Hiroshi Senju is known worldwide for his paintings of waterfalls. These paintings are large and tend not to show the...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Hiroshi Senju is known worldwide for his paintings of waterfalls. These paintings are large and tend not to show the entire waterfall. Instead, Senju focuses on just the point where the falling water reaches the pool below, keeping the top of the waterfall out of view. While Senju's paintings are rooted in art movements originating in the United States, the artist uses traditional Japanese techniques and materials that make his work instantly recognizable.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It introduces an artist and then explains some common characteristics of well-known paintings by that artist.
It explains a specific painting technique and then provides examples of artists who use the technique.
It describes a famous painting and then compares it to a lesser-known painting from the same time period.
It gives an opinion on an artist and then suggests multiple reasons why the artist's work has been largely overlooked.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Hiroshi Senju is known worldwide for his paintings of waterfalls.' |
|
| 'These paintings are large and tend not to show the entire waterfall.' |
|
| 'Instead, Senju focuses on just the point where the falling water reaches the pool below, keeping the top of the waterfall out of view.' |
|
| 'While Senju's paintings are rooted in art movements originating in the United States, the artist uses traditional Japanese techniques and materials that make his work instantly recognizable.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Hiroshi Senju is a world-renowned artist whose waterfall paintings combine American artistic influences with traditional Japanese methods to create a distinctive, recognizable style.
Argument Flow: The passage opens by identifying Senju and his specialty, then systematically describes the key characteristics of his paintings (size, scope, focus), and concludes by explaining what makes his artistic approach unique (the blend of American and Japanese influences).
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The overall structure of the text - how the passage is organized and what each part does.
What type of answer do we need? A description that captures the passage's organizational pattern from beginning to end.
Any limiting keywords? 'Overall structure' tells us we need to think about the big picture flow, not specific details.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our analysis, we can see the passage follows a clear pattern
- It starts by introducing Senju as a waterfall painter, then spends most of the text explaining what his paintings are like - their size, what they show and don't show, and where he focuses
- Finally, it describes his unique artistic style that combines different influences
- So the right answer should describe a structure where we meet an artist first, then learn about the characteristics or features of that artist's work
It introduces an artist and then explains some common characteristics of well-known paintings by that artist.
- This perfectly matches our passage structure - we meet Senju first, then learn about his painting characteristics
- Captures both the introduction phase and the descriptive phase we identified in our analysis
- The 'common characteristics' fits with how we learn about size, focus, and style elements
It explains a specific painting technique and then provides examples of artists who use the technique.
- Says the passage explains a technique first, but we actually start with the artist
- Claims to provide 'examples of artists' (plural), but we only discuss Senju
- Backwards from what actually happens in the text
It describes a famous painting and then compares it to a lesser-known painting from the same time period.
- No comparison between two different paintings occurs in this passage
- We don't get descriptions of specific individual paintings, just general characteristics
- No time period comparison is made
It gives an opinion on an artist and then suggests multiple reasons why the artist's work has been largely overlooked.
- The passage presents Senju positively (he's 'known worldwide'), not as overlooked
- No suggestion that his work has been ignored - quite the opposite
- Students might misread the complexity of his style as suggesting his work is misunderstood, but the passage actually emphasizes his recognition and distinctiveness