Happy House is a 1920 novel by Jane Abbott. The narrator presents a young woman as being unimpressed with the...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Happy House is a 1920 novel by Jane Abbott. The narrator presents a young woman as being unimpressed with the house she is visiting: ______
Which quotation from Happy House most effectively illustrates the claim?
'Her first feeling was of disappointment; in the square lines of the house there was little claim to beauty.'
'Someone had opened one of the blinds so here there was more light.'
'The door, built squarely in the middle of the house, opened almost directly upon a stone-flagged path that led in a straight line to the road.'
'She tip-toed through the hall and opened the door on the right.'
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Happy House is a 1920 novel by Jane Abbott.' |
|
| 'The narrator presents a young woman as being unimpressed with the house she is visiting:' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The passage establishes that a young woman visiting a house has a negative or underwhelmed reaction to it.
Argument Flow: We get brief context about the novel's publication details, then the core assertion that the female character lacks enthusiasm about the house she's visiting.
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 correct quotation must directly show the woman's negative or underwhelmed emotional response to the house
- We need evidence of her feelings, not just neutral descriptions of the house's features or her actions
- The right answer should include words that convey disappointment, lack of beauty, or some other indicator that she finds the house unimpressive
'Her first feeling was of disappointment; in the square lines of the house there was little claim to beauty.'
✓ Correct
- States 'Her first feeling was of disappointment' - directly shows her negative emotional response
- Mentions 'little claim to beauty' - explicitly indicates she finds the house unattractive
- Perfectly matches our prethinking by providing clear evidence of her unimpressed reaction
'Someone had opened one of the blinds so here there was more light.'
✗ Incorrect
- Simply describes someone opening blinds for more light
- Contains no emotional reaction or evaluation from the woman
- Provides neutral information about the house's lighting, not her feelings about it
'The door, built squarely in the middle of the house, opened almost directly upon a stone-flagged path that led in a straight line to the road.'
✗ Incorrect
- Gives architectural details about the door and path
- Offers objective description without any emotional response
- Could describe any house - doesn't show whether she likes or dislikes what she sees
'She tip-toed through the hall and opened the door on the right.'
✗ Incorrect
- Describes her physical movement through the house
- Shows her actions but reveals nothing about her feelings toward the house