While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Novelist Willa Cather grew up in Nebraska and attended the...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Novelist Willa Cather grew up in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- Some of Cather's best-known novels are set in Nebraska.
- Two such novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).
- Cather's novels describe the experiences of immigrants who settled in the Great Plains.
The student wants to identify the setting of Cather's novel My Ántonia. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
My Ántonia is set in Nebraska, where Cather grew up.
Cather, author of My Ántonia, described the experiences of immigrants in her novels.
Among Cather's best-known novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).
Cather attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and set some of her novels in Nebraska.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Novelist Willa Cather grew up in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln." |
|
| "Some of Cather's best-known novels are set in Nebraska." |
|
| "Two such novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918)." |
|
| "Cather's novels describe the experiences of immigrants who settled in the Great Plains." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Willa Cather, a Nebraska native, wrote her best-known novels about immigrant experiences in her home state setting.
Argument Flow: The notes establish Cather's personal connection to Nebraska, then show how this influenced her literary work by setting her famous novels there, and finally describe the thematic focus on immigrant experiences in that region.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The setting (location) of one specific novel - My Ántonia
What type of answer do we need? A statement that clearly identifies where My Ántonia takes place
Any limiting keywords? "most effectively uses relevant information from the notes" - so the answer must draw from the provided research notes
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- To accomplish the student's goal, the correct answer must:
- Clearly state that My Ántonia is set in Nebraska (this is the setting identification)
- Use information that's actually present in the research notes
- Be directly relevant to the specific goal rather than just mentioning My Ántonia
- From our analysis, we know that the notes tell us "Some of Cather's best-known novels are set in Nebraska" and "Two such novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918)."
- This creates the logical connection: My Ántonia is one of the novels set in Nebraska.
My Ántonia is set in Nebraska, where Cather grew up.
✓ Correct
- Directly identifies Nebraska as the setting of My Ántonia
- Uses relevant information from the notes (Cather's Nebraska background and the fact that her novels are set there)
- Perfectly accomplishes the student's goal of identifying the setting
Cather, author of My Ántonia, described the experiences of immigrants in her novels.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on the thematic content (immigrant experiences) rather than the setting
- While using accurate information from the notes, it doesn't answer what the student wants to know
Among Cather's best-known novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).
✗ Incorrect
- Simply lists My Ántonia alongside another novel with publication dates
- Doesn't identify the setting at all
- Uses information from the notes but fails to accomplish the stated goal
Cather attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and set some of her novels in Nebraska.
✗ Incorrect
- Mentions that Cather set "some of her novels" in Nebraska but doesn't specifically identify My Ántonia as one of them
- While the information is from the notes, it doesn't clearly accomplish the goal of identifying My Ántonia's specific setting