Nigerian American author Teju Cole's _______ his two passions—photography and the written word—culminates in his 2017 book, Blind Spot, which...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Nigerian American author Teju Cole's _______ his two passions—photography and the written word—culminates in his 2017 book, Blind Spot, which evocatively combines his original photographs from his travels with his poetic prose.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
indifference to
enthusiasm for
concern about
surprise at
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Nigerian American author Teju Cole's" |
|
| "______" |
|
| "his two passions—photography and the written word—" |
|
| "culminates in his 2017 book, Blind Spot," |
|
| "which evocatively combines his original photographs from his travels with his poetic prose." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Teju Cole's relationship with his two passions (photography and writing) leads to a creative work that successfully merges both.
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 passage analysis, we see that Cole's relationship with his passions results in a book that "evocatively combines" both photography and writing
- The word "culminates" suggests this is a positive achievement
- Since the outcome is clearly positive, the missing word should reflect a positive relationship that would logically lead to creating meaningful art that combines both passions
indifference to
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests Cole doesn't care about photography and writing
- Doesn't make logical sense—why would someone indifferent create a book combining both?
enthusiasm for
✓ Correct
- Shows Cole has a positive, energetic relationship with both passions
- Logically explains why he would create a book combining photography and writing
- Matches the positive tone of the outcome
concern about
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests worry about his passions
- Doesn't logically lead to creating celebratory art that combines both
surprise at
✗ Incorrect
- Implies Cole is shocked by having these passions
- Doesn't make logical sense in context