A linguistics professor was attempting to identify the authorship of an anonymous 18th-century poem discovered in a university archive. The...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
A linguistics professor was attempting to identify the authorship of an anonymous 18th-century poem discovered in a university archive. The poem's style closely resembled that of three known poets from the period: Margaret Hartwell, Thomas Brightwater, and Eleanor Vanderbilt. However, historical records showed that Hartwell was living in the American colonies during the poem's composition date, making it impossible for her to have written about the specifically British social events referenced in the work. Additionally, Brightwater's documented writing during that same year focused exclusively on religious themes, while this poem dealt entirely with secular court politics. The professor determined that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the poem represents a collaboration between multiple authors from different regions.
the poem was most likely written by Eleanor Vanderbilt.
the poem's dating or attribution records contain significant historical errors.
the poem was probably composed by an entirely different, unknown poet.
Looking at this SAT inference question, I'll work through the systematic solution process to help you understand the logical reasoning required.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "A linguistics professor was attempting to identify the authorship of an anonymous 18th-century poem discovered in a university archive." |
|
| "The poem's style closely resembled that of three known poets from the period: Margaret Hartwell, Thomas Brightwater, and Eleanor Vanderbilt." |
|
| "However, historical records showed that Hartwell was living in the American colonies during the poem's composition date, making it impossible for her to have written about the specifically British social events referenced in the work." |
|
| "Additionally, Brightwater's documented writing during that same year focused exclusively on religious themes, while this poem dealt entirely with secular court politics." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A professor used process of elimination to determine the authorship of an anonymous poem by systematically ruling out candidates based on contradictory evidence.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a methodical elimination process. First, we learn about three potential authors based on stylistic similarity. Then two candidates are systematically eliminated—Hartwell due to geographical impossibility and Brightwater due to thematic inconsistency—leaving the logical conclusion that points to the remaining candidate.
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 professor has systematically eliminated two of the three candidates
- Hartwell couldn't have written about British events from the American colonies
- Brightwater was focused on religious themes while the poem dealt with secular politics
- This leaves Eleanor Vanderbilt as the only candidate who hasn't been ruled out by contradictory evidence
- The logical conclusion following this process of elimination would be that Vanderbilt is the most likely author
- The right answer should identify Eleanor Vanderbilt as the most probable author based on the elimination of the other two candidates
the poem represents a collaboration between multiple authors from different regions.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests collaboration between multiple authors from different regions
- Nothing in the passage supports or suggests collaborative authorship
- The professor is working to identify a single author using elimination logic
the poem was most likely written by Eleanor Vanderbilt.
✓ Correct
- States that Eleanor Vanderbilt most likely wrote the poem
- Perfectly matches our elimination logic—she's the only candidate not ruled out by evidence
- Follows naturally from the systematic elimination of Hartwell and Brightwater
the poem's dating or attribution records contain significant historical errors.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests the historical records contain errors
- The passage treats the historical evidence as reliable and uses it as the basis for elimination
- Students might think questioning the evidence is sophisticated reasoning, but the passage clearly treats the historical records as factual
the poem was probably composed by an entirely different, unknown poet.
✗ Incorrect
- Proposes an entirely unknown fourth poet
- Ignores the logical process that's been established—we have three candidates and two have been eliminated
- Doesn't follow from the evidence presented in the passage