The painter María Izquierdo played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Mexican art, but her work has never...

GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions

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The painter María Izquierdo played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Mexican art, but her work has never been well-known in the United States except among art historians. One reason for Izquierdo's relative obscurity is the enormous popularity of some of her peers. In particular, the painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have so captivated the interest of US audiences that Izquierdo and other Mexican artists from the period often get overlooked, despite the high quality of their work.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

Izquierdo's work is not as well-known in the United States as it should be because Kahlo and Rivera draw so much of the public's attention.

During Izquierdo's lifetime, her paintings were displayed in galleries in the United States much more frequently than paintings by Kahlo and Rivera were.

Izquierdo painted some of the same subjects that Kahlo and Rivera painted but used different techniques than they used.

Few of Izquierdo's works are in galleries today because she produced only a small number of paintings.

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
"The painter María Izquierdo played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Mexican art"	What it says: Izquierdo = key figure in 20th-c Mexican art What it does: Introduces Izquierdo and establishes her significance What it is: Opening claim about importance
"but her work has never been well-known in the United States except among art historians."	What it says: Her work unknown in US (except art historians) What it does: Contrasts with the importance we just learned about What it is: Qualifying statement/problem
"One reason for Izquierdo's relative obscurity is the enormous popularity of some of her peers."	What it says: Obscurity reason = peers too popular What it does: Explains the problem we just identified What it is: Causal explanation
"In particular, the painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have so captivated the interest of US audiences that Izquierdo and other Mexican artists from the period often get overlooked, despite the high quality of their work."	What it says: Kahlo + Rivera captivate US → Izquierdo + others overlooked (despite quality work) What it does: Provides specific evidence for the explanation we just read What it is: Supporting evidence with specific examples

Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: María Izquierdo, despite being an important Mexican artist, remains relatively unknown in the United States because other Mexican artists like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have captured so much public attention.

Argument Flow: The passage establishes Izquierdo's artistic importance, then presents the problem that she's not well-known in the US. It explains this obscurity by pointing to the overshadowing popularity of her famous peers, specifically Kahlo and Rivera, whose success has caused other quality Mexican artists to be overlooked.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

What's being asked? The main idea of the entire text
What type of answer do we need? A statement that captures the central message or primary point
Any limiting keywords? "Main idea" means we need the overarching message, not a supporting detail

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

It should mention that Izquierdo isn't well-known in the US despite deserving to be
It should explain that this lack of recognition is because other artists (specifically Kahlo and Rivera) get all the attention
It should capture the core problem-and-explanation structure we mapped out
The right answer should explain that Izquierdo deserves more recognition in the US but doesn't get it because other Mexican artists overshadow her

Answer Choices Explained

Izquierdo's work is not as well-known in the United States as it should be because Kahlo and Rivera draw so much of the public's attention.

✓ Correct

Captures both parts of our main idea: Izquierdo isn't as well-known as she should be AND the reason is Kahlo and Rivera drawing attention
Matches our passage analysis perfectly - connects the problem (obscurity) with the explanation (peers' popularity)
Uses language that mirrors the passage's contrast between deserving recognition and actually getting it

During Izquierdo's lifetime, her paintings were displayed in galleries in the United States much more frequently than paintings by Kahlo and Rivera were.

✗ Incorrect

Claims her paintings were displayed more frequently than Kahlo's and Rivera's during her lifetime
This contradicts the passage, which says Kahlo and Rivera have "captivated" US audiences while Izquierdo remains obscure
What trap this represents: Students might confuse artistic importance with public recognition, thinking the passage is comparing exhibition frequency rather than current fame levels

Izquierdo painted some of the same subjects that Kahlo and Rivera painted but used different techniques than they used.

✗ Incorrect

Focuses on painting subjects and techniques
The passage never discusses what any of these artists painted or how their methods differed
Completely misses the main point about recognition and popularity

Few of Izquierdo's works are in galleries today because she produced only a small number of paintings.

✗ Incorrect

Claims few works are in galleries because she didn't produce many paintings
The passage doesn't mention current gallery presence or quantity of paintings produced
Misidentifies the cause of obscurity (limited output rather than overshadowing by peers)

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