During the beginning of the nineteenth century, written works served as costly indulgences primarily within reach of affluent households, yet...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
During the beginning of the nineteenth century, written works served as costly indulgences primarily within reach of affluent households, yet the advent of economical paperbound literature in the 1840s made reading attainable for laboring-class families. These budget-friendly publications served to _______ literacy: they enabled common citizens to possess individual book collections, and households started assembling during evening hours to share narratives through oral reading.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
democratize
complicate
restrict
critique
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'During the beginning of the nineteenth century, written works served as costly indulgences primarily within reach of affluent households' |
|
| 'yet the advent of economical paperbound literature in the 1840s made reading attainable for laboring-class families' |
|
| 'These budget-friendly publications served to ________ literacy:' |
|
| 'they enabled common citizens to possess individual book collections, and households started assembling during evening hours to share narratives through oral reading' |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The introduction of affordable paperback books in the 1840s transformed literacy from an elite privilege to something accessible to working-class families.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a contrast between the early 1800s when books were luxury items only the wealthy could afford, and the 1840s when cheap paperbacks changed everything. The missing word describes how these affordable books affected literacy, and the final sentence provides concrete evidence of this transformation.
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
- Looking at our passage analysis, we see that cheap paperbacks moved literacy from something only the wealthy could access to something working-class families could participate in
- The word we need should capture this idea of making literacy more widely available and accessible to everyone, not just elites
- The evidence after the blank supports this: common citizens could now own books and families gathered for reading
- These are signs of literacy spreading throughout society
democratize
✓ Correct
- 'Democratize' means to make something available to everyone, not just elites
- Perfectly captures how cheap books spread literacy from wealthy households to working-class families
- Matches our evidence: individual ownership and family reading practices show literacy becoming a common, shared experience
complicate
✗ Incorrect
- 'Complicate' means to make more difficult or complex
- The passage shows the opposite - cheap books made literacy simpler and more attainable for working families
restrict
✗ Incorrect
- 'Restrict' means to limit or reduce access
- Completely contradicts the passage's message that cheap books expanded access to literacy
critique
✗ Incorrect
- 'Critique' means to analyze or evaluate critically
- Doesn't fit the context - the passage isn't about analyzing literacy but about changing access to it