The museum's latest acquisition, a 15th-century manuscript, arrived in remarkable condition despite centuries of storage. The pristine state of the...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The museum's latest acquisition, a 15th-century manuscript, arrived in remarkable condition despite centuries of storage. The pristine state of the parchment and ink has enabled conservators to _____ crucial details about medieval writing techniques and pigment compositions that would otherwise have been lost to time.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
extract
withhold
compile
suppress
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The museum's latest acquisition, a 15th-century manuscript, arrived in remarkable condition despite centuries of storage." |
|
| "The pristine state of the parchment and ink has enabled conservators to" |
|
| "crucial details about medieval writing techniques and pigment compositions that would otherwise have been lost to time." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The exceptional preservation of a 15th-century manuscript allows conservators to obtain valuable information about medieval writing techniques that would have been lost otherwise.
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 manuscript's pristine condition enables conservators to do something with crucial details
- The missing word needs to describe what conservators do to obtain information from historical documents
- Since the manuscript is well-preserved, they can get or discover details that wouldn't be available from damaged manuscripts
extract
✓ Correct
- Means to obtain or draw out information from a source
- Perfect fit: conservators can extract crucial details from the well-preserved manuscript
- Matches the cause-effect relationship: good condition enables extraction of information
withhold
✗ Incorrect
- Means to keep back or refuse to give something
- Makes no sense: why would conservators keep back information that would otherwise be lost?
- Contradicts the positive enabling relationship
compile
✗ Incorrect
- Means to collect and put together information from multiple sources
- Doesn't fit: the passage describes getting information from this single manuscript
suppress
✗ Incorrect
- Means to prevent or stop something from being revealed
- Completely contradictory: conservators wouldn't suppress information at risk of being lost