At over a thousand pages across two volumes, The Fifty-Year Mission, compiled by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, is...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
At over a thousand pages across two volumes, The Fifty-Year Mission, compiled by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, is presented as the 'complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history' as told by the people behind the media franchise Star Trek. The work aspires to be comprehensive by, for example, including accounts from cast and crew members of every Star Trek television series and film to date. But while The Fifty-Year Mission is clearly a unique and valuable resource, it has a shortcoming common among oral histories: it lacks a clear authorial point of view that could otherwise unite the various accounts into a cohesive whole.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
The compilers of The Fifty-Year Mission had lofty goals for their oral history of the Star Trek franchise, but the published work lacks information about many key events in the franchise's history.
The Fifty-Year Mission includes more accounts from people involved with Star Trek television shows than it does from people involved with Star Trek films.
The large amount of material compiled into The Fifty-Year Mission is surprising given that many of the people involved in the Star Trek franchise did not participate in the oral history project.
The Fifty-Year Mission represents a worthwhile attempt to thoroughly recount the history of the Star Trek franchise, but its approach has an important limitation.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "At over a thousand pages across two volumes, The Fifty-Year Mission, compiled by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, is presented as the 'complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history' as told by the people behind the media franchise Star Trek." |
|
| "The work aspires to be comprehensive by, for example, including accounts from cast and crew members of every Star Trek television series and film to date." |
|
| "But while The Fifty-Year Mission is clearly a unique and valuable resource, it has a shortcoming common among oral histories: it lacks a clear authorial point of view that could otherwise unite the various accounts into a cohesive whole." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The Fifty-Year Mission is a valuable and comprehensive Star Trek oral history, but it suffers from a key limitation common to oral histories—the lack of a unifying authorial perspective.
Argument Flow: The passage first establishes the book's impressive scope and comprehensive aspirations. It then acknowledges the book's clear value while introducing a significant "but"—revealing that despite its worth, the book has an important structural limitation that prevents it from being a truly cohesive work.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The main idea of the entire text
What type of answer do we need? A statement that captures the central message about The Fifty-Year Mission
Any limiting keywords? "main idea" means we need the overarching point, not just one aspect
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should acknowledge that The Fifty-Year Mission is a worthwhile or valuable project
- The right answer should recognize that the book attempts to be thorough/comprehensive in covering Star Trek history
- The right answer should include the key limitation—that it lacks the unifying perspective needed to make it truly cohesive
- The structure should mirror the passage: positive assessment + significant limitation
The compilers of The Fifty-Year Mission had lofty goals for their oral history of the Star Trek franchise, but the published work lacks information about many key events in the franchise's history.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the book "lacks information about many key events"
- This misrepresents the passage's criticism—the issue isn't missing information, but lack of unified perspective
The Fifty-Year Mission includes more accounts from people involved with Star Trek television shows than it does from people involved with Star Trek films.
✗ Incorrect
- Makes a comparison between TV and film coverage that the passage never mentions
- The passage says it includes accounts from "every" series and film without comparing quantities
The large amount of material compiled into The Fifty-Year Mission is surprising given that many of the people involved in the Star Trek franchise did not participate in the oral history project.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests the large amount of material is "surprising" due to non-participation
- The passage never mentions that people didn't participate—it actually suggests the opposite
The Fifty-Year Mission represents a worthwhile attempt to thoroughly recount the history of the Star Trek franchise, but its approach has an important limitation.
✓ Correct
- Captures both key elements: "worthwhile attempt to thoroughly recount" (matches "unique and valuable resource" + comprehensive aspiration)
- Acknowledges the limitation: "its approach has an important limitation" (matches the lack of authorial point of view)
- Mirrors the passage structure of positive assessment followed by significant critique