The following text is from Virginia Woolf's 1919 novel Night and Day. The text describes a gathering of young artists...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from Virginia Woolf's 1919 novel Night and Day. The text describes a gathering of young artists and intellectuals. One person after another rose, and, as with an ill-balanced axe, attempted to hew out his conception of art a little more clearly, and sat down with the feeling that, for some reason which he could not grasp, his strokes had gone awry. As they sat down they turned almost invariably to the person sitting next them, and rectified and continued what they had just said in public.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portions in the text as a whole?
To demonstrate individuals' puzzlement over the reputation of a certain artwork
To highlight the physical effort involved in individuals' construction of large-scale works of art
To draw attention to individuals' discontent with the group's conversation about art
To emphasize the extent of individuals' struggles to articulate thoughts on art
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'One person after another rose, and, as with an ill-balanced axe, attempted to hew out his conception of art a little more clearly' |
|
| 'and sat down with the feeling that, for some reason which he could not grasp, his strokes had gone awry' |
|
| 'As they sat down they turned almost invariably to the person sitting next them, and rectified and continued what they had just said in public' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Young artists and intellectuals at a gathering repeatedly struggle to articulate their thoughts about art clearly in public, requiring private follow-up conversations to clarify their intended meaning.
Argument Flow: Woolf presents a scene where multiple people attempt to express their artistic ideas publicly but find themselves unable to communicate effectively. She uses the metaphor of an ill-balanced axe to capture their clumsy attempts at clarity, then shows how they consistently need private conversations to say what they really meant.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The function of the underlined portions in the text as a whole
What type of answer do we need? The job or role that specific language plays within the broader passage
Any limiting keywords? 'underlined portions' (the metaphorical language about the axe and strokes going awry) and 'in the text as a whole' (how this language serves the entire passage's purpose)
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The underlined portions are the metaphorical language about the ill-balanced axe and strokes had gone awry
- These metaphors capture how people are trying to express their artistic thoughts but failing to do so clearly
- The axe metaphor makes their struggle vivid and relatable like trying to chop wood with a tool that's not working properly
- The right answer should focus on how this metaphorical language emphasizes the difficulty these individuals have in clearly expressing their thoughts about art
To demonstrate individuals' puzzlement over the reputation of a certain artwork
✗ Incorrect
- This choice focuses on puzzlement over the reputation of a certain artwork
- The passage isn't about people being confused about a specific artwork's reputation but about their own struggle to express their ideas about art in general
To highlight the physical effort involved in individuals' construction of large-scale works of art
✗ Incorrect
- This choice interprets the axe metaphor literally as physical effort involved in individuals' construction of large-scale works of art
- The passage uses the axe metaphorically, not literally
- This represents the trap of taking figurative language literally instead of understanding its metaphorical purpose
To draw attention to individuals' discontent with the group's conversation about art
✗ Incorrect
- This choice suggests the metaphor shows discontent with the group's conversation about art
- The passage shows individual struggle to express thoughts, not dissatisfaction with the group discussion itself
To emphasize the extent of individuals' struggles to articulate thoughts on art
✓ Correct
- This choice captures exactly what the metaphorical language accomplishes
- The ill-balanced axe and strokes had gone awry perfectly emphasize how extensively these individuals struggle to articulate their thoughts on art
- This matches our prethinking about the metaphor highlighting communication difficulty