The following text is adapted from a student's reflection on a challenging literature course assignment.Professor Martinez had assigned what she...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from a student's reflection on a challenging literature course assignment.
Professor Martinez had assigned what she called an "experimental approach" to analyzing poetry—students would write their own poems in response to the assigned readings rather than traditional essays. Sarah slumped in her chair, muttering complaints to her roommate about the "ridiculous requirement" that had nothing to do with proper literary analysis. She compared it unfavorably to the straightforward essay assignments she'd mastered in previous English courses.
Yet as Sarah worked late into the night crafting her response poem, she found herself discovering connections between the original text and her own experience that she'd never noticed in conventional essays. There was an unmistakable excitement in her furrowed concentration as she revised line after line.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To contrast Sarah's preferred learning methods with her professor's teaching style
To reveal Sarah's conflicted response to the unconventional assignment
To demonstrate the superiority of creative approaches over traditional academic writing
To describe the specific requirements of Professor Martinez's literature course
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Professor Martinez had assigned what she called an 'experimental approach' to analyzing poetry—students would write their own poems in response to the assigned readings rather than traditional essays." |
|
| "Sarah slumped in her chair, muttering complaints to her roommate about the 'ridiculous requirement' that had nothing to do with proper literary analysis." |
|
| "She compared it unfavorably to the straightforward essay assignments she'd mastered in previous English courses." |
|
| "Yet as Sarah worked late into the night crafting her response poem, she found herself discovering connections between the original text and her own experience that she'd never noticed in conventional essays." |
|
| "There was an unmistakable excitement in her furrowed concentration as she revised line after line." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The text shows Sarah's transformation from resisting an unconventional assignment to discovering its unexpected value.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up an experimental poetry assignment, establishes Sarah's strong resistance to this unfamiliar approach, then uses "Yet" to pivot and show how her actual experience contradicted her initial complaints, revealing genuine engagement and discovery.
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 overall goal or function the text serves
- Any limiting keywords? "Main purpose" means we need the central objective, not just one element
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should capture Sarah's journey from resistance to engagement
- The text focuses on her conflicted response - initial complaints versus eventual discovery
- The structure deliberately sets up this contrast with "Yet" as the turning point
To contrast Sarah's preferred learning methods with her professor's teaching style
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect - This suggests contrasting different approaches but the passage focuses on Sarah's changing experience, not comparing different people's methods
To reveal Sarah's conflicted response to the unconventional assignment
✓ Correct
- Correct - Perfectly captures Sarah's internal conflict: initial resistance versus eventual engagement
- "Conflicted response" fits exactly and "unconventional" matches the experimental approach
To demonstrate the superiority of creative approaches over traditional academic writing
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect - The passage doesn't argue that creative approaches are superior
- It shows Sarah's personal experience but doesn't make general claims about teaching methods
To describe the specific requirements of Professor Martinez's literature course
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect - This is too narrow
- Describing course requirements is just setup, not the main purpose
- The passage focuses on Sarah's response