Scholars have noted that F. Scott Fitzgerald's writings were likely influenced in part by his marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald, but...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Scholars have noted that F. Scott Fitzgerald's writings were likely influenced in part by his marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald, but many don't recognize Zelda as a writer in her own right. Indeed, Zelda authored several works herself, such as the novel Save Me the Waltz and numerous short stories. Thus, those who primarily view Zelda as an inspiration for F. Scott's writings ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
overlook the many other factors that motivated F. Scott to write.
risk misrepresenting the full range of Zelda's contributions to literature.
may draw inaccurate conclusions about how F. Scott and Zelda viewed each other's works.
tend to read the works of F. Scott and Zelda in an overly autobiographical light.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Scholars have noted that F. Scott Fitzgerald's writings were likely influenced in part by his marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald," |
|
| "but many don't recognize Zelda as a writer in her own right." |
|
| "Indeed, Zelda authored several works herself, such as the novel Save Me the Waltz and numerous short stories." |
|
| "Thus, those who primarily view Zelda as an inspiration for F. Scott's writings ______" |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: People who view Zelda Fitzgerald primarily as an inspiration for her husband's writing fail to recognize her as an accomplished author in her own right.
Argument Flow: The passage starts with an accepted scholarly view about Zelda's influence on F. Scott's writing, then identifies a gap in perception where people don't recognize Zelda's independent literary work. It provides concrete evidence of her authorship, then sets up a logical conclusion about the consequences of this limited view.
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 builds an argument that people have a limited view—they see Zelda as inspiration for F. Scott but miss that she was an accomplished writer herself
- The evidence shows she authored a novel and short stories
- The logical consequence should be about what these people are missing or getting wrong about Zelda specifically
- The right answer should explain that this limited view causes people to miss or misunderstand Zelda's own role in literature
overlook the many other factors that motivated F. Scott to write.
- This focuses on other factors that motivated F. Scott to write
- The passage isn't about what else influenced F. Scott—it's about people not recognizing Zelda's independent work
risk misrepresenting the full range of Zelda's contributions to literature.
- This directly addresses the consequence of seeing Zelda only as inspiration while missing her independent authorship
- Matches our passage evidence: she authored works herself, so viewing her only as inspiration misses "the full range of Zelda's contributions to literature"
may draw inaccurate conclusions about how F. Scott and Zelda viewed each other's works.
- This is about conclusions regarding how F. Scott and Zelda viewed each other's works
- The passage doesn't discuss their mutual perceptions of each other's writing
tend to read the works of F. Scott and Zelda in an overly autobiographical light.
- This suggests people read their works too autobiographically
- The passage isn't about how people interpret the content of their writings, but about whether people recognize Zelda as a writer at all