The following text is from Joan Didion's memoir The Year of Magical Thinking. In the text, the author discusses her...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from Joan Didion's memoir The Year of Magical Thinking. In the text, the author discusses her home life.
[I]n California we heated our houses by building fires. We built fires even on summer evenings, because the fog came in. Fires said we were home, we had drawn the circle, we were safe through the night.
©2005 by Joan Didion
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
It illustrates that a fire provides comfort beyond physical warmth.
It summarizes the information that came before it in the text.
It explains that the house remains cold even in summer.
It suggests that the author feels comfortable in her home with or without a fire.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "[I]n California we heated our houses by building fires." |
|
| "We built fires even on summer evenings, because the fog came in." |
|
| "Fires said we were home, we had drawn the circle, we were safe through the night." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Building fires in their California home served not just a practical heating purpose, but created a deeper sense of home, safety, and belonging.
Argument Flow: Didion begins with the practical reality of heating houses with fires in California, then explains how this extended even to summer evenings due to fog, and finally reveals the deeper emotional and symbolic meaning that fires held—representing home, safety, and security.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
- What's being asked? The function of the underlined portion (the final sentence about what fires "said") in the text as a whole
- What type of answer do we need? The purpose or role this sentence plays within the broader passage
- Any limiting keywords? "function," "underlined portion," "in the text as a whole"
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The underlined portion takes the practical discussion of building fires and transforms it into something symbolic and emotional
- Instead of just being about heating, fires become about belonging, security, and creating a safe space
- The sentence uses figurative language ("Fires said") to give fires almost human-like qualities of communication and meaning
- The right answer should recognize that this final sentence elevates the discussion from purely practical (heating) to emotional/symbolic (what fires represent about home and safety)
It illustrates that a fire provides comfort beyond physical warmth.
- Accurately captures how the underlined portion moves beyond the practical heating function to the emotional/symbolic meaning
- Matches our analysis that fires represent something deeper than just physical warmth
- "Comfort beyond physical warmth" perfectly describes the metaphorical meaning of home, safety, and belonging
It summarizes the information that came before it in the text.
- Claims the underlined portion summarizes previous information
- Actually does the opposite—it adds new symbolic meaning rather than restating what came before
- The previous sentences were about practical heating; this sentence introduces new conceptual territory
It explains that the house remains cold even in summer.
- Focuses on temperature/cold houses, missing the symbolic meaning entirely
- The underlined portion doesn't explain anything about house temperature
- This represents a trap where students might focus on the word "safe" and think it relates to staying warm, missing the metaphorical meaning
It suggests that the author feels comfortable in her home with or without a fire.
- Suggests the author is comfortable with or without fires
- Contradicts the text, which emphasizes how important fires are for creating that sense of home and safety
- The passage suggests fires are essential, not optional, for feeling truly "home"