President Franklin D. Roosevelt's initial response to the 1937 economic recession was to maintain confidence in his existing New Deal...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's initial response to the 1937 economic recession was to maintain confidence in his existing New Deal programs. As conditions worsened throughout 1937 and 1938, however, Roosevelt came to reassess the adequacy of his administration's approach. His acknowledgment that the initial policy response had been insufficient is evident when he ______
Which choice most effectively uses a quotation from Roosevelt's public addresses to illustrate the claim?
declared to Congress, "We must continue to pursue the policies that brought us out of the Great Depression."
stated in a fireside chat, "I now recognize that we may have been too cautious in our response to this economic downturn."
announced to his cabinet, "The American people deserve better economic conditions than we have provided them."
proclaimed at a campaign rally, "Our opponents offer no viable alternatives to our proven economic strategies."
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "President Franklin D. Roosevelt's initial response to the 1937 economic recession was to maintain confidence in his existing New Deal programs." |
|
| "As conditions worsened throughout 1937 and 1938, however, Roosevelt came to reassess the adequacy of his administration's approach." |
|
| "His acknowledgment that the initial policy response had been insufficient is evident when he ______" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Roosevelt initially maintained confidence in his New Deal programs during the 1937 recession, but worsening conditions led him to reassess and eventually acknowledge that his initial response had been inadequate.
Argument Flow: The passage traces Roosevelt's evolving response to the 1937 recession, moving from initial confidence through reassessment to acknowledgment of inadequacy, with the final sentence requiring evidence to support the claim about his acknowledgment.
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 right answer should contain Roosevelt directly stating that his initial response wasn't sufficient or was inadequate in some way
- It should show Roosevelt explicitly acknowledging a problem with his initial response
- It should indicate that his original approach was somehow inadequate or insufficient
declared to Congress, "We must continue to pursue the policies that brought us out of the Great Depression."
✗ Incorrect
- States need to continue existing policies that worked before
- Shows confidence in past policies, not acknowledgment of insufficiency
- Directly contradicts the claim by expressing continued faith in the approach
stated in a fireside chat, "I now recognize that we may have been too cautious in our response to this economic downturn."
✓ Correct
- "I now recognize that we may have been too cautious" directly acknowledges inadequacy
- "Too cautious" means the response wasn't strong enough - exactly what "insufficient" means
- Matches our prethinking perfectly by showing Roosevelt admitting his approach wasn't adequate
announced to his cabinet, "The American people deserve better economic conditions than we have provided them."
✗ Incorrect
- Acknowledges poor results but doesn't specifically critique the policy response itself
- Could mean conditions are bad for other reasons beyond policy inadequacy
proclaimed at a campaign rally, "Our opponents offer no viable alternatives to our proven economic strategies."
✗ Incorrect
- Defends existing strategies as "proven"
- Shows confidence in current approach rather than acknowledging insufficiency
- Opposite of what we need - this reinforces faith in the policies