The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd, creating sounds that are highly ________: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the ridges, the types of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.
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 |
|---|---|
| "The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the Taíno people of Puerto Rico." |
|
| "Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd, creating sounds that are highly ______:" |
|
| "the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the ridges, the types of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The güiro creates sounds that vary significantly based on multiple physical and technical factors.
Argument Flow: The passage introduces the güiro's background, explains how it's played while noting a key characteristic of its sounds, then provides specific evidence showing how three different factors affect the sound quality.
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 sentence structure shows us that the blank describes a key quality of güiro sounds, and this description is immediately followed by a colon and explanation
- After the colon, we learn that güiro sounds "can differ based on" three different factors - ridge distance, stroke types, and gourd thickness
- This tells us the sounds can change significantly depending on these variables
- So the right answer should describe sounds that can change or vary in different ways based on different factors
- "Overlooked" means ignored or not noticed
- This doesn't connect logically to the explanation about how sounds differ based on various factors
- "Powerful" describes volume or intensity
- While güiros might produce powerful sounds, this doesn't connect to the explanation about how sounds change based on different factors
- "Routine" suggests something ordinary or repetitive
- This contradicts the explanation that follows, which shows how sounds can differ in multiple ways
- "Variable" means changeable or able to vary
- This perfectly connects to the explanation that güiro sounds "can differ based on" three different factors
- The colon introduces specific evidence showing exactly how the sounds are variable