Political blogs with conspicuous ideological alignments became an integral component of US media in the early 2000s. While some commentators...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Political blogs with conspicuous ideological alignments became an integral component of US media in the early 2000s. While some commentators lauded this development, asserting that such blogs had a welcome transparency missing from traditional news, less _______ observers countered that such blogs tended to ideological extremes that exacerbated political polarization to problematic levels.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
sanguine
recalcitrant
misanthropic
earnest
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Political blogs with conspicuous ideological alignments became an integral component of US media in the early 2000s." |
|
| "While some commentators lauded this development, asserting that such blogs had a welcome transparency missing from traditional news," |
|
| "less _____ observers countered that such blogs tended to ideological extremes that exacerbated political polarization to problematic levels." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Political blogs that emerged in the early 2000s received mixed reactions—some praised their transparency while others criticized their role in increasing political polarization.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the historical emergence of political blogs, then presents two contrasting viewpoints—supporters who valued their transparency versus critics who worried about their divisive effects on politics.
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 blank describes observers who had a negative view of political blogs, contrasting them with commentators who "lauded" the development
- Since we have "less _____ observers," we need a word that describes a positive quality that these critics have less of compared to the supporters
- The logical relationship requires a word that, when preceded by "less," creates observers who would naturally be more critical or skeptical
- The supporters were optimistic about blogs, so the critics would be "less optimistic" or "less hopeful"
sanguine
- "Sanguine" means optimistic or hopeful
- "Less sanguine observers" = less optimistic observers, who would naturally be more critical
- Perfect logical contrast with commentators who "lauded" the development
- Creates clear opposition: optimistic supporters vs. pessimistic critics
recalcitrant
- "Recalcitrant" means stubborn or uncooperative
- "Less recalcitrant observers" would mean more cooperative observers
- This doesn't create the needed logical relationship—being less stubborn doesn't explain why they'd be critical
misanthropic
- "Misanthropic" means hating or distrusting humanity
- "Less misanthropic observers" would be more trusting of people
- This creates a confusing relationship—people who trust others more being critical of blogs doesn't make logical sense
earnest
- "Earnest" means serious and sincere
- "Less earnest observers" would mean less serious observers
- Being less serious doesn't logically connect to being more critical of political blogs