A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to publish reviews that...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to publish reviews that went against popular opinion. One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of photography as an emerging medium for fine art: in the essay, Eastlake ______ that the value of photographs was informational rather than creative.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
exposed
asserted
discovered
doubted
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to publish reviews that went against popular opinion.' |
|
| 'One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of photography as an emerging medium for fine art:' |
|
| '[MISSING WORD]' |
|
| 'that the value of photographs was informational rather than creative.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake was a contrarian art critic who took the position that photographs had informational rather than creative value.
Argument Flow: The passage introduces Eastlake as someone willing to go against popular opinion, then provides a specific example of this tendency through her essay questioning photography as art, leading to her particular stance that photographs serve informational rather than creative purposes.
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
- We know Eastlake was someone who 'did not hesitate to publish reviews that went against popular opinion.'
- The essay was described as 'questioning' photography as fine art, and we need a word that describes what she did with her specific position about photographs being informational rather than creative.
- The word should indicate she made a clear statement or claim, show confidence in her position, and suggest she was taking a firm stance rather than being uncertain.
exposed
- 'Exposed' means to reveal something hidden or secret.
- Eastlake wasn't uncovering hidden information about photographs - she was making an argument about their artistic value.
asserted
- 'Asserted' means to state firmly or declare confidently.
- Fits perfectly with Eastlake's established character as someone who 'did not hesitate' to publish controversial views.
- Captures her making a definitive claim about photographic value.
discovered
- 'Discovered' implies finding out something new through investigation.
- Eastlake was expressing an opinion about artistic value, not making a factual discovery.
doubted
- 'Doubted' means to question or be uncertain about.
- Contradicts the passage's portrayal of someone who 'did not hesitate' to publish strong opinions.