Question

part-to whole relationships questions will look like this
part-to-whole relationships example
the following text is from herman melvilles 1854 novel the lightning-rod man.
the stranger still stood in the exact middle of the cottage, where he had first planted himself. his singularity impelled a closer scrutiny. a lean, gloomy figure. hair dark and lank, mattedly streaked over his brow. his sunken pitfalls of eyes were ringed by indigo halos, and played with an innocuous sort of lightning: the gleam without the bolt. the whole man was dripping. he stood in a puddle on the bare oak floor; his strange walking-stick vertically resting at his side.
which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
choose 1 answer:
a it sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow.
b it establishes a contrast with the description in the previous sentence.
c it elaborates on the previous sentence’s description of the character.
d it introduces the setting that is described in the sentences that follow.

Explanation:

To determine the function of the underlined sentence, analyze the text structure. The underlined sentence ("His singularity impelled a closer scrutiny") leads into the detailed physical description of the stranger in the subsequent sentences (hair, eyes, figure, etc.). Option A says it sets up the character description that follows, which matches. Option B is wrong as there's no contrast with the previous sentence (which just states the stranger’s position). Option C is incorrect because it doesn’t elaborate on the previous sentence (the previous sentence is about his position, not his character yet). Option D is wrong as it introduces character description, not setting.

Answer:

A. It sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow.