In the early days of television in the 1940s, many people thought that US television programs would rely on the...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
In the early days of television in the 1940s, many people thought that US television programs would rely on the financial support of ad agencies and commercial sponsors, much like radio did. But advertisers hesitated to jump into a new space, particularly at a time when the manufacturing of new television sets was stalled due to the US's involvement in World War II. Broadcasters, like the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), needed to persuade advertisers to support their programming despite not knowing whether there would be a robust television audience to begin with.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined phrase in the text as a whole?
It compares the beginnings of radio programming with the beginnings of television programming in the United States.
It identifies a specific reason behind some advertisers' hesitance to support television.
It describes how broadcasters attempted to convince advertisers to support television.
It explains why a type of television programming was popular at the time.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In the early days of television in the 1940s, many people thought that US television programs would rely on the financial support of ad agencies and commercial sponsors, much like radio did." |
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| "But advertisers hesitated to jump into a new space," |
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| "particularly at a time when the manufacturing of new television sets was stalled due to the US's involvement in World War II." |
|
| "Broadcasters, like the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), needed to persuade advertisers to support their programming despite not knowing whether there would be a robust television audience to begin with." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Television broadcasters in the 1940s faced the challenge of convincing hesitant advertisers to fund programming when TV manufacturing was disrupted by WWII and audience size was uncertain.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up an expectation, contrasts it with reality, provides specific explanation, and concludes with the resulting challenge.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The question asks for the function of an underlined phrase within the overall text structure. We need to determine what role this specific phrase serves in the passage.
What type of answer do we need?
- Content Genre: Humanities & Social Sciences
- Content Format: Text-only
- Question Type: Purpose (specific part)
- Language Complexity: Accessible
Any limiting keywords? None specified.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The underlined phrase "particularly at a time when the manufacturing of new television sets was stalled due to the US's involvement in World War II" provides the concrete reason behind the advertisers' hesitation mentioned in the previous clause
- It explains exactly why advertisers were reluctant - because WWII disrupted TV set production
It compares the beginnings of radio programming with the beginnings of television programming in the United States.
- This choice suggests the phrase compares radio and TV beginnings
- But the underlined phrase is specifically about WWII's impact on TV manufacturing
It identifies a specific reason behind some advertisers' hesitance to support television.
- This perfectly matches our analysis
- The phrase explains why advertisers were hesitant by providing the specific reason (WWII stopping TV manufacturing)
It describes how broadcasters attempted to convince advertisers to support television.
- The phrase doesn't describe broadcaster attempts to convince advertisers
- That description comes in the final sentence
It explains why a type of television programming was popular at the time.
- The phrase says nothing about television programming being popular
- The passage suggests uncertainty about audience size, not popularity