'Odalie' is an 1899 short story by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. In the story, a young woman named Odalie attends the annual...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
'Odalie' is an 1899 short story by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. In the story, a young woman named Odalie attends the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans, where she lives with her guardian Tante Louise. Dunbar-Nelson portrays Odalie as eager to escape the monotony of her everyday life: ______
Which quotation from 'Odalie' most effectively illustrates the claim?
'Mardi Gras was a tiresome day, after all, she sighed, and Tante Louise agreed with her for once.'
'In the old French house on Royal Street, with its quaint windows and Spanish courtyard green and cool, and made musical by the plashing of the fountain and the trill of caged birds, lived Odalie in convent-like seclusion.'
'When one is shut up in a great French house with a grim sleepy tante and no companions of one's own age, life becomes a dull thing, and one is ready for any new sensation.'
'It was Mardi Gras day at last, and early through her window Odalie could hear the jingle of folly bells on the [participants'] costumes, the tinkle of music, and the echoing strains of songs.'
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Odalie' is an 1899 short story by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. |
|
| In the story, a young woman named Odalie attends the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans, where she lives with her guardian Tante Louise. |
|
| Dunbar-Nelson portrays Odalie as eager to escape the monotony of her everyday life: |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: We need to find textual evidence that best demonstrates Odalie's eagerness to escape the monotony of her everyday life.
Argument Flow: The setup provides background information about the story and characters, then presents a specific claim about Odalie's character that requires textual support from the actual story.
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
- The correct quotation should directly show Odalie's dissatisfaction with her current routine and her desire for something different or exciting
- We want evidence that she finds her everyday life dull, boring, or restrictive, AND that she wants to escape or change it
- The best evidence would explicitly mention both the monotony of her current situation and her readiness for something new
'Mardi Gras was a tiresome day, after all, she sighed, and Tante Louise agreed with her for once.'
- Shows Odalie finding even Mardi Gras tiresome after experiencing it
- Demonstrates disappointment rather than eagerness to escape monotony
'In the old French house on Royal Street, with its quaint windows and Spanish courtyard green and cool, and made musical by the plashing of the fountain and the trill of caged birds, lived Odalie in convent-like seclusion.'
- Describes her living environment in detail
- Mentions isolation but doesn't show her personal feelings or eagerness for change
'When one is shut up in a great French house with a grim sleepy tante and no companions of one's own age, life becomes a dull thing, and one is ready for any new sensation.'
- Directly states that 'life becomes a dull thing' - perfectly matches 'monotony'
- Explicitly says 'one is ready for any new sensation' - shows eagerness to escape
- This quotation contains both elements: boredom with current life AND readiness for something different
'It was Mardi Gras day at last, and early through her window Odalie could hear the jingle of folly bells on the [participants'] costumes, the tinkle of music, and the echoing strains of songs.'
- Shows Mardi Gras day arriving with sounds of celebration
- Describes the external environment but not Odalie's internal feelings about escaping monotony