Red velvet cake has been a favorite dessert of many for years, but the recipe's origins are unclear. A bakery...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Red velvet cake has been a favorite dessert of many for years, but the recipe's origins are unclear. A bakery in Dallas, Texas, argued that it created the first recipe for the cake when the bakery opened in the 1860s. The Adams Extract Co., which sells baking products, claims to have created the recipe in the 1930s to help market their red dye. A US hotel and a Canadian department store also publicly stated that the red velvet cake sold in each of their establishments in the 1930s was an original creation, each alleging that it was the recipe author. No clear evidence has emerged to favor one of these claims over the others, however. It thus seems that ________
Which choice most logically completes the text?
red velvet cake was first baked sometime before the 1860s.
we cannot say at present who actually baked the first red velvet cake.
none of the supposed inventors of red velvet cake are likely to have invented it.
the bakery in Dallas, Texas, probably invented red velvet cake.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Red velvet cake has been a favorite dessert of many for years, but the recipe's origins are unclear." |
|
| "A bakery in Dallas, Texas, argued that it created the first recipe for the cake when the bakery opened in the 1860s." |
|
| "The Adams Extract Co., which sells baking products, claims to have created the recipe in the 1930s to help market their red dye." |
|
| "A US hotel and a Canadian department store also publicly stated that the red velvet cake sold in each of their establishments in the 1930s was an original creation, each alleging that it was the recipe author." |
|
| "No clear evidence has emerged to favor one of these claims over the others, however." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Multiple parties claim to have invented red velvet cake, but no clear evidence supports any single claim over the others.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that red velvet cake's origins are disputed, presents four different claims about who invented it (spanning from the 1860s to 1930s), then reveals that none of these claims can be definitively proven. This sets up a logical conclusion about our current state of knowledge regarding the cake's true inventor.
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 passage tells us that multiple parties claim to have invented red velvet cake, but "no clear evidence has emerged to favor one of these claims over the others."
- This directly leads to a conclusion about our current ability to determine the truth.
- The right answer should express that we currently cannot determine who actually invented red velvet cake first.
red velvet cake was first baked sometime before the 1860s.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the cake was first baked before the 1860s.
- This contradicts the passage logic - if we have no evidence to favor any claim, we certainly cannot conclude it happened even earlier than the earliest claim.
we cannot say at present who actually baked the first red velvet cake.
✓ Correct
- States we cannot currently determine who actually baked the first red velvet cake.
- This perfectly matches the logical flow: no evidence favors any claim → we cannot identify the true inventor.
none of the supposed inventors of red velvet cake are likely to have invented it.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims none of the supposed inventors are likely to have invented it.
- This goes too far - lack of evidence to choose between claims does not mean all claims are false.
the bakery in Dallas, Texas, probably invented red velvet cake.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests the Dallas bakery probably invented it.
- This directly contradicts the passage statement that no evidence favors any single claim.