"RHETORIC, OR THE STUDY of the effective use of language, is one of several areas tested on the SAT reading section. Within this area, question types are divided into five sub-areas: word choice, point of view, purpose, arguments and text structure.
The analysis of text structure can be particularly challenging for test-takers because it requires attention to detail and broader awareness of passage layout. Students will encounter two main types of text structure questions on the SAT: assessing overall structure and assessing structural relationships.
Assessing overall structure. Questions on the reading section of the SAT that fall in this category require you to consider the ‘overall structure of the passage.’ This means that you must be able to recognize the general way in which a passage develops. For example, the text may progress chronologically, where the author mentions events in the order in which they happen, or the author may first list problems and then suggest solutions." …