In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between President Abraham Lincoln and...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between President Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge. Historians were unable to _______ the authenticity of the letters, however, and quickly dismissed them as a hoax.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
validate
interpret
relate
accommodate
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between President Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge." |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "the authenticity of the letters, however, and quickly dismissed them as a hoax." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: [DISCOVERY CONTEXT] 1929: Atlantic Monthly publishes Lincoln-Rutledge letters → [HISTORIAN RESPONSE] Historians unable to [BLANK] authenticity → [CONCLUSION] Letters dismissed as hoax
Main Point: Historians rejected newly published Lincoln-Rutledge letters because they couldn't verify their authenticity.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a historical discovery (letters published in 1929), then shows how historians responded (they couldn't establish authenticity through some missing action), leading to the conclusion that the letters were fake.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we can see that historians had a specific task they couldn't complete regarding the letters' authenticity
- Since they "quickly dismissed them as a hoax," the missing word must describe an action that would normally prove whether something is genuine or not
- The logical flow is: historians tried to [BLANK] the authenticity → they couldn't do it → so they concluded the letters were fake
- The word we need should mean something like "confirm," "verify," or "establish as genuine"
- It's the kind of action historians would typically take when examining historical documents
- So the right answer should describe the process of confirming or establishing that something is authentic and genuine
validate
✓ Correct
- "Validate" means to confirm or verify that something is genuine or authentic
- This fits perfectly with historians trying to confirm the letters were real
- The logical flow works: historians couldn't validate authenticity → dismissed as hoax
- This is exactly what we expected from our prethinking
interpret
✗ Incorrect
- "Interpret" means to explain the meaning or significance of something
- Historians could have interpreted the letters even if they were fake
- This doesn't connect logically to dismissing them as a hoax
- What trap this represents: Students might choose this because historians do interpret documents, but interpretation doesn't determine authenticity
relate
✗ Incorrect
- "Relate" means to connect or associate one thing with another
- This doesn't make sense in context - you don't "relate" authenticity
- No logical connection to the conclusion that letters were fake
accommodate
✗ Incorrect
- "Accommodate" means to make room for or adapt to something
- This makes no logical sense in the context of examining document authenticity
- No connection to historians' conclusion about the hoax