The following text is from a Civil War soldier's memoir published in 1898. Captain Morrison knew that his company had...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from a Civil War soldier's memoir published in 1898. Captain Morrison knew that his company had been surrounded during the night, but he maintained discipline among his men by calmly distributing ammunition and reassigning positions along their defensive line.
As used in the text, what does the word "company" most nearly mean?
Business
Guests
Unit
Companionship
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Captain Morrison knew that his company had been surrounded during the night," |
|
| "but he maintained discipline among his men by calmly distributing ammunition and reassigning positions along their defensive line." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Captain Morrison responded to his military unit being surrounded by calmly taking charge and organizing his men's defense.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a crisis situation (the company being surrounded) and then shows how Morrison handled it through calm, organized leadership actions with his soldiers.
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 context gives us strong clues about what "company" means here
- We have Captain Morrison (a military rank), men under his command, ammunition distribution, defensive positions, and this is from a Civil War soldier's memoir
- These are all military indicators
- The word "company" appears right after "Captain Morrison" and refers to what was surrounded - clearly a group of soldiers under his command
- So the right answer should be a military term for a group of soldiers that a captain would lead
Business
✗ Incorrect
- This refers to a commercial enterprise or corporation
- Nothing in the passage suggests any commercial activity or business context
- The military setting makes this meaning impossible
Guests
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean visitors or people being entertained
- Makes no sense in military context - guests wouldn't be surrounded by enemy forces or given ammunition
Unit
✓ Correct
- A military unit is exactly what a captain would command in the Civil War
- Fits perfectly with all context clues: military rank, men under command, defensive positions, ammunition
Companionship
✗ Incorrect
- This refers to friendship or social fellowship
- Doesn't fit the military action context of being surrounded and organizing defense