The following text is adapted from Ann Petry's 1946 novel The Street. Lutie lives in an apartment in Harlem, New...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The following text is adapted from Ann Petry's 1946 novel The Street. Lutie lives in an apartment in Harlem, New York.
The glow from the sunset was making the street radiant. The street is nice in this light, [Lutie] thought. It was swarming with children who were playing ball and darting back and forth across the sidewalk in complicated games of tag. Girls were skipping double dutch rope, going tirelessly through the exact center of a pair of ropes, jumping first on one foot and then the other.
©1946 by Ann Petry
Which choice best describes what is happening in the text?
Lutie is observing the appearance of the street at a particular time of day and the events occurring on it.
Lutie is annoyed by the noise of children playing games on her street.
Lutie is puzzled by the rules of certain children's games.
Lutie is spending time alone in her apartment because she doesn't want to interact with her neighbors.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The glow from the sunset was making the street radiant." |
|
| "The street is nice in this light, [Lutie] thought." |
|
| "It was swarming with children who were playing ball and darting back and forth across the sidewalk in complicated games of tag." |
|
| "Girls were skipping double dutch rope, going tirelessly through the exact center of a pair of ropes, jumping first on one foot and then the other." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Lutie is observing and appreciating both the attractive appearance of her street at sunset and the various children's activities taking place on it.
Argument Flow: The passage begins by establishing the appealing visual conditions created by the sunset, then reveals Lutie's positive reaction to this scene, and finally provides increasingly specific details about the children's activities she's watching.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The question wants us to identify what's happening in the text overall—the main situation or activity being described.
What type of answer do we need? We need a choice that captures the primary action or situation in the passage.
Any limiting keywords? The phrase "what is happening" suggests we need to focus on the main activity or situation, not just details or themes.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should capture that Lutie is observing both the visual appearance of the street and the activities happening on it
- She's looking at the street, both how it appears (beautiful in sunset light) and what's going on there (children playing various games)
Lutie is observing the appearance of the street at a particular time of day and the events occurring on it.
✓ Correct
- Perfectly captures both elements: Lutie observing the "appearance of the street at a particular time of day" (sunset making it radiant) and "events occurring on it" (children's games)
- This matches our analysis that the passage shows Lutie as an observer taking in both visual and activity details
Lutie is annoyed by the noise of children playing games on her street.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims Lutie is "annoyed by the noise" but the passage shows the opposite—she thinks the street is "nice"
- This focuses only on her reaction to the games while ignoring the visual elements
Lutie is puzzled by the rules of certain children's games.
✗ Incorrect
- Says Lutie is "puzzled by the rules" but there's no evidence of confusion in the passage
- The detailed description suggests observation, not puzzlement, and misses the key visual element entirely
Lutie is spending time alone in her apartment because she doesn't want to interact with her neighbors.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims she's "spending time alone in her apartment" but the passage doesn't tell us where she physically is—only what she's observing
- This completely ignores both the visual setting and the children's activities