The novelist Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to work as an editor at the publishing company Random House,...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The novelist Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to work as an editor at the publishing company Random House, from 1967 to 1983. A scholar asserts that one of Morrison's likely aims during her time as an editor was to strengthen the presence of Black writers on the list of Random House's published authors.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the scholar's claim?
The percentage of authors published by Random House who were Black rose in the early 1970s and stabilized throughout the decade.
Black authors who were interviewed in the 1980s and 1990s were highly likely to cite Toni Morrison's novels as a principal influence on their work.
The novels written by Toni Morrison that were published after 1983 sold significantly more copies and received wider critical acclaim than the novels she wrote that were published before 1983.
Works that were edited by Toni Morrison during her time at Random House displayed stylistic characteristics that distinguished them from works that were not edited by Morrison.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The novelist Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to work as an editor at the publishing company Random House, from 1967 to 1983." |
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| "A scholar asserts that one of Morrison's likely aims during her time as an editor was to strengthen the presence of Black writers on the list of Random House's published authors." |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A scholar believes that Toni Morrison, as the first Black woman editor at Random House, likely aimed to increase the representation of Black writers among the company's published authors.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Morrison's unique historical position as the first Black woman editor at a major publishing house, then presents a scholar's interpretation that this position came with a mission to increase Black representation in their published works.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find evidence that would support the scholar's claim about Morrison's editorial aims.
What type of answer do we need? A finding or piece of evidence that would strengthen the argument that Morrison worked to increase Black writer representation at Random House.
Any limiting keywords? "Most strongly support" means we want the choice that provides the clearest, most direct evidence for the claim.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- To support this claim, we'd want evidence that shows Black representation actually increased during Morrison's time as editor (1967-1983)
- The right answer should show concrete evidence that Black writer representation at Random House actually grew during Morrison's tenure, demonstrating that her supposed aim was successful
The percentage of authors published by Random House who were Black rose in the early 1970s and stabilized throughout the decade.
- Shows that Black author representation at Random House actually increased in the early 1970s and remained stable throughout the decade
- This directly supports the scholar's claim by providing concrete evidence that Morrison's supposed goal was achieved during her editorial period
Black authors who were interviewed in the 1980s and 1990s were highly likely to cite Toni Morrison's novels as a principal influence on their work.
- This focuses on Morrison's influence as a novelist on other Black authors, not her work as an editor
- Being cited as an influence doesn't prove she worked to get more Black authors published at Random House
The novels written by Toni Morrison that were published after 1983 sold significantly more copies and received wider critical acclaim than the novels she wrote that were published before 1983.
- This is about Morrison's success as a novelist after leaving Random House, not about her editorial work
- Her novels' commercial success tells us nothing about whether she worked to increase Black representation while she was an editor
Works that were edited by Toni Morrison during her time at Random House displayed stylistic characteristics that distinguished them from works that were not edited by Morrison.
- This shows Morrison had distinctive editorial skills but doesn't relate to increasing Black writer representation
- Having a unique editorial style doesn't prove she used that position to promote Black authors specifically