As a young historian in the 1950s, Alixa Naff began interviewing fellow Arab American immigrants about their experiences straddling two...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
As a young historian in the 1950s, Alixa Naff began interviewing fellow Arab American immigrants about their experiences straddling two cultures. Over the next few decades, Naff conducted more than 450 such interviews, also known as oral histories. ________ she collected photographs and other artifacts that represented her subjects' experiences.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
In other words,
On the contrary,
In addition,
Today,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'As a young historian in the 1950s, Alixa Naff began interviewing fellow Arab American immigrants about their experiences straddling two cultures.' |
|
| 'Over the next few decades, Naff conducted more than 450 such interviews, also known as oral histories.' |
|
| 'she collected photographs and other artifacts that represented her subjects' experiences.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Alixa Naff was a historian who extensively documented Arab American immigrant experiences through both interviews and artifact collection.
Argument Flow: The passage introduces Naff's work interviewing Arab Americans, then quantifies the scope of this work, and finally mentions an additional method she used to document these experiences. The missing transition needs to connect her interview work with her artifact collection work.
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
- Based on our passage analysis, the sentence before the blank discusses Naff's extensive interview work (450+ oral histories)
- The sentence after the blank introduces a different research activity - collecting photographs and artifacts
- These are two separate but related research methods used to document the same subject matter
- The logical relationship here is addition or continuation - she did interviews AND she also collected visual materials
- We need a transition that shows she expanded her research methods beyond just interviews
In other words,
'In other words,'
- This transition indicates clarification or restatement
- Would suggest collecting photos is the same thing as conducting interviews
- These are clearly different research methods, not equivalent activities
✗ Incorrect
On the contrary,
'On the contrary,'
- This transition indicates opposition or contrast
- Would suggest collecting artifacts contradicts her interview work
- Both activities support the same research goal
✗ Incorrect
In addition,
'In addition,'
- This transition indicates additional or supplementary information
- Perfectly shows that collecting photos was another research method beyond interviews
- Creates logical flow: she conducted interviews plus she also collected visual materials
✓ Correct
Today,
'Today,'
- This transition indicates a time shift to the present
- The entire passage discusses Naff's historical research from the 1950s onward
- No context suggests we're jumping to present day
✗ Incorrect