During the early 20th century, labor unions grew rapidly across American industries. Workers in steel mills, textile factories, and railroads...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
During the early 20th century, labor unions grew rapidly across American industries. Workers in steel mills, textile factories, and railroads formed organizations to demand better wages and working conditions. These unions used various strategies to achieve their goals. Some groups organized peaceful strikes and boycotts to pressure employers. Others pursued legal challenges through the court system. Still others focused on political lobbying to change labor laws.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To criticize early labor union tactics as ineffective
To describe the variety of strategies used by labor unions
To compare the success rates of different union approaches
To argue that legal challenges were the most effective strategy
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'During the early 20th century, labor unions grew rapidly across American industries.' |
|
| 'Workers in steel mills, textile factories, and railroads formed organizations to demand better wages and working conditions.' |
|
| 'These unions used various strategies to achieve their goals.' |
|
| 'Some groups organized peaceful strikes and boycotts to pressure employers.' |
|
| 'Others pursued legal challenges through the court system.' |
|
| 'Still others focused on political lobbying to change labor laws.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Early 20th century labor unions employed a variety of different strategies to achieve their goals of better wages and working conditions.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the historical context of rapid union growth, then introduces the concept that these unions used various approaches. It then systematically presents three distinct strategies: direct action through strikes and boycotts, legal challenges through courts, and political influence through lobbying.
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
- Based on our analysis, the passage has a clear structure: it introduces labor unions in a historical context, then systematically presents three different strategies they used
- The author doesn't judge these strategies or compare their effectiveness - they simply present them as examples of the variety of approaches unions took
- The right answer should reflect that the main purpose is to show the range or variety of different strategies that labor unions employed
To criticize early labor union tactics as ineffective
- Claims the passage criticizes union tactics as ineffective
- The passage never makes any negative judgments about the strategies
- It presents the strategies neutrally without evaluating their success or failure
To describe the variety of strategies used by labor unions
- Matches exactly what the passage does - describes different strategies unions used
- Aligns with our structure showing three distinct approaches
- Captures the neutral, descriptive tone without judgment about effectiveness
To compare the success rates of different union approaches
- Suggests the passage compares success rates of different approaches
- The passage never mentions which strategies worked better than others
- This is a trap for students who might assume that listing multiple strategies implies comparison
To argue that legal challenges were the most effective strategy
- Claims the passage argues legal challenges were most effective
- The passage presents legal challenges as just one of three strategies with no special emphasis
- No argument is made about any strategy being superior