Genre200620112016science fiction and fantasy0.627.736.7cookbooks02.910.5travel guides05.524.6romance0.340.656.2E-books became an increasingly popular ...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
| Genre | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| science fiction and fantasy | 0.6 | 27.7 | 36.7 |
| cookbooks | 0 | 2.9 | 10.5 |
| travel guides | 0 | 5.5 | 24.6 |
| romance | 0.3 | 40.6 | 56.2 |
E-books became an increasingly popular means of reading in the United States in the 2000s and 2010s, though that popularity was concentrated in titles that, like those in most fiction genres, are meant to be read straight through from beginning to end. For books in nonfiction genres that do not tell stories and require the reader to flip back and forth through a volume, e-books were significantly less commercially successful. This can be seen by comparing ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to illustrate the claim?
the percentage of 2016 cookbook sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 science fiction and fantasy sales that were e-books.
the percentage of 2006 romance sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 romance sales that were e-books.
the percentage of 2006 romance sales that were e-books with the 2006 science fiction and fantasy sales that were e-books.
the percentage of 2011 travel guide sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 travel guide sales that were e-books.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "E-books became an increasingly popular means of reading in the United States in the 2000s and 2010s" |
|
| "though that popularity was concentrated in titles that, like those in most fiction genres, are meant to be read straight through from beginning to end." |
|
| "For books in nonfiction genres that do not tell stories and require the reader to flip back and forth through a volume, e-books were significantly less commercially successful." |
|
| "This can be seen by comparing _______" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: E-books were more successful for fiction genres (read straight through) than for nonfiction genres (require flipping back and forth).
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that e-books grew popular, then specifies this growth was mainly in fiction that's read linearly. It contrasts this with nonfiction requiring page-flipping, which saw much less e-book success, then asks for data to support this claim.
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 illustrate this claim effectively, we need:
- A comparison between a fiction genre and a nonfiction genre
- Data showing the fiction genre has a higher e-book percentage
- Both genres from the same time period for fair comparison
- From the table, fiction genres are romance and science fiction/fantasy (read straight through). Nonfiction genres are cookbooks and travel guides (require flipping back and forth).
the percentage of 2016 cookbook sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 science fiction and fantasy sales that were e-books.
- Compares 2016 cookbooks (10.5%) with 2016 science fiction and fantasy (36.7%)
- Shows fiction genre much higher than nonfiction genre
- Perfect illustration of the claim
the percentage of 2006 romance sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 romance sales that were e-books.
- Compares 2006 romance (0.3%) with 2016 romance (56.2%)
- Both are the same fiction genre, so doesn't show fiction vs. nonfiction difference
- Shows growth over time but not the genre comparison we need
the percentage of 2006 romance sales that were e-books with the 2006 science fiction and fantasy sales that were e-books.
- Compares 2006 romance (0.3%) with 2006 science fiction and fantasy (0.6%)
- Both are fiction genres read straight through
- Doesn't illustrate the fiction vs. nonfiction claim at all
the percentage of 2011 travel guide sales that were e-books with the percentage of 2016 travel guide sales that were e-books.
- Compares 2011 travel guides (5.5%) with 2016 travel guides (24.6%)
- Both are the same nonfiction genre
- Shows growth over time but not the fiction vs. nonfiction difference we need