The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll's 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll's 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a room belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord Chancellor.
One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) 'Who roar for the Sub-Warden?' Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting 'Bread!' and some 'Taxes!', but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.
All this I saw from the open window of the Warden's breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor.
'What can it all mean?' he kept repeating to himself. 'I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!'
Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?
He asks about the meaning of the crowd's shouting, even though he claims to know what the crowd wants.
He indicates a desire to speak to the crowd, even though the crowd has asked to speak to the Sub-Warden.
He expresses sympathy for the crowd's demands, even though the crowd's shouting annoys him.
He describes the crowd as being united, even though the crowd clearly appears otherwise.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) 'Who roar for the Sub-Warden?'" |
|
| "Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting 'Bread!' and some 'Taxes!', but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted." |
|
| "All this I saw from the open window of the Warden's breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor." |
|
| "'What can it all mean?' he kept repeating to himself." |
|
| "'I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!'" |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The Lord Chancellor misinterprets a clearly divided and confused crowd as being unified in their purpose.
Argument Flow: The passage first shows us the reality of the crowd (excited but confused, shouting different things, not knowing what they want), then reveals how the Lord Chancellor perceives this same scene (as having unanimity). This creates dramatic irony where the reader sees the disconnect between reality and the Lord Chancellor's interpretation.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? How the Lord Chancellor responds to/reacts to the crowd he's observing.
What type of answer do we need? A description of his specific reaction or response to what he sees.
Any limiting keywords? Based on the text means we need textual evidence, and how does the Lord Chancellor respond focuses specifically on his actions/words, not the crowd's behavior.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our analysis, the Lord Chancellor responds in two ways: he questions what the crowd's behavior means, and he characterizes their shouting as having unanimity
- The key insight here is that he sees unanimity where we've just been shown there clearly isn't any - the crowd is shouting different things and doesn't know what it wants
- So the right answer should capture this disconnect between what the Lord Chancellor perceives (unity) and what actually exists (division and confusion)
He asks about the meaning of the crowd's shouting, even though he claims to know what the crowd wants.
- Claims he asks about the meaning but also claims to know what the crowd wants
- While he does ask about meaning, he never claims to know what they want
- He's genuinely puzzled, not pretending ignorance while actually knowing
He indicates a desire to speak to the crowd, even though the crowd has asked to speak to the Sub-Warden.
- Suggests he indicates a desire to speak to the crowd
- No evidence in the text that he wants to communicate with them
- He's observing and commenting, not expressing desire for interaction
He expresses sympathy for the crowd's demands, even though the crowd's shouting annoys him.
- Claims he expresses sympathy for the crowd's demands
- He shows no sympathy - only puzzlement and surprise
- Also claims the crowd's shouting annoys him but he seems more confused than annoyed
He describes the crowd as being united, even though the crowd clearly appears otherwise.
- He calls the crowd's behavior unanimity, describing them as united
- But we've just seen they're clearly divided (shouting different things, confused about what they want)
- This perfectly captures the irony: he perceives unity where division obviously exists