A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______ of Olga Tokarczuk's novel The Books of Jacob, with its enormous...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______ of Olga Tokarczuk's novel The Books of Jacob, with its enormous cast of characters, its complicated, wandering plot, and its page numbers that count backward (beginning at 965 and ending at 1).
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
accuracy
inactivity
complexity
restraint
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "of Olga Tokarczuk's novel The Books of Jacob," |
|
| "with its enormous cast of characters," |
|
| "its complicated, wandering plot," |
|
| "and its page numbers that count backward (beginning at 965 and ending at 1)." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A brief book review cannot adequately capture all aspects of this particular novel because of its multiple challenging features.
Argument Flow: The passage opens by stating a limitation of brief reviews regarding a specific novel, then provides three concrete examples of the novel's characteristics that would make it difficult to review comprehensively: its large character count, complex plot structure, and unusual page numbering system.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The word must describe what a brief review cannot fully convey about this novel
- Based on our analysis, the novel has multiple challenging aspects: enormous cast, complicated plot, unusual structure
- All these elements point to something that has many intricate, interconnected parts that would be difficult to capture quickly
- The word should capture the idea that this novel has layers, complications, and intricacies that make it hard to summarize
- So the right answer should describe the intricate, multifaceted nature of the novel that makes it difficult to review briefly
accuracy
✗ Incorrect
- "Accuracy" refers to correctness or precision of information
- Doesn't fit the context - the issue isn't whether the review would be accurate, but what aspect of the novel is hard to capture
- What trap this represents: Students might think this sounds sophisticated or academic, but it misses the logical relationship the sentence is establishing
inactivity
✗ Incorrect
- "Inactivity" means lack of action or movement
- Makes no sense in this context - the novel clearly has lots going on with its enormous cast and complicated plot
- This choice contradicts the evidence provided in the passage
complexity
✓ Correct
- "Complexity" perfectly captures what makes this novel difficult to review briefly
- All three supporting details (enormous cast, complicated plot, backward numbering) are examples of complex elements
- Matches our prethinking about the novel's intricate, multifaceted nature that would be hard to summarize quickly
restraint
✗ Incorrect
- "Restraint" means self-control or limitation
- This is the opposite of what the passage describes - the novel seems expansive and unconventional, not restrained
- The supporting evidence (enormous cast, wandering plot) suggests abundance rather than restraint