Jazz music fundamentally transformed American popular culture during the early 20th century, establishing new artistic standards that influenced count...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Jazz music fundamentally transformed American popular culture during the early 20th century, establishing new artistic standards that influenced countless musicians and composers. ______ jazz introduced syncopated rhythms and improvisation techniques that broke from traditional European musical structures, creating a distinctly American sound that resonated across racial and cultural boundaries.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Therefore,
In particular,
Alternatively,
Meanwhile,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Jazz music fundamentally transformed American popular culture during the early 20th century, establishing new artistic standards that influenced countless musicians and composers.' |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| 'jazz introduced syncopated rhythms and improvisation techniques that broke from traditional European musical structures, creating a distinctly American sound that resonated across racial and cultural boundaries.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Jazz fundamentally changed American culture by introducing new musical techniques that created a distinctly American sound.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from a general statement about jazz's transformative impact to specific details about the musical innovations that made this transformation possible.
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
- The first sentence makes a broad claim about jazz transforming culture and establishing new standards
- The second sentence gets specific about exactly HOW jazz did this - through particular musical techniques like syncopated rhythms and improvisation
- The relationship we need is one that signals 'let me get more specific about what I just said' or 'here's exactly how that broad statement works'
- We need a transition that moves from general to specific, showing that the second sentence will elaborate on the mechanisms behind the transformation mentioned in the first sentence
Therefore,
'Therefore'
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests cause and effect or conclusion
- The second sentence isn't a result of the first sentence - it's an explanation of how the transformation happened
In particular,
'In particular'
✓ Correct
- This signals that we're about to get specific details about something general already mentioned
- Perfectly matches our passage flow: broad transformation claim followed by specific musical techniques that created it
Alternatively,
'Alternatively'
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests we're presenting a different option or approach
- The second sentence doesn't offer an alternative to what's in the first sentence - it explains the same transformation
Meanwhile,
'Meanwhile'
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests simultaneous but separate actions
- The musical techniques aren't happening separately from the cultural transformation - they're the mechanism causing it