'The Yellow Wallpaper' is an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the story, the narrator expresses mixed feelings...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
'The Yellow Wallpaper' is an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the story, the narrator expresses mixed feelings about her surroundings: ________
Which quotation from 'The Yellow Wallpaper' most effectively illustrates the claim?
'This wallpaper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then.'
'By moonlight—the moon shines in all night when there is a moon—I wouldn't know it was the same paper.'
'I'm really getting quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid [wall]paper.'
'The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering, unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.'
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. |
|
| In the story, the narrator expresses mixed feelings about her surroundings: |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper has conflicted emotions about her environment.
Argument Flow: We're given basic information about the story and author, then presented with a specific claim about the narrator's emotional state that requires textual evidence to support.
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 correct answer must show the narrator expressing both positive and negative emotions about her surroundings
- We're looking for mixed feelings, which means contradictory or conflicting emotions - not just one feeling, but two opposing feelings about the same general area
- The quote should contain clear language showing she likes some aspect of her environment while disliking another aspect
'This wallpaper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then.'
✗ Incorrect
- Describes the wallpaper as having a sub-pattern that's particularly irritating
- Only expresses negative feelings without any positive counterbalance
- Shows frustration but no mixed feelings
'By moonlight—the moon shines in all night when there is a moon—I wouldn't know it was the same paper.'
✗ Incorrect
- Notes that moonlight makes the wallpaper look different
- Describes an observation about changing appearance rather than emotional responses
- Contains no clear positive or negative feelings
'I'm really getting quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid [wall]paper.'
✓ Correct
- Shows clear mixed feelings: quite fond of the big room (positive) contrasted with that horrid paper (negative)
- Uses the word but to directly contrast her positive feelings about one aspect with negative feelings about another
- Both emotions relate to her surroundings perfectly matching the claim
'The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering, unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.'
✗ Incorrect
- Describes the wallpaper color as repellant, almost revolting and unclean yellow
- Only expresses intensely negative feelings with no positive counterbalance
- Shows strong disgust but no evidence of mixed feelings