The following text is adapted from John Matheus's 1925 short story 'Fog.' The fog extended its tentacles over city and...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from John Matheus's 1925 short story 'Fog.' The fog extended its tentacles over city and river, gradually obliterating traces of familiar landscapes. At five-thirty the old Panhandle bridge, supported by massive sandstone pillars, stalwart, as when erected fifty years before to serve a generation now passed behind the portals of life, had become a spectral outline against the sky.
As used in the text, what does the word 'supported' most nearly mean?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The fog extended its tentacles over city and river, gradually obliterating traces of familiar landscapes." |
|
| "At five-thirty the old Panhandle bridge, supported by massive sandstone pillars, stalwart, as when erected fifty years before to serve a generation now passed behind the portals of life," |
|
| "had become a spectral outline against the sky." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The fog transforms a solid, historically significant bridge into a barely visible spectral outline.
Argument Flow: The author first establishes the fog's power to obscure familiar sights, then focuses on a specific example—the Panhandle bridge—showing how even this substantial, historically significant structure becomes ghostly and insubstantial in the fog.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The meaning of the word "supported" as it appears in this specific context.
What type of answer do we need? A synonym that fits the way "supported" is used when describing the bridge and pillars.
Any limiting keywords? None specified.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our passage analysis, we see "supported by massive sandstone pillars" describes the physical relationship between the bridge and its pillars
- The pillars are doing something to the bridge—they're providing the physical foundation that keeps it up and stable
- This is describing structural, physical support, not emotional encouragement or defense
- The context makes this clear: we're talking about a bridge's construction, where pillars have a specific architectural function
- The word "massive" and "sandstone" emphasize the physical, structural nature of this relationship
- So the right answer should indicate physical, structural support—something about the pillars physically holding up or bearing the weight of the bridge
- This captures exactly what pillars do for a bridge—they physically hold it up and bear its weight
- Perfect match for the structural, architectural context we identified
- "Held up" directly describes the physical support relationship between pillars and bridge
- This refers to emotional or motivational support
- Doesn't make sense in the context of pillars and a bridge—pillars can't "encourage" a bridge
- This means to make something better or enhance it
- Pillars don't improve the bridge—they're essential to its basic structure
- Doesn't fit the construction context where pillars are foundational, not improvements
- This means to protect against attack or criticism
- While pillars do protect the bridge from falling, "defended" suggests protection from external threats, not structural support