Text 1: Marketing executive Lisa Chen claims that social media influencers have created an entirely authentic form of personal expression....
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 1: Marketing executive Lisa Chen claims that social media influencers have created an entirely authentic form of personal expression. Unlike traditional advertising, she argues, influencer content emerges from genuine personal experiences and real lifestyle choices. Followers connect with influencers precisely because their posts reflect unfiltered, spontaneous moments from actual daily life.
Text 2: Media analyst Dr. Robert Kim fundamentally disputes Chen's characterization of influencer authenticity. Rather than being spontaneous, Kim argues, influencer content is carefully orchestrated to appear authentic while serving commercial interests. The apparent spontaneity is itself a marketing technique, and what seems like genuine personal expression is actually strategic brand building designed to maximize audience engagement and revenue.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion of Text 1?
By suggesting that some influencers may be more authentic than others in their personal expression
By arguing that followers sometimes struggle to distinguish between authentic and inauthentic content
By contending that what appears to be genuine personal expression is actually calculated commercial strategy
By noting that traditional advertising also sometimes incorporates elements of personal experience
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Marketing executive Lisa Chen claims that social media influencers have created an entirely authentic form of personal expression." |
|
| "Unlike traditional advertising, she argues, influencer content emerges from genuine personal experiences and real lifestyle choices." |
|
| "Followers connect with influencers precisely because their posts reflect unfiltered, spontaneous moments from actual daily life." |
|
| "Media analyst Dr. Robert Kim fundamentally disputes Chen's characterization of influencer authenticity." |
|
| "Rather than being spontaneous, Kim argues, influencer content is carefully orchestrated to appear authentic while serving commercial interests." |
|
| "The apparent spontaneity is itself a marketing technique, and what seems like genuine personal expression is actually strategic brand building designed to maximize audience engagement and revenue." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Two experts fundamentally disagree about whether social media influencer content represents authentic personal expression or calculated commercial strategy disguised as authenticity.
Argument Flow: Chen argues that influencer content is genuinely authentic and spontaneous, which explains why followers connect with it. Kim directly disputes this, arguing that what appears spontaneous is actually carefully planned marketing designed to seem authentic while maximizing commercial success.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? How would Dr. Kim most likely respond to the specific underlined portion from Text 1?
What type of answer do we need? Kim's likely response to Chen's claim about posts reflecting unfiltered, spontaneous moments from actual daily life
Any limiting keywords? Question Characterization:
- Content Genre: Business/Professional
- Content Format: Text-only
- Question Type: Simple Inference
- Language Complexity: Accessible
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- From our analysis, we know that Kim directly contradicts the idea that influencer posts are spontaneous
- He argues that what appears spontaneous is actually carefully orchestrated and that what seems like genuine personal expression is really strategic brand building
- So when Chen claims posts reflect unfiltered, spontaneous moments from actual daily life, Kim would likely respond by saying this is exactly wrong - that what appears to be unfiltered and spontaneous is actually calculated and strategic
- The right answer should show Kim arguing that what Chen describes as genuine spontaneity is actually deliberate commercial strategy designed to appear authentic
By suggesting that some influencers may be more authentic than others in their personal expression
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests Kim would make distinctions between different influencers, but Kim's argument is about the fundamental nature of influencer content itself, not about variations among influencers
By arguing that followers sometimes struggle to distinguish between authentic and inauthentic content
✗ Incorrect
- This focuses on followers' ability to distinguish authentic from inauthentic content, but Kim's argument is about the content itself being strategically designed to appear authentic, not audience confusion
By contending that what appears to be genuine personal expression is actually calculated commercial strategy
✓ Correct
- This directly matches Kim's core argument
- Kim specifically states that what seems like genuine personal expression is actually strategic brand building
- This perfectly responds to Chen's claim about unfiltered, spontaneous moments by arguing they're actually calculated commercial strategy
By noting that traditional advertising also sometimes incorporates elements of personal experience
✗ Incorrect
- This brings up traditional advertising incorporating personal elements, but Kim's argument is specifically about influencer content being orchestrated, not about traditional advertising methods