While conducting historical research, a student has taken the following notes:The temperance movement gained momentum in the United States during...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While conducting historical research, a student has taken the following notes:
- The temperance movement gained momentum in the United States during the early 1900s.
- Leaders like Carrie Nation organized grassroots campaigns using public demonstrations and community rallies.
- These direct action tactics often involved confrontational approaches like saloon raids and property destruction.
- The civil rights movement gained momentum in the United States during the mid-1900s.
- Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. organized grassroots campaigns using peaceful protests and educational initiatives.
- These nonviolent tactics emphasized negotiation, legal challenges, and moral persuasion.
The student wants to highlight a key difference in the approaches used by these two movements. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
The temperance movement gained momentum in the early 1900s, while the civil rights movement gained momentum in the mid-1900s.
Unlike the civil rights movement's emphasis on nonviolent tactics and moral persuasion, the temperance movement often employed confrontational approaches like saloon raids and property destruction.
Both the temperance movement and civil rights movement organized grassroots campaigns led by prominent figures.
Carrie Nation's temperance movement used public demonstrations, just as Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement used peaceful protests.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The temperance movement gained momentum in the United States during the early 1900s. |
|
| Leaders like Carrie Nation organized grassroots campaigns using public demonstrations and community rallies. |
|
| These direct action tactics often involved confrontational approaches like saloon raids and property destruction. |
|
| The civil rights movement gained momentum in the United States during the mid-1900s. |
|
| Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. organized grassroots campaigns using peaceful protests and educational initiatives. |
|
| These nonviolent tactics emphasized negotiation, legal challenges, and moral persuasion. |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The notes present two social movements that shared similar organizational structures but used fundamentally different tactical approaches.
Argument Flow: The notes establish parallel structures for two movements, first giving timing and context, then describing their grassroots organization, and finally contrasting their tactical approaches - with temperance using confrontational methods and civil rights using nonviolent methods.
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 right answer should contrast the approaches/methods used by the two movements
- Highlight the confrontational nature of temperance tactics vs. the nonviolent nature of civil rights tactics
- Use relevant information from the notes to show this difference clearly
The temperance movement gained momentum in the early 1900s, while the civil rights movement gained momentum in the mid-1900s.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on timing differences rather than approaches
- While factually correct, it doesn't address the methods/approaches the student wants to highlight
Unlike the civil rights movement's emphasis on nonviolent tactics and moral persuasion, the temperance movement often employed confrontational approaches like saloon raids and property destruction.
✓ Correct
- Directly contrasts the key approaches - nonviolent tactics versus confrontational approaches
- Uses specific evidence from the notes about both movements' methods
- Perfectly matches what the student wants to accomplish
Both the temperance movement and civil rights movement organized grassroots campaigns led by prominent figures.
✗ Incorrect
- Emphasizes similarities between the movements rather than differences
- Goes against what the student wants to highlight
Carrie Nation's temperance movement used public demonstrations, just as Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement used peaceful protests.
✗ Incorrect
- Also focuses on similarities between the movements' use of public action rather than the key difference in their approaches