True (true elsewhere in the passage but not the main move).
Passage starts narrow then broadens → trap: "general → specific" (reversed)
RecognitionPicks a true detail instead of the passage's main function.
Rules Catalog · Page 2
Verb first · Then object · Outside Info kills 45% of wrongs
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