Researcher Dr. Elena Martinez uncovered a cache of private letters written by nineteenth-century author Caroline Whitmore. Though literary historians ...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Researcher Dr. Elena Martinez uncovered a cache of private letters written by nineteenth-century author Caroline Whitmore. Though literary historians had long dismissed Whitmore as merely a provincial writer of modest talent, Dr. Martinez's findings revealed that Whitmore consistently provided guidance to leading publishing firms regarding manuscript selection and editorial direction. The letters demonstrate that her literary opinions and suggestions were routinely adopted by influential publishers. Despite her minimal fame as an author, this discovery indicates that Whitmore probably ________
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
composed more literary works than scholars had previously recognized.
wielded considerable power in the publishing world.
maintained extensive connections across literary society.
pioneered original writing methods for her time period.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Researcher Dr. Elena Martinez uncovered a cache of private letters written by nineteenth-century author Caroline Whitmore.' |
|
| 'Though literary historians had long dismissed Whitmore as merely a provincial writer of modest talent, Dr. Martinez's findings revealed that Whitmore consistently provided guidance to leading publishing firms regarding manuscript selection and editorial direction.' |
|
| 'The letters demonstrate that her literary opinions and suggestions were routinely adopted by influential publishers.' |
|
| 'Despite her minimal fame as an author, this discovery indicates that Whitmore probably __________' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Martinez's discovery reveals that Caroline Whitmore, despite being dismissed as a minor writer, actually had significant influence in the publishing world.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a discovery that challenges previous assumptions. It contrasts the old scholarly view of Whitmore as a modest writer with new evidence showing she advised leading publishers, then provides supporting details showing her influence was real and consistent, leading to a conclusion about her true significance.
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 evidence shows that while Whitmore had minimal fame as an author, she was actually advising leading publishers and they were routinely following her suggestions
- This reveals a significant disconnect between her public reputation and her actual influence
- The right answer should capture that despite her low public profile, she had real power or influence behind the scenes in the publishing industry
composed more literary works than scholars had previously recognized.
- This focuses on the quantity of her literary works
- The passage isn't about discovering unknown writings by her, but about discovering her influence on others' work
- Doesn't address the contrast between her modest reputation and her actual behind-the-scenes power
wielded considerable power in the publishing world.
- This directly captures the main inference from the evidence
- The letters show she 'consistently provided guidance to leading publishing firms' and her opinions were 'routinely adopted by influential publishers'
- This perfectly explains the contrast between her 'minimal fame' and her actual influence
maintained extensive connections across literary society.
- This is about having connections, but the evidence goes beyond just knowing people
- The passage emphasizes that publishers actually followed her advice, showing influence rather than mere social networking
- Too vague compared to the specific evidence about her advisory role
pioneered original writing methods for her time period.
- No evidence in the passage about her writing methods or pioneering techniques
- The focus is on her advisory role to publishers, not her own writing innovations
- This choice introduces a completely new concept not supported by the text