While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Cultural transmission refers to the process by which traditional knowledge...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Cultural transmission refers to the process by which traditional knowledge and practices pass from one generation to the next.
- Anthropologist James Mitchell studies how indigenous communities maintain their cultural heritage.
- Traditional teaching methods relied primarily on informal family and community interactions.
- In the 1970s, many communities began developing formal documentation and education programs.
- Mitchell argues that "the shift toward systematic preservation arose from growing awareness that traditional knowledge was disappearing faster than it could be naturally transmitted."
The student wants to place the development of formal preservation programs within their cultural context. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Indigenous communities maintain their cultural heritage through both traditional teaching methods and formal documentation programs.
Emerging from growing awareness that informal transmission methods were insufficient to prevent cultural loss, formal preservation programs represented a systematic shift in how communities approached traditional knowledge in the 1970s.
According to Mitchell, formal preservation programs developed in the 1970s when communities recognized that traditional knowledge was disappearing rapidly.
Cultural transmission involves passing traditional knowledge from one generation to the next through various educational approaches.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Cultural transmission refers to the process by which traditional knowledge and practices pass from one generation to the next." |
|
| "Anthropologist James Mitchell studies how indigenous communities maintain their cultural heritage." |
|
| "Traditional teaching methods relied primarily on informal family and community interactions." |
|
| "In the 1970s, many communities began developing formal documentation and education programs." |
|
| "Mitchell argues that 'the shift toward systematic preservation arose from growing awareness that traditional knowledge was disappearing faster than it could be naturally transmitted.'" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Indigenous communities shifted from informal to formal preservation methods in the 1970s because traditional transmission was not keeping pace with cultural knowledge loss.
Argument Flow: The notes establish what cultural transmission is, introduce Mitchell's research focus, describe traditional informal methods, note the 1970s shift to formal programs, and conclude with Mitchell's explanation that this shift was motivated by awareness that traditional knowledge was disappearing too quickly for informal transmission alone.
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
- To place formal preservation programs in their cultural context, the right answer should explain why these programs developed when they did
- From our analysis, we know that traditional informal methods were no longer adequate - knowledge was disappearing faster than it could be naturally transmitted
- The cultural context is this crisis of knowledge loss that prompted communities to shift to more systematic approaches in the 1970s
- The right answer should connect the emergence of formal programs to the cultural problem they were designed to solve, showing not just when they developed but why they became necessary
Indigenous communities maintain their cultural heritage through both traditional teaching methods and formal documentation programs.
✗ Incorrect
- Simply states that communities use both traditional and formal methods
- Does not explain why formal programs developed or provide cultural context
- Misses the key point about the shift being motivated by awareness of cultural loss
Emerging from growing awareness that informal transmission methods were insufficient to prevent cultural loss, formal preservation programs represented a systematic shift in how communities approached traditional knowledge in the 1970s.
✓ Correct
- Explains that formal programs emerged from growing awareness that informal transmission methods were insufficient to prevent cultural loss
- Places the development within cultural context by showing the problem (cultural loss) that motivated the solution
- Captures the systematic shift language from Mitchell's explanation
- Includes the timing (1970s) while connecting it to the underlying cultural motivation
According to Mitchell, formal preservation programs developed in the 1970s when communities recognized that traditional knowledge was disappearing rapidly.
✗ Incorrect
- States when programs developed and mentions knowledge disappearing rapidly
- Does not clearly connect these facts to explain why the programs emerged
- Lacks the contextual explanation of how formal programs responded to the inadequacy of traditional methods
Cultural transmission involves passing traditional knowledge from one generation to the next through various educational approaches.
✗ Incorrect
- Provides only a general definition of cultural transmission
- Does not address formal preservation programs specifically
- Completely fails to place anything within cultural context