The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century were initially dismissed by traditional art critics who expected detailed, realistic portrayals...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century were initially dismissed by traditional art critics who expected detailed, realistic portrayals of their subjects. _____ these artists prioritized capturing fleeting effects of light and atmosphere over precise representation, fundamentally challenging established artistic conventions.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Therefore,
However,
Similarly,
For instance,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | What it says | What it does | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century were initially dismissed by traditional art critics who expected detailed, realistic portrayals of their subjects.' | Impressionists dismissed by critics; critics wanted realistic art | Introduces the conflict between Impressionist painters and traditional critics | Context/background |
| '[MISSING TRANSITION]' | Missing logical connector | ||
| 'these artists prioritized capturing fleeting effects of light and atmosphere over precise representation, fundamentally challenging established artistic conventions.' | Artists focused on light/atmosphere, not precision; challenged conventions | Explains what the Impressionist artists actually prioritized instead | Explanation of artists' approach |
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Impressionist painters were dismissed by traditional critics for prioritizing atmospheric effects over the realistic detail that critics expected.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a conflict between what traditional art critics expected from painters and what Impressionist artists actually chose to focus on, showing how this difference fundamentally challenged artistic conventions.
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
- From our analysis, we see that critics dismissed Impressionist painters because they expected detailed, realistic portrayals
- The sentence after the blank explains that these artists actually prioritized light and atmosphere over precision
- This creates a contrast relationship - the critics wanted one thing, but the artists did something different
- The missing connector needs to signal this contrast between what critics expected versus what artists actually did
Therefore,
- 'Therefore' indicates cause-and-effect or draws a conclusion
- This doesn't fit because the artists' approach wasn't a result of critics dismissing them
However,
- 'However' signals contrast, which perfectly fits our analysis
- It shows the opposition between what critics expected versus what artists actually prioritized
Similarly,
- 'Similarly' would suggest the artists' approach was like what critics wanted
- This directly contradicts the passage, which shows these were opposing approaches
For instance,
- 'For instance' introduces an example or specific case
- The artists' approach isn't an example of what critics wanted - it's the opposite