The following text is adapted from Jean Webster's 1912 novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The narrator is a young college student writing letters...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from Jean Webster's 1912 novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The narrator is a young college student writing letters detailing her weekly experiences.
[The college is] organizing the Freshman basket-ball team and there's just a chance that I shall make it. I'm little of course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough. While the others are hopping about in the air, I can dodge under their feet and grab the ball.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To compare basketball with other sports
To provide details of how to play basketball
To state how players will be chosen for the basketball team
To explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "[The college is] organizing the Freshman basket-ball team and there's just a chance that I shall make it." |
|
| "I'm little of course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough." |
|
| "While the others are hopping about in the air, I can dodge under their feet and grab the ball." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The narrator believes she has a chance to make the basketball team because her small size combined with speed and toughness gives her unique advantages on the court.
Argument Flow: The narrator sets up the opportunity (making the team), then systematically explains her reasoning by first acknowledging her size disadvantage but countering with her strengths, and finally providing a concrete example of how these qualities translate to basketball success.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The main purpose of the entire text
What type of answer do we need? The primary reason this text exists - what the narrator is trying to accomplish
Any limiting keywords? "main purpose" tells us we need the overarching goal, not just one detail
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our analysis, the narrator is essentially making a case for herself
- She mentions the opportunity, then immediately starts explaining her qualifications
- The whole text is structured around building an argument for why she might succeed despite seeming disadvantages
- The right answer should explain that the narrator is giving reasons why she thinks she can make the basketball team
To compare basketball with other sports
✗ Incorrect
- This choice suggests the text compares basketball to other sports
- We never see any other sports mentioned - the entire focus is just on basketball
To provide details of how to play basketball
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests the text teaches how to play basketball
- The narrator doesn't give instructions or explain rules
- She only describes her own specific strategy/advantage
To state how players will be chosen for the basketball team
✗ Incorrect
- This implies the text explains the team selection process
- We learn nothing about how coaches will choose players or what the criteria are
- The text is about the narrator's self-assessment, not the selection method
To explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team
✓ Correct
- This captures exactly what the narrator does throughout the passage
- She states her chance of making the team, then systematically explains why: her speed, toughness, and ability to use her small size as an advantage