Taking photographs in the mid-1800s was complicated and expensive, but this changed with the 1854 invention of the carte de...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Taking photographs in the mid-1800s was complicated and expensive, but this changed with the 1854 invention of the carte de visite, a small photo that cost little to make. Carte de visite photos helped to ______ photography: they made it easy and enjoyable for everyday people to have their pictures taken, and people at the time loved exchanging these small photos with friends and family.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Taking photographs in the mid-1800s was complicated and expensive," |
|
| "but this changed with the 1854 invention of the carte de visite, a small photo that cost little to make." |
|
| "Carte de visite photos helped to _____ photography:" |
|
| "they made it easy and enjoyable for everyday people to have their pictures taken, and people at the time loved exchanging these small photos with friends and family." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The invention of the affordable carte de visite transformed photography by making it accessible to ordinary people.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a problem (photography was difficult and expensive), introduces a solution (the carte de visite), and then provides evidence for how this solution affected photography (made it easy and popular with everyday people).
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 word must describe what carte de visite photos did TO photography as a whole
- Based on our analysis, these photos made photography accessible to everyday people
- The evidence shows people found it easy and enjoyable and loved exchanging the photos
- This suggests the carte de visite made photography more widespread or well-liked among the general population
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests making photography worse or less effective
- The evidence shows the opposite - carte de visite made photography better and more accessible
- This contradicts the positive tone and evidence provided
✗ Incorrect
- Means to express approval or admiration
- The sentence structure requires a verb describing what the photos did TO photography, not about it
- Does not match the evidence about making photography accessible to everyday people
✓ Correct
- Means to make something widely liked or accessible to the general public
- Perfectly matches our evidence: made photography easy and enjoyable for everyday people
- Fits the logical flow: expensive/complicated to invention of cheap photos to made photography popular
- The evidence about people loving to exchange photos supports this idea of popularization
Answer: C
✗ Incorrect
- Means to separate or set apart
- This contradicts the evidence showing carte de visite brought photography TO more people
- The opposite of what happened - photography became more connected to everyday life