The following text is adapted from John Muir's 1911 essay "The Mountains of California."The great Sierra stands like a mighty...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from John Muir's 1911 essay "The Mountains of California."
The great Sierra stands like a mighty fortress along California's eastern border. Her granite walls rise in defiant towers, while her snow-crowned peaks pierce the sky like ancient spears thrust upward in eternal battle. Through her rocky corridors, mountain streams whisper secrets that only the wilderness knows, and across her broad shoulders, forests spread like a vast green mantle protecting the treasures hidden in her stone embrace.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It develops a sustained comparison of the mountain range to a warrior or guardian figure.
It contrasts the Sierra's appearance during different seasons of the year.
It presents alternating descriptions of the mountains' geological and biological features.
It traces the formation of the Sierra from ancient times to the present day.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The great Sierra stands like a mighty fortress along California's eastern border." |
|
| "Her granite walls rise in defiant towers, while her snow-crowned peaks pierce the sky like ancient spears thrust upward in eternal battle." |
|
| "Through her rocky corridors, mountain streams whisper secrets that only the wilderness knows, and across her broad shoulders, forests spread like a vast green mantle protecting the treasures hidden in her stone embrace." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The Sierra mountain range is portrayed as a mighty, personified warrior-guardian protecting California's eastern border.
Argument Flow: The passage begins by establishing the Sierra as a fortress, then builds this metaphor through specific warrior imagery (walls as towers, peaks as spears in battle), and concludes by expanding the personification to show the mountains as a protective guardian figure with corridors, shoulders, and a mantle sheltering hidden treasures.
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 entire passage uses one consistent approach: it treats the Sierra as a personified warrior or guardian figure
- Every single sentence contributes to this extended comparison—from "mighty fortress" to "Her granite walls" to "defiant towers" to "ancient spears" to "her broad shoulders" and "protective mantle"
- There's no shift in approach, no contrasting ideas, no different topics—just one sustained metaphorical comparison that builds throughout
It develops a sustained comparison of the mountain range to a warrior or guardian figure.
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures what we identified—the entire passage develops one sustained comparison
- Every sentence contributes to portraying the Sierra as either a warrior (fortress, towers, spears, battle) or guardian figure (protecting treasures, broad shoulders, mantle)
It contrasts the Sierra's appearance during different seasons of the year.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the text contrasts different seasons
- The passage never mentions different seasons—"snow-crowned peaks" is just one detail in the warrior imagery
It presents alternating descriptions of the mountains' geological and biological features.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests the passage alternates between geological and biological features
- While geological (granite walls) and biological (forests) elements appear, they're all integrated into the single sustained metaphor of the guardian figure
It traces the formation of the Sierra from ancient times to the present day.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the text traces formation from ancient times to present
- The passage gives no historical timeline or developmental sequence
- "Ancient spears" is metaphorical language, not a reference to historical formation