Georgia Douglas Johnson wrote many plays in the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, professional theater companies rarely put on...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Georgia Douglas Johnson wrote many plays in the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, professional theater companies rarely put on plays by Black women, so few of Johnson's plays made it to the stage. Only a small number of her plays were published in her lifetime. But that doesn't mean that Johnson never learned what other people thought of her plays. Johnson hosted weekly get-togethers for fellow Black writers and artists in her Washington, D.C., home. Attendees would read and discuss one another's work, including Johnson's own. These gatherings could therefore serve as ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
an occasion for professional theater companies to put on plays.
an opportunity for Johnson to get feedback on her plays.
a way for Johnson to learn about plays that were produced in other cities.
subject matter for future plays by Johnson.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Georgia Douglas Johnson wrote many plays in the 1920s and 1930s." |
|
| "At the time, professional theater companies rarely put on plays by Black women, so few of Johnson's plays made it to the stage." |
|
| "Only a small number of her plays were published in her lifetime." |
|
| "But that doesn't mean that Johnson never learned what other people thought of her plays." |
|
| "Johnson hosted weekly get-togethers for fellow Black writers and artists in her Washington, D.C., home." |
|
| "Attendees would read and discuss one another's work, including Johnson's own." |
|
| "These gatherings could therefore serve as ______" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Despite limited professional opportunities, Johnson found alternative ways to get feedback on her plays through her home gatherings.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Johnson's professional limitations (few plays staged or published), then contrasts this with evidence that she still received feedback through weekly gatherings where attendees discussed each other's work, leading to a logical conclusion about what these gatherings provided.
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
- The passage builds a clear logical progression: Johnson's plays weren't staged or published much, BUT she still got people's reactions through her weekly gatherings where attendees read and discussed each other's work, including hers
- The blank needs to complete this thought by identifying what function these gatherings served for Johnson
- Key elements the correct answer must have:
- Must relate to Johnson getting something from these gatherings
- Should connect to the contrast set up by "But that doesn't mean Johnson never learned what other people thought"
- Must logically flow from people reading and discussing her work
- So the right answer should explain how these gatherings gave Johnson access to others' opinions about her plays, despite the lack of professional staging or publishing
an occasion for professional theater companies to put on plays.
- Suggests these gatherings were occasions for professional theater companies to stage plays
- This contradicts the passage, which established that professional theater companies rarely put on plays by Black women
- The gatherings were in Johnson's home with writers and artists, not theater companies
an opportunity for Johnson to get feedback on her plays.
- States these gatherings provided Johnson with feedback opportunities
- Perfectly matches the logical flow: despite limited professional exposure, she got reactions through people reading and discussing her work
- Directly connects to "Johnson never learned what other people thought of her plays" - the gatherings solved this problem
a way for Johnson to learn about plays that were produced in other cities.
- Focuses on Johnson learning about plays from other cities
- The passage doesn't mention other cities or Johnson learning about other people's staged work
- Misses the main point about Johnson getting feedback on her own plays
subject matter for future plays by Johnson.
- Suggests the gatherings became subject matter for future plays
- The passage focuses on people discussing existing work, not generating new material