ShmoopTube

00:03

Here's your shmoop du jour:

00:08

Take a sec to pause and read the following passage.

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Don't worry, there's like a 72% chance that it won't give you nightmares.

00:52

The primary purpose of this passage is to... what?

00:57

And here are the potential answers:

01:03

Okay, so this question wants to know the "primary" purpose of this passage.

01:07

In other words, it may have many purposes, but we're looking specifically for the primary,

01:13

or most important one.

01:14

The Grand Poobah of purposes.

01:17

Let's throw our five answer choices at the wall and see which one... sticks.

01:21

A and B are both true—the passage does describe the couple's courtship, as well as the effect

01:26

the death of a wealthy relation can have on a poor family...

01:30

...but they're really just mentioned. They're not the be-all-end-all of the passage.

01:35

But C, on the other hand...

01:36

Sure looks like this is what we're looking for. The whole passage is about the Nickleby

01:40

family's complex relationship with money.

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Complex, as in, they kinda suck at it.

01:54

They might as well be lighting fire to the stuff.

01:57

Just to make sure, let's check out the last two options.

01:59

D can't be right, because the narrator isn't mocking the poor. He may not necessarily want

02:05

to join them on the streets, but he certainly isn't making fun of them.

02:10

And E is out, because the passage never claims that money is the source of all life's problems.

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In fact, the narrator acknowledges that people need money in order to survive.

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Well, we agree. We think money is the bee's knees. And we also think it's pretty clear that our

02:27

answer here is option C.

02:31

That'll be $50, please.

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