Text 1Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman's 1962 analysis of the start of World War I,...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 1
Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman's 1962 analysis of the start of World War I, has certain weaknesses as a work of history. It fails to address events in Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of hostilities, thereby giving the impression that Germany was the war's principal instigator. Had Tuchman consulted secondary works available to her by scholars such as Luigi Albertini, she would not have neglected the influence of events in Eastern Europe on Germany's actions.
Text 2
Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is an engrossing if dated introduction to World War I. Tuchman's analysis of primary documents is laudable, but her main thesis that European powers committed themselves to a catastrophic outcome by refusing to deviate from military plans developed prior to the conflict is implausibly reductive.
Which choice best describes a difference in how the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 view Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August?
The author of Text 1 argues that Tuchman should have relied more on the work of other historians, while the author of Text 2 implies that Tuchman's most interesting claims result from her original research.
The author of Text 1 believes that the scope of Tuchman's research led her to an incorrect interpretation, while the author of Text 2 believes that Tuchman's central argument is overly simplistic.
The author of Text 1 asserts that the writing style of The Guns of August makes it worthwhile to read despite any perceived deficiency in Tuchman's research, while the author of Text 2 focuses exclusively on the weakness of Tuchman's interpretation of events.
The author of Text 1 claims that Tuchman would agree that World War I was largely due to events in Eastern Europe, while the author of Text 2 maintains that Tuchman would say that Eastern European leaders were not committed to military plans in the same way that other leaders were.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: 'Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman's 1962 analysis of the start of World War I, has certain weaknesses as a work of history.' |
|
| 'It fails to address events in Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of hostilities, thereby giving the impression that Germany was the war's principal instigator.' |
|
| 'Had Tuchman consulted secondary works available to her by scholars such as Luigi Albertini, she would not have neglected the influence of events in Eastern Europe on Germany's actions.' |
|
| Text 2: 'Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is an engrossing if dated introduction to World War I.' |
|
| 'Tuchman's analysis of primary documents is laudable, but her main thesis that European powers committed themselves to a catastrophic outcome by refusing to deviate from military plans developed prior to the conflict is implausibly reductive.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Both authors critique Tuchman's book but focus on different flaws - Text 1 on incomplete research scope, Text 2 on oversimplified central argument.
Argument Flow: Text 1 argues failure to consult secondary sources led to missing Eastern European context. Text 2 acknowledges research strengths but argues main thesis oversimplifies WWI causes.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The key difference in how the two authors view Tuchman's book
What type of answer do we need? A comparison capturing distinct nature of each critique
Any limiting keywords? N/A
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Text 1's criticism centers on research methodology - not consulting enough secondary sources, missing Eastern European context, leading to misinterpretation of Germany's role
- Text 2's criticism focuses on argument complexity - acknowledges research skills but argues central thesis is overly simplified
- Right answer should show Text 1 focuses on research scope problems while Text 2 focuses on argument being too simplistic
The author of Text 1 argues that Tuchman should have relied more on the work of other historians, while the author of Text 2 implies that Tuchman's most interesting claims result from her original research.
✗ Incorrect
- mischaracterizes Text 2's position about original research
The author of Text 1 believes that the scope of Tuchman's research led her to an incorrect interpretation, while the author of Text 2 believes that Tuchman's central argument is overly simplistic.
✓ Correct
- captures Text 1's research scope criticism and Text 2's argument complexity criticism perfectly
The author of Text 1 asserts that the writing style of The Guns of August makes it worthwhile to read despite any perceived deficiency in Tuchman's research, while the author of Text 2 focuses exclusively on the weakness of Tuchman's interpretation of events.
✗ Incorrect
- misrepresents both authors' balanced approaches
The author of Text 1 claims that Tuchman would agree that World War I was largely due to events in Eastern Europe, while the author of Text 2 maintains that Tuchman would say that Eastern European leaders were not committed to military plans in the same way that other leaders were.
✗ Incorrect
- makes claims about Tuchman's positions not discussed in either text