Guilds in French Cities in the Late Eighteenth CenturyCityDateInhabitantsNumber of guildsInhabitants per guildParis1766600,0001334,511Bordeaux176280,0...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Guilds in French Cities in the Late Eighteenth Century
| City | Date | Inhabitants | Number of guilds | Inhabitants per guild |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 1766 | 600,000 | 133 | 4,511 |
| Bordeaux | 1762 | 80,000 | 49 | 1,633 |
| Rouen | 1775 | 74,000 | 112 | 661 |
| Lyon | 1789 | 143,000 | 72 | 1,986 |
Guilds—local associations of artisans and merchants in the same industry—were widespread in France from the medieval period until the late eighteenth century. But guilds were much more numerous relative to the population in some cities than in others: for example, ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
there were 49 guilds in Bordeaux but 72 guilds in Lyon despite the two cities having nearly equal numbers of inhabitants.
Lyon had far fewer inhabitants than Paris did but had many more guilds.
there was one guild for every 661 inhabitants in Rouen but one guild for every 4,511 inhabitants in Paris.
Paris had 133 guilds and 600,000 inhabitants, or one guild for every 4,511 inhabitants.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Guilds—local associations of artisans and merchants in the same industry—were widespread in France from the medieval period until the late eighteenth century." |
|
| "But guilds were much more numerous relative to the population in some cities than in others:" |
|
| "for example, ________" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Guild concentration relative to population differed dramatically across French cities.
Argument Flow: The passage defines guilds, then makes the central claim that their density varied by location, and needs a concrete example from the data to support this variation.
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 claims guild density varied significantly between cities
- To support this effectively, we need data showing the "inhabitants per guild" numbers for comparison
- Cities that demonstrate the extremes of this variation
- Clear contrast that makes the variation obvious to readers
- Looking at our table, Rouen has only 661 inhabitants per guild (very dense) while Paris has 4,511 inhabitants per guild (much less dense)
- This represents the most dramatic contrast available
there were 49 guilds in Bordeaux but 72 guilds in Lyon despite the two cities having nearly equal numbers of inhabitants.
- Compares total guild numbers (\(49 \text{ vs } 72\)) between cities with different populations
- Doesn't effectively show the "relative to population" concept since it ignores the population differences
Lyon had far fewer inhabitants than Paris did but had many more guilds.
- Shows Lyon had fewer people but more guilds than Paris
- While this suggests variation, it doesn't provide the specific density data that makes the comparison clear
there was one guild for every 661 inhabitants in Rouen but one guild for every 4,511 inhabitants in Paris.
- Uses the "inhabitants per guild" data directly from the table
- Compares the two extremes: Rouen (\(661:1\)) vs Paris (\(4{,}511:1\))
- Clearly demonstrates the "much more numerous relative to population" variation with specific numbers
Paris had 133 guilds and 600,000 inhabitants, or one guild for every 4,511 inhabitants.
- Only provides Paris data without any comparison
- Fails to show variation since it presents just one city's information