diff --git a/src/util/test-helpers.js b/src/util/test-helpers.js
index 5c1a6818..f313d436 100644
--- a/src/util/test-helpers.js
+++ b/src/util/test-helpers.js
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router';
 import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
 import configureStore from '../store';
 
+// Provide all the context for components that connect to the Redux
+// store, i18n, router, etc.
 export const TestProvider = props => {
   const store = configureStore();
   return (
@@ -20,10 +22,22 @@ export const TestProvider = props => {
   );
 };
 
+// Use Enzyme's shallow rendering to render the given component to a
+// JSON structure that can be used in snapshot tests. This doesn't
+// render the children within the given component, only a
+// representation of the child component and its props.
+//
+// Useful for snapshot testing components that contain shared
+// components. With deep rendering, if the child component changes
+// internally, the test for the given component would also fail. This
+// avoids the problem by not rendering the full tree but only the
+// relevant structure for the given component.
 export const renderShallow = component => {
   return toJson(shallow(component));
 };
 
+// Fully render the given component to a JSON structure that can be
+// used in snapshot tests.
 export const renderDeep = component => {
   const comp = renderer.create(
     <TestProvider>