The following text is adapted from Charles Chesnutt's 1899 story The Wife of His Youth. Mr. Ryder is hosting a...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from Charles Chesnutt's 1899 story The Wife of His Youth. Mr. Ryder is hosting a formal gathering where he will propose marriage to the woman he has been courting. [A] younger and less cautious man would long since have spoken. But he had made up his mind, and had only to determine the time when he would ask her to be his wife. He decided to give a ball in her honor, and at some time during the evening of the ball to offer her his heart and hand.
As used in the text, what does the word 'determine' most nearly mean?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| [A] younger and less cautious man would long since have spoken. |
|
| But he had made up his mind, and had only to determine the time when he would ask her to be his wife. |
|
| He decided to give a ball in her honor, and at some time during the evening of the ball to offer her his heart and hand. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Mr. Ryder has already decided to propose marriage but is carefully choosing when to do it.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The meaning of the word 'determine' as it's used in this specific context.
What type of answer do we need? A synonym that fits the way 'determine' functions in the sentence about choosing when to propose.
Any limiting keywords? None specified.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at the sentence structure, Mr. Ryder 'had made up his mind' (already decided), 'and had only to determine the time' (still needs to figure out when)
- He needs to pick the right moment from various possibilities
- The right answer should capture the idea of selecting or picking from options
- This perfectly captures what Mr. Ryder needs to do - select the right time from possible options
- Fits the sentence flow: he's decided to propose, now he must choose when
- Would mean Mr. Ryder needs to 'influence the time,' which doesn't make logical sense
- Would mean 'demonstrate the time,' which is nonsensical in context
- He's not calculating or measuring time periods - he's choosing a specific moment