The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston's 1921 short story John Redding Goes to Sea. John wants to...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston's 1921 short story John Redding Goes to Sea. John wants to travel far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.
[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found it a difficult task. Matty always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son's desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all.
As used in the text, what does the phrase 'reconcile his mother to' most nearly mean?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| '[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion' |
|
| 'but found it a difficult task' |
|
| 'Matty always took refuge in self-pity and tears' |
|
| 'Her son's desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: John repeatedly tried but failed to get his mother to accept his desire to travel because she fundamentally couldn't understand his wishes.
Argument Flow: The passage presents John's unsuccessful attempts to gain his mother's acceptance, then explains why these efforts failed by showing her emotional response and the underlying incomprehension that drives it.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The meaning of the phrase 'reconcile his mother to' in this specific context
What type of answer do we need? The definition that best fits how the phrase functions in this sentence
Any limiting keywords? 'As used in the text' tells us we need the contextual meaning, not just any dictionary definition
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- From our analysis, we see that John has some 'notion' (his desire to travel) that his mother doesn't accept—she responds with 'self-pity and tears' and finds his desires 'incomprehensible'
- So John is trying to get her to be okay with his idea, to make peace with it, to accept it as reasonable or acceptable
- The phrase 'reconcile someone to something' in this context means to help someone come to terms with or accept something they initially resist or don't understand
- So the right answer should mean something like 'get his mother to accept' or 'help his mother come to terms with'
- This perfectly matches our prethinking—John wants his mother to accept his notion of traveling
- The context supports this: her tears and incomprehension show she hasn't accepted his desires
- 'Reconcile to' commonly means 'help someone accept' something they initially resist
- 'Get his mother to apologize for' doesn't fit the context at all
- There's nothing in the passage suggesting anyone should apologize
- The phrase would need to be 'reconcile WITH' not 'reconcile TO' for an apology meaning
- 'Get his mother to match' makes no sense in this context
- What would she be matching? The passage gives no indication of matching anything
- 'Get his mother to reunite with' doesn't work—she's not separated from the notion
- This confuses 'reconcile to' (accept) with 'reconcile with' (reunite)