托福阅读的十种题型中，修辞目的题，跟其他题型不相比，别具一格。托福阅读考试中修辞目的题注重考察单词，短语或是句子在句子之内或句子之间起到的作用和逻辑。这要求大家在阅读中，要有意识地注意句子之间的逻辑关系以及段落的结构。
此次目的题参考的内容基本可以分为三类，其一，作者在句中提到一些单词或短语或是句子是为了举例说明之前的相关信息点，辅助读者更好地理解原文的信息。其二，作者提供相关信息目的在于解释说明某一现象或是事件，本质与举例说明较为类似，也是为了帮助读者更好地理解信息，其三，作者在提出某些重要的观点时，为了突出个别的信息点，而引入一些单词短语或句子，目的是为了强度。基于对修辞目的题作者写作目的本身的分析和理解，我们可以更好地解决相关题目。以下以第一种举例说明的情况为例，重点讲解如何解决此类题目。
我们来看一道题，此题出自TPO14--children and advertising中的第10题，题干问why does the author mention a show about a cartoon lion in which an advertisement appears featuring the same lion character?根据题干关键词定位到文中对应的句子，Host selling occurs, for example, when a children's show about a cartoon lion contains an ad in which the same lion promotes a breakfast cereal.读完句子看到句中的插入短语for example，知道此句式为例子，属于举例说明，我们都知道例子是用来证明之前的信息，所以向前反推，看到紧接其前这样的内容In the recent past, the role of celebrities in advertising to children has often been conflated with the concept of host selling. Host selling involves blending advertisements with regular programming in a way that makes it difficult to distinguish one from the other.这两句第一句解释了host selling，第二句提到host selling的影响，所以得知紧接其后的句子是为了例证这两点信息，即host selling的概念以及它产生的影响。得出正确选项To help explain what is meant by the term "host selling" and why it can be misleading to children。
再比如TPO16中trade and the ancient middle east一文中第12题考到In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the new trade route opened up by Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa?根据题干关键词定位到原文句子：as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth century opened up a southern route.读句子as表示正如…得知此处为举例说明，例证之前的信息，看到前半句since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power。得知提到Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa目的是为了证明新的国际贸易路线的发展可能破坏货币基础并且侵蚀国家权力。得出答案为To present an instance in which Middle Eastern states lost money and power because of their reliance on long-distance trade。
再如TPO25 The surface of mars一文中的第6题In paragraph 3, why does the author compare Maxwell Mons on Venus to the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth?根据题干关键词定位到原文句子It is no accident that Maxwell Mons on Venus and the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth rise to about the same height (about 10 kilometers) above their respective bases-Earth and Venus has similar surface gravity.通过句中短语It is no accident that得知此处为举例论证，所以向前看，紧接其前的句子为The lower the gravity, the lesser the weight and the greater the height of the mountain.可知原文想要阐述的信息是地心引力和山脉高度直接的关系，而且地心引力越低则重量越低，随之山的高度越高，所以紧接其后比较Maxwell Mons on Venus 和the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth完全是为了论证这个信息，由此容易选得正确选项为To help explain the relationship between surface gravity and volcano height。
修辞目的题中，举例论证是常考点，常见的表示举例的提示性的单词或短语有：for example/for instance/such as/as/as a example of/one of…/this is the case…等。如果题干中关键词对应原文的句子里有相关的表示例证的单词，短语出现，则向前看前面的句子，答案也就随之浮现出来。所以在平时的阅读练习中，大家一定要注意句子之间逻辑关系，句与句之间不是互相独立的，而是紧密联系，互相支撑，构建段落，甚至是全文。
