The controversial installation by contemporary artist James Chen initially divided critics, but major art publications eventually ______ his work as...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The controversial installation by contemporary artist James Chen initially divided critics, but major art publications eventually ______ his work as revolutionary; this shift reflected growing recognition that his unconventional materials had opened entirely new possibilities for sculptural expression.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
rejected
ignored
endorsed
postponed
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The controversial installation by contemporary artist James Chen initially divided critics," |
|
| "but major art publications eventually" |
|
| "[MISSING WORD/PHRASE]" |
|
| "his work as revolutionary;" |
|
| "this shift reflected growing recognition that his unconventional materials had opened entirely new possibilities for sculptural expression." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Chen's initially controversial art eventually gained recognition from major publications as revolutionary due to his innovative use of materials.
Argument Flow: We start with controversy and division among critics, then move through a contrast to show how major publications eventually came to support his work positively, with the final sentence explaining that this change reflected a growing understanding of how his materials opened new artistic possibilities.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we have a clear contrast structure: "initially divided critics, BUT major art publications eventually _____."
- The word "but" signals we're moving from something negative (division) to something positive
- After the blank, we see "his work as revolutionary" - which is extremely positive praise
- So the blank needs a word that shows major publications gave positive support or approval to Chen's work
- The relationship we need is: publications did something positive/supportive to his work, calling it revolutionary
rejected
- "Rejected" means to refuse or dismiss something
- This creates the wrong logical relationship - if publications rejected his work, they wouldn't call it "revolutionary" in a positive way
- Trap: Students might think "rejected" fits with the initial controversy, but they miss that we're in the "but" clause showing the positive change
ignored
- "Ignored" means to pay no attention to something
- If publications ignored his work, they wouldn't be calling it "revolutionary"
- This doesn't create the positive contrast the "but" requires
endorsed
- "Endorsed" means to support, approve, or praise something
- This creates the perfect logical flow: initially divided BUT major publications supported/praised calling it revolutionary
- Fits the contrast structure and explains why they would call it "revolutionary"
postponed
- "Postponed" means to delay something
- This doesn't make logical sense - you can't "postpone" work "as revolutionary"
- Creates an illogical sentence structure