The following text is from Edith Wharton's 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from Edith Wharton's 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking through a park.
Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations. The landscape outspread below her seemed an enlargement of her present mood, and she found something of herself in its calmness, its breadth, its long free reaches. On the nearer slopes the sugar-maples wavered like pyres of light; lower down was a massing of grey orchards, and here and there the lingering green of an oak-grove.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene.
It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict.
It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on.
It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence.
Looking at this Text Structure and Purpose question, I need to analyze how the underlined sentence functions within the passage. Let me work through this systematically.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations." |
|
| "The landscape outspread below her seemed an enlargement of her present mood, and she found something of herself in its calmness, its breadth, its long free reaches." |
|
| "On the nearer slopes the sugar-maples wavered like pyres of light; lower down was a massing of grey orchards, and here and there the lingering green of an oak-grove." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Lily experiences a deep connection with a landscape because it mirrors her current emotional state.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from general to specific—first establishing Lily's capacity to connect with appropriate natural scenes, then demonstrating this with her current experience, and finally providing the concrete visual details she perceives.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The function of the underlined sentence in relation to the text as a whole
What type of answer do we need? How this particular sentence works structurally within the passage's flow of ideas
Any limiting keywords? None specified
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- From our analysis, the underlined sentence (the second sentence) takes the general principle from the first sentence—that Lily can be sensitive to scenes that match her sensations—and shows it in action
- The first sentence tells us she has this capacity, and the underlined sentence demonstrates exactly how this works with the current landscape
- So the right answer should explain that the underlined sentence provides a concrete example or illustration of the idea presented in the previous sentence
It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene.
✗ Incorrect
- While the sentence does contain some descriptive elements, its primary function isn't to create a detailed physical image
- The most detailed physical imagery actually comes in the final sentence with the maples, orchards, and oak-groves
It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict.
✗ Incorrect
- The sentence doesn't establish internal conflict—quite the opposite
- It shows Lily finding harmony and connection with the landscape
It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on.
✗ Incorrect
- The next sentence doesn't expand on this one's assertion
- The final sentence shifts focus to specific visual details of the landscape itself
It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence.
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures the logical flow: the first sentence introduces Lily's ability to connect with fitting scenes
- The underlined sentence then illustrates this exact principle by showing her finding her mood reflected in this particular landscape