Text 1The recent revival of neoclassical architecture in urban design has garnered significant attention from architects and city planners. The...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 1
The recent revival of neoclassical architecture in urban design has garnered significant attention from architects and city planners. The movement represents a return to classical proportions and ornamentation, offering what proponents call a much-needed alternative to modernist sterility. Early projects have shown impressive public reception, with surveys indicating strong community approval. This renewed interest in traditional design principles suggests a promising shift toward more humanistic urban environments.
Text 2
While architect Maria Santos acknowledges the public enthusiasm for neoclassical revival projects, she cautions that the movement faces substantial practical challenges. As Santos points out, classical detailing significantly increases construction costs, and many contemporary building codes conflict with traditional proportions. Moreover, Santos notes that what works in small-scale projects may not translate effectively to large urban developments, where efficiency and density requirements often override aesthetic considerations.
Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2 most likely say about Text 1's characterization of the neoclassical revival?
It accurately reflects Santos's findings about public reception and practical implementation.
It is too enthusiastic given the complications Santos has identified.
It is surprisingly cautious given Santos's acknowledgment of public support.
It unfairly minimizes the significance of Santos's architectural innovations.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The recent revival of neoclassical architecture in urban design has garnered significant attention from architects and city planners.' |
|
| 'The movement represents a return to classical proportions and ornamentation, offering what proponents call a much-needed alternative to modernist sterility.' |
|
| 'Early projects have shown impressive public reception, with surveys indicating strong community approval.' |
|
| 'This renewed interest in traditional design principles suggests a promising shift toward more humanistic urban environments.' |
|
| 'While architect Maria Santos acknowledges the public enthusiasm for neoclassical revival projects, she cautions that the movement faces substantial practical challenges.' |
|
| 'As Santos points out, classical detailing significantly increases construction costs, and many contemporary building codes conflict with traditional proportions.' |
|
| 'Moreover, Santos notes that what works in small-scale projects may not translate effectively to large urban developments, where efficiency and density requirements often override aesthetic considerations.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While neoclassical revival has strong public support, it faces significant practical implementation challenges that may limit its success.
Argument Flow: Text 1 presents an entirely positive view of the neoclassical revival, citing professional attention, supporter claims, and public approval to conclude the movement represents a promising shift. Text 2 acknowledges this public enthusiasm but introduces a more complex reality, with Santos highlighting cost increases, building code conflicts, and scalability problems that temper the optimistic outlook.
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 know Santos acknowledges public enthusiasm but emphasizes serious practical problems
- Text 1, meanwhile, presents only positive aspects—attention from professionals, supporter claims, public approval, and optimistic conclusions about the future
- Text 1 completely omits the practical challenges that Santos considers substantial
- Given Santos balanced but cautious perspective, she would likely view Text 1 entirely positive characterization as incomplete or overly optimistic
- The right answer should reflect that Santos would find Text 1 presentation problematic because it ignores the significant practical obstacles she has identified
- So the right answer should indicate Santos would think Text 1 is too positive given the real-world challenges she knows exist
It accurately reflects Santos's findings about public reception and practical implementation.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims Text 1 accurately reflects Santos findings about public reception and practical implementation
- While Text 1 does reflect public reception accurately, it says nothing about practical implementation challenges
- Santos specifically emphasizes implementation problems that Text 1 completely ignores
It is too enthusiastic given the complications Santos has identified.
✓ Correct
- States Text 1 is too enthusiastic given the complications Santos has identified
- Perfectly matches our analysis: Text 1 is entirely positive while Santos has identified substantial practical challenges
- Santos would indeed view Text 1 unqualified enthusiasm as problematic given her awareness of cost increases, code conflicts, and scalability issues
It is surprisingly cautious given Santos's acknowledgment of public support.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims Text 1 is surprisingly cautious given Santos acknowledgment of public support
- Text 1 is the opposite of cautious—it is thoroughly enthusiastic and optimistic
It unfairly minimizes the significance of Santos's architectural innovations.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests Text 1 unfairly minimizes the significance of Santos architectural innovations
- Text 1 does not discuss Santos or her innovations at all—it focuses on the general revival movement