The following text is from Walt Whitman's 1860 poem Calamus 24. I HEAR it is charged against me that I...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from Walt Whitman's 1860 poem Calamus 24.
I HEAR it is charged against me that I seek to destroy institutions;
But really I am neither for nor against institutions
(What indeed have I in common with them?-Or what with the destruction of them?),
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta [Manhattan] and in every city of These States, inland and seaboard,
And in the fields and woods, and above every keel [ship] little or large, that dents the water,
Without edifices, or rules, or trustees, or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
The speaker questions an increasingly prevalent attitude, then summarizes his worldview.
The speaker regrets his isolation from others, then predicts a profound change in society.
The speaker concedes his personal shortcomings, then boasts of his many achievements.
The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'I HEAR it is charged against me that I seek to destroy institutions;' |
|
| 'But really I am neither for nor against institutions / (What indeed have I in common with them?—Or what with the destruction of them?),' |
|
| 'Only I will establish in the Mannahatta [Manhattan] and in every city of These States, inland and seaboard,' |
|
| 'And in the fields and woods, and above every keel [ship] little or large, that dents the water,' |
|
| 'Without edifices, or rules, or trustees, or any argument,' |
|
| 'The institution of the dear love of comrades.' |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The speaker responds to criticism about destroying institutions by announcing his plan to establish a new kind of institution based on friendship and love everywhere.
Argument Flow: The speaker first acknowledges a criticism against him, then clarifies that he's actually neutral toward existing institutions. He then shifts to announce his own ambitious plan to create something entirely different - an institution of human connection that will exist everywhere without traditional organizational structures.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The overall structure of the text - how the ideas are organized and flow together.
What type of answer do we need? A description of the text's organizational pattern, likely showing the relationship between different parts.
Any limiting keywords? 'Overall structure' tells us we need to look at the big picture organization, not specific details.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our analysis, we can see a clear two-part pattern
- The speaker starts by addressing something directed at him from the outside - a criticism or charge
- Then he pivots to announce what he plans to do instead
- The right answer should capture this movement from responding to external criticism to declaring his own positive agenda
The speaker questions an increasingly prevalent attitude, then summarizes his worldview.
- This suggests the speaker questions an attitude and summarizes his worldview
- The speaker doesn't question any attitude - he responds to a criticism about himself
- He doesn't summarize a worldview - he announces a specific plan of action
The speaker regrets his isolation from others, then predicts a profound change in society.
- This suggests regret about isolation and predicting societal change
- The speaker shows no regret or sense of isolation
- He's not predicting change - he's announcing what he will personally do
The speaker concedes his personal shortcomings, then boasts of his many achievements.
- This suggests conceding shortcomings then boasting of achievements
- The speaker doesn't concede any personal shortcomings
- He's not boasting about past achievements - he's announcing future plans
The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.
- Perfectly captures the two-part structure we identified
- 'Addresses a criticism leveled against him' = the opening charge about destroying institutions
- 'Then announces a grand ambition' = his plan to establish the institution of comradeship everywhere