托福閱讀考試包括題型很多，其中有一種習以為常的目的題，這類題型的解題關鍵一般問的是作者舉某個例子，說某句話的目的是什么，判斷好題干是第一步。下面通過舉例子詳細介紹一下這類新托福閱讀題的解答技巧。
　　Rhetorical Purpose questions 目的題
　　目的題的提問方式一般為：
　　Why does the author mention/include/use …?
　　The author …in order to …
　　The author uses the example to ?
　　…for … purpose?
　　這種題目一般問的是作者舉某個例子，說某句話的目的是什么，判斷好題干是第一步。一般的閱讀文章的思路，作者在舉例子的時候的主要目的都是為了證明自己的觀點，所以在做這類題目的時候，真正的解題關鍵在于，所問例子前方的觀點，我們來看一道例題：
　　The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily. The factory clock became the symbol of the new work rules. One mill worker who finally quit complained revealingly about "obedience to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though we are so many living machines." With the loss of personal freedom also came the loss of standing in the community. Unlike artisan workshops in which apprentices worked closely with the masters supervising them, factories sharply separated workers from management. Few workers rose through the ranks to supervisory positions, and even fewer could achieve the artisan's dream of setting up one's own business. Even well-paid workers sensed their decline in status.
　　4. In paragraph 4, the author includes the quotation from a mill worker in order to
　　○ Support the idea that it was difficult for workers to adjust to working in factories
　　○ To show that workers sometimes quit because of the loud noise made by factory machinery
　　○ Argue that clocks did not have a useful function in factories
　　○ Emphasize that factories were most successful when workers revealed their complaints
　　題目問，作者為什么引用工人的話。工人的話“One mill worker who finally quit complained revealingly about "obedience to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though we are so many living machines."”在文章的第三句出現，作為和例子一樣的目的，來支持本段的觀點句，即第一句，The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily.(第一代經歷這些變化的人沒有輕易的適應新的觀點)。所以正確選項應該為觀點句的同義替換。正確答案選擇A，即支持一種觀點，對于工人來說很難調整在工廠工作。B 選項里面的工人退出(workers sometimes quit)沒有提到，C 選項里面的clocks did not have a useful function(鐘表不能發揮有效作用)不對，最后D 選項里面說到當工人抱怨的時候工廠最成功，顯然是不正確的。
　　但是不是所有的作者目的題，都只是段落的第一句話。每個段落的topic sentence 位置不一樣，或者說，每個例子對應的topic sentence 位置不一樣。我們再來看一個例子，
　　Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintingsmust have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor's aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).
　　6. Why does the author discuss the bronze statues of horses created by artists in the early Italian Renaissance?
　　○ To provide an example of a problem related to the
　　laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome
　　○ To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the
　　laws of physics
　　○ To contrast the relative sophistication of modern
　　artists in solving problems related to the laws of
　　physics
　　○ To note an exceptional piece of art constructed
　　without the aid of technology
　　在這道題目當中，我們需要先確定例子的位置，即加了陰影的地方。這個題目的特色是，出題點是一個非常長的自然段，一般這種比較長的自然段往往會有段落分層或者段中的轉折，這樣的話我們需要確定例子所在的位置在哪一層或者是在轉折前還是轉折后。我們先來分析一下這個段落的結構：
　　Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. 這句話對前面的內容作了否定，即：這種假設忽視了兩個規律之間的重要差別。 Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. 這句才是例子真正對應的核心句，作者舉例子是為了證明這個觀點 For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had... 在這個段落當中，例子所對應的topic sentence 變成了第八句，即These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work.(這些都是藝術家必須克服的問題...)根據關鍵句的同義替換，我們選擇第一個選項作為正確答案，即To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome (舉一個關于藝術家必須跨越的關于物理學規律的例子)