The following text is from Jhumpa Lahiri's 2003 novel The Namesake. Gogol, a child, is at a beach in Massachusetts...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from Jhumpa Lahiri's 2003 novel The Namesake. Gogol, a child, is at a beach in Massachusetts with his father.
On the beach Gogol collects rocks, digs tunnels in the sand. He and his father wander barefoot, their pant legs rolled halfway up their calves.
©2003 by Jhumpa Lahiri
As used in the text, what does the word 'collects' most nearly mean?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | What it says | What it does | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Gogol, a child, is at a beach in Massachusetts with his father." | Kid + dad at beach in MA | Establishes the setting and characters | Context/Setting |
| "On the beach Gogol collects rocks, digs tunnels in the sand." | Gogol gathers rocks, makes holes in sand | Shows Gogol's beach activities | Action/Behavior description |
| "He and his father wander barefoot, their pant legs rolled halfway up their calves." | Both walk without shoes, pants rolled up | Adds detail about their casual beach behavior | Additional descriptive detail |
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The passage describes a peaceful beach scene where a child named Gogol enjoys typical beach activities with his father.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the beach setting, then shows us Gogol's playful activities (collecting rocks and digging), and finally gives us a broader picture of both father and son enjoying a relaxed beach walk together.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to determine what "collects" means in the specific context of this passage.
What type of answer do we need? A synonym or near-synonym that captures how "collects" is being used when describing Gogol's beach activity.
Any limiting keywords? The phrase "As used in the text" tells us we need to focus on the contextual meaning, not just any dictionary definition of "collects."
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- From our analysis, we see Gogol is on a beach engaging in typical child beach activities
- When we say he "collects rocks," we're describing him picking up rocks from the beach and gathering them together - this is a common beach activity for children
- The word needs to capture this action of picking up and bringing together scattered objects from the beach environment
- So the right answer should mean something like "gathers up" or "brings together" in the context of a child's beach play
- This would suggest Gogol is somehow making the number of rocks larger or multiplying them
- The passage shows him interacting with existing rocks on the beach, not creating more rocks
- This would mean Gogol is creating or manufacturing rocks
- A child can't make rocks on a beach - he's working with rocks that are already there
- This is the opposite of what's happening - Gogol is actively engaging with the rocks
- The passage clearly shows him paying attention to and interacting with the rocks
- This perfectly captures the action of picking up scattered rocks from the beach and bringing them together
- Matches our understanding of typical beach behavior where children gather shells, rocks, or other objects they find interesting