Musician Joni Mitchell, who is also a painter, uses images she creates for her album covers to emphasize ideas expressed...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Musician Joni Mitchell, who is also a painter, uses images she creates for her album covers to emphasize ideas expressed in her music. For the cover of her album Turbulent Indigo (1994), Mitchell painted a striking self-portrait that closely resembles Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889). The image calls attention to the album's title song, in which Mitchell sings about the legacy of the postimpressionist painter. In that song, Mitchell also hints that she feels a strong artistic connection to Van Gogh-an idea that is reinforced by her imagery on the cover.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It presents a claim about Mitchell, then gives an example supporting that claim.
It discusses Van Gogh's influence on Mitchell, then considers Mitchell's influence on other artists.
It describes a similarity between two artists, then notes a difference between them.
It describes the songs on Turbulent Indigo, then explains how they relate to the album's cover.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Musician Joni Mitchell, who is also a painter, uses images she creates for her album covers to emphasize ideas expressed in her music.' |
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| 'For the cover of her album Turbulent Indigo (1994), Mitchell painted a striking self-portrait that closely resembles Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889).' |
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| 'The image calls attention to the album's title song, in which Mitchell sings about the legacy of the postimpressionist painter.' |
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| 'In that song, Mitchell also hints that she feels a strong artistic connection to Van Gogh—an idea that is reinforced by her imagery on the cover.' |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Joni Mitchell strategically uses her visual art on album covers to emphasize and strengthen the ideas expressed in her music.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a general pattern about Mitchell's artistic approach, then demonstrates this pattern through a detailed example from her Turbulent Indigo album, showing how both the visual resemblance to Van Gogh and the song content work together to express Mitchell's sense of artistic kinship with the painter.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The overall structure of the text—how the passage is organized and how its parts work together.
What type of answer do we need? A description of the passage's organizational pattern—what comes first, what follows, and how the pieces relate.
Any limiting keywords? Content Genre: Humanities & Social Sciences, Content Format: Text-only, Question Type: Purpose (specific part), Language Complexity: Moderate
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage follows a clear two-part structure
- First, it makes a broad statement about Mitchell's approach—she uses her visual art to emphasize her musical ideas
- Then it backs up this claim with a specific, detailed example from the Turbulent Indigo album, showing exactly how the Van Gogh-inspired cover connects to and reinforces the song's content about artistic connection
- The right answer should capture this claim-then-example structure, recognizing that the Turbulent Indigo material serves as evidence supporting the opening statement about Mitchell's general artistic practice
It presents a claim about Mitchell, then gives an example supporting that claim.
- Perfectly captures the passage structure: opens with claim about Mitchell using visual art to emphasize musical ideas, then provides Turbulent Indigo as supporting example
- Matches the claim-then-evidence pattern
- 'Supporting that claim' accurately describes how the Van Gogh example demonstrates Mitchell's general approach
It discusses Van Gogh's influence on Mitchell, then considers Mitchell's influence on other artists.
- Says the passage considers 'Mitchell's influence on other artists' but the passage never mentions Mitchell influencing anyone else
- The passage is about Mitchell being influenced by Van Gogh, not the reverse
- Trap: Students might confuse who influences whom
It describes a similarity between two artists, then notes a difference between them.
- Claims the passage 'notes a difference' between Mitchell and Van Gogh, but the passage emphasizes similarities and connections
- The entire point is about Mitchell feeling artistic kinship with Van Gogh, not highlighting contrasts
- Trap: Students might focus on obvious differences rather than the passage's emphasis on artistic connection
It describes the songs on Turbulent Indigo, then explains how they relate to the album's cover.
- Says 'describes the songs' (plural) but the passage only discusses one song—the title track
- Gets the relationship backwards: the passage explains how the cover relates to the song, not how songs relate to the cover