Oral histories—whether they consist of interviews or recordings of songs and stories—can offer researchers a rich view of people's everyday...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Oral histories—whether they consist of interviews or recordings of songs and stories—can offer researchers a rich view of people's everyday experiences. For her book about coal mining communities in Kentucky during the twentieth century, Karida Brown therefore relied in part on interviews with coal miners and their families. By doing so, she gained valuable insights into her subjects' day-to-day lives.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
It provides a little-known geographical fact about Kentucky.
It argues that Karida Brown is an expert on United States politics.
It presents a major historical event that took place in the twentieth century.
It describes how Karida Brown benefited from incorporating oral history in her book.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Oral histories—whether they consist of interviews or recordings of songs and stories—can offer researchers a rich view of people's everyday experiences.' |
|
| 'For her book about coal mining communities in Kentucky during the twentieth century, Karida Brown therefore relied in part on interviews with coal miners and their families.' |
|
| 'By doing so, she gained valuable insights into her subjects' day-to-day lives.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Oral histories are valuable research tools because they provide researchers with deep insights into people's everyday experiences.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The function of the underlined sentence within the overall text structure
What type of answer do we need? How this specific sentence contributes to or serves the passage as a whole
Any limiting keywords? N/A
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The underlined sentence comes after we've learned about oral histories in general and seen Brown's specific use of them
- This sentence tells us what happened as a result—she gained insights
- So the right answer should explain that this sentence shows the positive outcome or benefit that resulted from Brown using oral histories
It provides a little-known geographical fact about Kentucky.
- Claims the sentence provides geographical facts about Kentucky
- The sentence says nothing about Kentucky's geography—it's about Brown's research insights
It argues that Karida Brown is an expert on United States politics.
- Claims the sentence argues Brown is a politics expert
- The sentence mentions nothing about politics or Brown's expertise level
It presents a major historical event that took place in the twentieth century.
- Claims the sentence presents a major historical event
- The sentence doesn't present any event—it describes research results
It describes how Karida Brown benefited from incorporating oral history in her book.
- Accurately captures that the sentence shows how Brown benefited from using oral history
- The sentence literally states she gained valuable insights from her interview approach