Choosing Language for Context and Purpose — Unit test
Question 5 • ELA 11B-CR
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.What is the author’s purpose for including this sentence?
Answer
A
to emphasize the productivity of his daily routine
B
to undermine the significance of his critics’ letter
C
to establish the impressive credentials of his staff
D
to explain the nature of his profession
Explanation
King says that answering every criticism would consume his secretaries’ day and leave him no time for constructive work. This makes the critics’ correspondence seem like a distraction from more important efforts, so he is minimizing its significance. The sentence is not mainly about praising his staff or describing his profession.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.