Critics noted the ______ decline in jazz's mainstream popularity during the 1970s, as rock and disco rapidly displaced it from...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Critics noted the ______ decline in jazz's mainstream popularity during the 1970s, as rock and disco rapidly displaced it from radio playlists and concert venues across the country.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
gradual
sharp
unfortunate
temporary
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Critics noted the _____ decline in jazz's mainstream popularity during the 1970s," |
|
| [MISSING DESCRIPTOR] |
|
| "as rock and disco rapidly displaced it from radio playlists and concert venues across the country." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Critics observed a significant decline in jazz's mainstream popularity during the 1970s, which was caused by rock and disco rapidly taking over radio and concert venues.
Argument Flow: The sentence presents critics' observation of jazz's declining popularity in the 1970s, then immediately explains this decline by noting how rock and disco quickly displaced jazz from mainstream venues and radio.
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 key clue is the word "rapidly" in the explanation part—rock and disco "rapidly displaced" jazz from radio and venues
- If the displacement happened rapidly, then the decline would likely be quick and sudden rather than slow and gradual
- The word needs to capture the speed and intensity of this change
- Since the displacement was rapid, the decline should be characterized as sharp, sudden, or dramatic rather than gradual or slow
gradual
- Suggests the decline happened slowly over time, contradicts the "rapidly" displaced evidence in the same sentence
sharp
- Describes a sudden, steep decline that matches perfectly with "rapidly displaced"—both suggest quick, dramatic change
unfortunate
- This is a value judgment about whether the decline was bad, doesn't describe the nature or speed of the decline itself
temporary
- Describes duration (whether it lasted), not the nature of how it happened, doesn't relate to the "rapidly" clue about speed