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Difficulty: EasyRhetorical Structure and Sentence Function

Read the short passage and identify the structural role of the second sentence. Fill in the blank with a verb that accurately describes its rhetorical function.

Answer:Sociologists studying post-war urban migration initially posited that industrial wage differentials were the sole driver of population shifts. However, recent demographic analyses demonstrate that access to municipal services played an equally vital role. In the context of the passage, the second sentence functions to 【challenge】 the early sociologists' single-factor hypothesis.

Answer

challenge (or refute / qualify / undermine)
The contrast pivot 'However' introduces new demographic evidence indicating that industrial wages were not the sole driver of migration. Consequently, the second sentence serves to challenge, refute, or qualify the initial single-factor hypothesis.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main claim of the first sentence.
The first sentence presents an initial view that a single factor (industrial wage differentials) drove urban migration.
Words like 'initially posited' and 'sole driver' indicate a baseline or traditional view.
2
Analyze the transition and evidence introduced in the second sentence.
The second sentence uses the contrast pivot 'However' to introduce new evidence showing another factor was equally vital.
Transition words of contrast signal a shift away from the claim presented in the preceding sentence.
3
Determine the rhetorical function of the second sentence relative to the first.
Because it shows the initial single-factor explanation was incomplete, the second sentence challenges or qualifies the original hypothesis.
Providing counter-evidence that broadens or opposes a claim serves to challenge or refute that claim.

Key Concept

Rhetorical Structure and Sentence Function
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Topics

Rhetorical Structure and Sentence Function

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