In the Here and Now Storybook (1921), educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell advanced the then controversial idea that books for very...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
In the Here and Now Storybook (1921), educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell advanced the then controversial idea that books for very young children should imitate how they use language, since toddlers, who cannot yet grasp narrative or abstract ideas, seek reassurance in verbal repetition and naming. The most enduring example of this idea is Margaret Wise Brown's 1947 picture book Goodnight Moon, in which a young rabbit names the objects in his room as he drifts off to sleep. Scholars note that the book's emphasis on repetition, rhythm, and nonsense rhyme speaks directly to Mitchell's influence.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
The text outlines a debate between two authors of children's literature and then traces how that debate shaped theories on early childhood education.
The text summarizes an argument about how children's literature should be evaluated and then discusses a contrasting view on that subject.
The text lists the literary characteristics that are common to many classics of children's literature and then indicates the narrative subjects that are most appropriate for young children.
The text presents a philosophy about what material is most suitable for children's literature and then describes a book influenced by that philosophy.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In the Here and Now Storybook (1921), educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell advanced the then controversial idea that books for very young children should imitate how they use language," |
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| "since toddlers, who cannot yet grasp narrative or abstract ideas, seek reassurance in verbal repetition and naming." |
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| "The most enduring example of this idea is Margaret Wise Brown's 1947 picture book Goodnight Moon," |
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| "in which a young rabbit names the objects in his room as he drifts off to sleep." |
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| "Scholars note that the book's emphasis on repetition, rhythm, and nonsense rhyme speaks directly to Mitchell's influence." |
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Main Point: The passage presents Mitchell's philosophy that children's books should mirror how toddlers use language, then shows how this philosophy influenced a successful example.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? How the text is organized—its overall structure or architecture
What type of answer do we need? A description of how the passage moves from one part to another
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- It should recognize that we start with Mitchell presenting a philosophy or theory about children's literature
- It should acknowledge that we then get a specific example (Goodnight Moon) that demonstrates this philosophy in action
- It should capture that this isn't just random examples but shows how the philosophy actually influenced real books
- So the right answer should describe a pattern where we move from theory/philosophy to concrete example that was influenced by that theory.
The text outlines a debate between two authors of children's literature and then traces how that debate shaped theories on early childhood education.
- Claims there's a "debate between two authors" but we only see Mitchell's view presented—no opposing author or debate.
- Also says this debate "shaped theories on early childhood education" but we're focused on children's literature, not education theory.
The text summarizes an argument about how children's literature should be evaluated and then discusses a contrasting view on that subject.
- Says we get an "argument about how children's literature should be evaluated" but Mitchell isn't talking about evaluation—she's talking about what content works best for toddlers.
- Claims there's a "contrasting view" but no opposing perspective is presented.
The text lists the literary characteristics that are common to many classics of children's literature and then indicates the narrative subjects that are most appropriate for young children.
- Says the text "lists literary characteristics common to many classics" but we only examine one book (Goodnight Moon), not multiple classics.
- Claims we learn about "narrative subjects most appropriate for young children" but the focus is on language style, not story topics.
The text presents a philosophy about what material is most suitable for children's literature and then describes a book influenced by that philosophy.
- Accurately captures that we start with "a philosophy about what material is most suitable for children's literature" (Mitchell's idea about imitating toddler language).
- Correctly notes that we then see "a book influenced by that philosophy" (Goodnight Moon as the example).
- This perfectly matches our passage structure: theory → example influenced by theory.