While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Maya Angelou published her memoir "I Know Why the Caged...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Maya Angelou published her memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in 1969, dealing with themes of racism and personal resilience.
- The memoir was frequently challenged in American schools due to its frank discussions of trauma and social issues.
- Toni Morrison published her novel "The Bluest Eye" in 1970, exploring themes of racism and identity.
- Morrison's novel was also frequently challenged in American schools for its mature content and social commentary.
- Both authors received prestigious literary awards for their contributions to American literature.
- Both works are now considered essential texts in African American literary studies.
The student wants to emphasize a shared characteristic of these two works. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Both "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "The Bluest Eye" faced frequent challenges in American schools due to their controversial content.
Maya Angelou's 1969 memoir dealt with themes of racism and personal resilience.
Toni Morrison published "The Bluest Eye" in 1970, just one year after Angelou's memoir appeared.
While Angelou wrote a memoir, Morrison focused on fiction in "The Bluest Eye."
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Maya Angelou published her memoir 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' in 1969, dealing with themes of racism and personal resilience." |
|
| "The memoir was frequently challenged in American schools due to its frank discussions of trauma and social issues." |
|
| "Toni Morrison published her novel 'The Bluest Eye' in 1970, exploring themes of racism and identity." |
|
| "Morrison's novel was also frequently challenged in American schools for its mature content and social commentary." |
|
| "Both authors received prestigious literary awards for their contributions to American literature." |
|
| "Both works are now considered essential texts in African American literary studies." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Both Maya Angelou's memoir and Toni Morrison's novel, despite being challenged in schools for their frank content, have become recognized as essential and award-winning contributions to American literature.
Argument Flow: The notes present parallel information about two significant works—first establishing each work's publication details and thematic content, then explaining how both faced similar challenges in educational settings, and finally showing how both achieved lasting recognition through awards and academic importance.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we can identify several shared characteristics between these works: both deal with themes of racism, both were challenged in American schools, both received prestigious awards, and both are now considered essential texts
- The correct answer should identify one of these commonalities using information directly from the notes
- Since the question asks us to "emphasize" a shared characteristic, we want something that clearly shows both works experienced or achieved the same thing
- The most prominent shared experiences in the notes are the school challenges and the later recognition
Both "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "The Bluest Eye" faced frequent challenges in American schools due to their controversial content.
- This directly states a shared characteristic: both works were "frequently challenged in American schools"
- Matches exactly what we found in the notes about both books facing challenges
- Uses the word "both" to clearly emphasize the shared nature of this experience
- Pulls from the notes that specifically mention school challenges for each work
Maya Angelou's 1969 memoir dealt with themes of racism and personal resilience.
- Only discusses Maya Angelou's memoir, not both works
- Fails to mention Morrison's novel or any shared characteristic
- Provides information about just one work when the goal is to emphasize something shared
Toni Morrison published "The Bluest Eye" in 1970, just one year after Angelou's memoir appeared.
- Focuses on the timing difference between publications (one year apart)
- Doesn't emphasize a shared characteristic but rather a chronological relationship
While Angelou wrote a memoir, Morrison focused on fiction in "The Bluest Eye."
- Emphasizes the difference between the works (memoir vs. fiction) rather than a similarity
- Directly contradicts the goal of emphasizing a "shared characteristic"