In addition to her technical skill and daring feats, American stunt pilot Bessie Coleman was also known for dazzling the...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In addition to her technical skill and daring feats, American stunt pilot Bessie Coleman was also known for dazzling the crowds that came to watch her air shows in the 1920s with her exuberant personality. During her career, she was careful and purposeful about how she crafted her public persona. An aviation researcher has claimed that Coleman intentionally defied social norms of the time by how she chose to present herself to the public.
Which quotation from an article about Coleman would most directly support the aviation researcher's claim?
For her air shows, Coleman frequently used the Curtiss JN-4, or 'Jenny,' which at that time was one of the most well-known types of planes.
While Coleman was beloved by spectators for her charisma, she had a more complicated relationship with her managers and staff, who at times found her behavior too impulsive and demanding.
Coleman once considered leaving her career as a stunt pilot to focus her efforts on giving speeches, which she felt would better support her public image.
Although female pilots were typically expected to wear traditional but impractical attire that included dresses or skirts, photographs of Coleman show her wearing pants and leather jackets.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'In addition to her technical skill and daring feats, American stunt pilot Bessie Coleman was also known for dazzling the crowds that came to watch her air shows in the 1920s with her exuberant personality.' |
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| 'During her career, she was careful and purposeful about how she crafted her public persona.' |
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| 'An aviation researcher has claimed that Coleman intentionally defied social norms of the time by how she chose to present herself to the public.' |
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Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find evidence that would support the aviation researcher's claim about Coleman defying social norms.
What type of answer do we need? A quotation that shows Coleman breaking social conventions through her public presentation.
Any limiting keywords? 'most directly support' - we need the strongest, clearest evidence of norm-defying behavior.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The researcher claims Coleman 'intentionally defied social norms of the time by how she chose to present herself to the public.'
- So we need evidence showing: Coleman making choices about her public appearance or behavior, these choices going against what was expected or normal for the time period, and this being specifically about her public presentation (not private life).
For her air shows, Coleman frequently used the Curtiss JN-4, or 'Jenny,' which at that time was one of the most well-known types of planes.
- This discusses Coleman's choice of airplane (the Curtiss JN-4 'Jenny').
- While this might relate to her professional choices, it doesn't show defying social norms about personal presentation.
- Using a well-known plane type wouldn't constitute breaking social conventions.
While Coleman was beloved by spectators for her charisma, she had a more complicated relationship with her managers and staff, who at times found her behavior too impulsive and demanding.
- This describes interpersonal conflicts with her work team.
- Having difficult professional relationships isn't the same as publicly defying social norms.
- This is about behind-the-scenes behavior, not public presentation.
Coleman once considered leaving her career as a stunt pilot to focus her efforts on giving speeches, which she felt would better support her public image.
- This shows Coleman considering a career change for image purposes.
- While it demonstrates concern about public image, it doesn't show her actually defying norms.
- Giving speeches would be conventional, not norm-breaking.
Although female pilots were typically expected to wear traditional but impractical attire that included dresses or skirts, photographs of Coleman show her wearing pants and leather jackets.
- This directly contrasts what 'female pilots were typically expected to wear' (dresses/skirts) with what Coleman actually wore (pants and leather jackets).
- Shows Coleman making deliberate choices about her public appearance that defied gender expectations.
- Photographs provide concrete evidence of this norm-defying presentation.