While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of October 1929.
- By 1933, nearly 13 million Americans were unemployed, representing \(25\%\) of the workforce.
- Families lost homes and farms as banks foreclosed on properties they could no longer afford.
- President Roosevelt's New Deal programs provided some relief through job creation and financial assistance.
- Soup kitchens and breadlines became common sights in cities across America.
- The economy didn't fully recover until World War II increased industrial production.
The student wants to identify what made the Great Depression so severe and long-lasting. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
The Great Depression began in 1929 when the stock market crashed, leading to widespread economic problems.
President Roosevelt's New Deal programs helped provide relief during the Great Depression through job creation and financial assistance.
The massive scale of unemployment—affecting \(25\%\) of the workforce—combined with widespread foreclosures created a downward spiral that required a world war to finally end.
Soup kitchens and breadlines became common sights as communities tried to help those affected by economic hardship.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of October 1929." |
|
| "By 1933, nearly 13 million Americans were unemployed, representing 25% of the workforce." |
|
| "Families lost homes and farms as banks foreclosed on properties they could no longer afford." |
|
| "President Roosevelt's New Deal programs provided some relief through job creation and financial assistance." |
|
| "Soup kitchens and breadlines became common sights in cities across America." |
|
| "The economy didn't fully recover until World War II increased industrial production." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The Great Depression was an unprecedented economic crisis that began in 1929, reached massive scale by 1933, and persisted despite government intervention until World War II finally restored full economic recovery.
Argument Flow: The notes establish a chronological progression from trigger (1929 crash) to peak devastation (1933 statistics and social impacts) to attempted solutions (New Deal) to final resolution (WWII recovery), emphasizing both the scale of suffering and the extended duration.
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
- It should explain what made the Depression SEVERE (the massive scale, devastating human impact)
- It should explain what made it LONG-LASTING (why it persisted for so long)
- It should connect these two aspects logically, showing how severity contributed to duration
- It should use specific evidence from the notes, particularly the striking statistics and timeline
- So the right answer should combine the massive scale of the crisis with an explanation of why it took so long to resolve, using concrete details from the research notes
The Great Depression began in 1929 when the stock market crashed, leading to widespread economic problems.
✗ Incorrect
- Simply restates the starting point without addressing severity or duration
- Doesn't use any of the compelling statistics or evidence about scale
- "Widespread economic problems" is too vague and doesn't explain what made this crisis unique
President Roosevelt's New Deal programs helped provide relief during the Great Depression through job creation and financial assistance.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on the solution rather than what made the Depression severe and long-lasting
- Actually contradicts the goal by discussing relief efforts rather than the crisis itself
- Misses the key point about what made the Depression so devastating and persistent
The massive scale of unemployment—affecting \(25\%\) of the workforce—combined with widespread foreclosures created a downward spiral that required a world war to finally end.
✓ Correct
- Addresses severity with the specific "25% of the workforce" statistic from the notes
- Addresses duration by explaining it "required a world war to finally end"
- Creates a logical connection: massive unemployment + foreclosures = "downward spiral"
- Uses the most compelling evidence from the notes to explain both characteristics the student wants to identify
Soup kitchens and breadlines became common sights as communities tried to help those affected by economic hardship.
✗ Incorrect
- Describes symptoms (soup kitchens, breadlines) rather than causes of severity and duration
- Doesn't explain what made the Depression so severe or why it lasted so long
- What trap this represents: Students might think describing the visible effects of the Depression explains its severity, but the question asks what MADE it severe, not what it looked like