While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:A sestina is a thirty-nine-line poetic form.Each line of the...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- A sestina is a thirty-nine-line poetic form.
- Each line of the poem ends with one of six end words, which alternate according to a set pattern.
- 'Forage Sestina' is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker.
- Its end words are words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.
- 'Towards Autumn' is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker.
- Its end words are daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself.
The student wants to use one of the poems to illustrate the sestina form. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Hacker employs the sestina, a poetic form with thirty-nine lines and six end words, in both 'Forage Sestina' and 'Towards Autumn.'
As a sestina, 'Towards Autumn' contains thirty-nine lines and six end words—in this case, daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself—that alternate in a set pattern.
The thirty-nine-line sestina form uses the words daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself, which are found in the poem 'Forage Sestina.'
Hacker has used the sestina form multiple times, as in 'Towards Autumn,' which contains these six words: words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A sestina is a thirty-nine-line poetic form.' |
|
| 'Each line of the poem ends with one of six end words, which alternate according to a set pattern.' |
|
| 'Forage Sestina is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker.' |
|
| 'Its end words are words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.' |
|
| 'Towards Autumn is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker.' |
|
| 'Its end words are daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The notes define what a sestina is and provide two specific examples by Marilyn Hacker with their respective end words.
Argument Flow: The notes first establish the technical definition of a sestina (39 lines with six alternating end words), then provide two concrete examples from the same poet, listing the specific end words for each to show how the form works in practice.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish the goal of using one of the poems to illustrate the sestina form.
What type of answer do we need? A statement that takes information from the notes and uses one specific poem as an example to show what a sestina is.
Any limiting keywords? 'one of the poems' - so it should focus on a single poem, not both. 'illustrate the sestina form' - so it should show the key features of what makes a sestina a sestina.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should pick one specific poem (either Forage Sestina or Towards Autumn) rather than mentioning both
- It should connect that poem to the key features of a sestina from the definition (39 lines, six end words that alternate in a set pattern)
- It should include the specific end words from whichever poem it chooses to use as the example
Hacker employs the sestina, a poetic form with thirty-nine lines and six end words, in both 'Forage Sestina' and 'Towards Autumn.'
- Mentions both poems instead of using one to illustrate the form
- Doesn't provide the specific end words that would actually illustrate how the form works
- Fails to meet the goal of using 'one of the poems' as an illustration
As a sestina, 'Towards Autumn' contains thirty-nine lines and six end words—in this case, daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself—that alternate in a set pattern.
- Uses Towards Autumn as the single illustrative example
- Includes all the key elements from the definition (39 lines, six end words, alternating pattern)
- Lists the specific end words from that poem (daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, myself)
- Perfectly accomplishes the goal of using one poem to illustrate what a sestina is
The thirty-nine-line sestina form uses the words daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself, which are found in the poem 'Forage Sestina.'
- Creates factual confusion by saying the sestina form uses specific words from Forage Sestina but then lists the end words from Towards Autumn
- Misrepresents how poetic forms work - the form doesn't dictate specific words
Hacker has used the sestina form multiple times, as in 'Towards Autumn,' which contains these six words: words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.
- Says Towards Autumn contains the end words from Forage Sestina when the notes clearly show these are different sets of words
- Creates factual errors that contradict the source material