The following text is from George Marion McClellan's 1895 poem Eternity.My spirit swoons, and all my senses cryFor Ocean's breast...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from George Marion McClellan's 1895 poem Eternity.
My spirit swoons, and all my senses cry
For Ocean's breast and covering of the sky.
Rock me to sleep, ye waves, and outward bound,
Just let me drift far out from toil and care,
Where lapping of the waves shall be the sound,
Which mingled with the winds that gently bear
Me on between a peaceful sea and sky,
To make my soothing slumberous lullaby.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To illustrate the increasing intensity of the speaker's desire to escape ongoing hardship by gliding on the ocean
To contrast the demands of the speaker's everyday life with the serenity of being rocked to sleep by the ocean
To convey the speaker's longing for the ocean to impart a sense of inner tranquility
To justify the speaker's qualms about being transported by the ocean to a quiet destination
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'My spirit swoons, and all my senses cry' |
|
| 'For Ocean's breast and covering of the sky.' |
|
| 'Rock me to sleep, ye waves, and outward bound,' |
|
| 'Just let me drift far out from toil and care,' |
|
Main Point: The speaker expresses a deep longing for the ocean to provide escape and tranquility through gentle, sleep-inducing motion and sounds.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The main purpose of the entire text
What type of answer do we need? The overarching goal or intention of the poem
Any limiting keywords? N/A
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The poem is fundamentally about the speaker's intense desire for the ocean to provide peace and escape
- The right answer should capture that this is about longing for tranquility and rest from the ocean
To illustrate the increasing intensity of the speaker's desire to escape ongoing hardship by gliding on the ocean
✗ Incorrect
Focuses on increasing intensity but the poem maintains consistent longing throughout
To contrast the demands of the speaker's everyday life with the serenity of being rocked to sleep by the ocean
✗ Incorrect
Suggests contrasting everyday life with ocean serenity, but the poem focuses on desired ocean experience, not comparison
To convey the speaker's longing for the ocean to impart a sense of inner tranquility
✓ Correct
Captures the central longing and perfectly matches the peaceful imagery and desire for inner tranquility
To justify the speaker's qualms about being transported by the ocean to a quiet destination
✗ Incorrect
Misreads the speaker as having doubts when they actually eagerly want ocean transportation