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Difficulty: MediumEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

A writer is editing a passage about the history of American baking. Read the following paragraph:

In 1938, Ruth Wakefield, co-owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, made a culinary breakthrough that would redefine American desserts. While preparing a batch of chocolate cookies, she ran out of baker's chocolate and instead chopped up a block of semi-sweet chocolate, expecting it to melt and disperse throughout the dough. [1] Instead, the chocolate pieces held their shape, creating the very first chocolate chip cookies. The recipe, which she called the 'Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie,' quickly became a national sensation.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence at point [1]:

'The Toll House Inn, originally built as a toll booth in 1709, had been a popular spot for travelers to change horses and rest.'

Should the writer make this addition?

  1. A
    Yes, because it provides interesting historical context about the place where the cookie was invented.
  2. B
    Yes, because it explains why Wakefield had to prepare such a large batch of cookies.
  3. No, because it interrupts the sequence of events detailing the accidental creation of the cookie with irrelevant details about the inn's history.Answer
  4. D
    No, because it contradicts the paragraph's claim that Wakefield made her culinary breakthrough in 1938.

Answer

No, because it interrupts the sequence of events detailing the accidental creation of the cookie with irrelevant details about the inn's history.
The correct option is the one stating that the sentence should not be added because it interrupts the sequence of events detailing the accidental creation of the cookie with irrelevant details about the inn's history. The paragraph's sole focus is the process and result of Wakefield's baking experiment in 1938. The history of the building itself from 1709 is tangential and disrupts the chronological narrative.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main focus of the paragraph.
The paragraph describes the narrative sequence of how Ruth Wakefield accidentally invented the chocolate chip cookie in 1938.
Understanding the paragraph's specific focus is necessary to evaluate if the new sentence adds relevant information or creates a distraction.
2
Analyze the proposed sentence for relevance to that focus.
The proposed sentence provides historical details about the Toll House Inn being built in 1709 for travelers. This information does not contribute to the narrative of how the cookie was formulated or prepared.
Evaluating the proposed sentence determines whether it aligns with the paragraph's development or shifts the focus.
3
Determine the correct decision and logical justification.
The sentence should not be added because it is irrelevant and interrupts the chronological flow of the invention. This matches the option stating that the addition should not be made because it interrupts the sequence of events with irrelevant details.
Comparing the logical conclusion against the choices identifies the correct answer.

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
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Topics

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

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