There Is Confusion is a 1924 novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset. In the novel, the narrator portrays the character Joanna...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
There Is Confusion is a 1924 novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset. In the novel, the narrator portrays the character Joanna as someone who admires ambition in other people to the exclusion of all other qualities: ______
Which quotation from There Is Confusion most effectively illustrates the claim?
Joanna was mightily interested in people who had a 'purpose' in life. Otherwise not at all.
Indeed from the very beginning Joanna showed her preference for her father.
Joanna was like her father not only so far as ambition was concerned but also in her willingness to work.
She had a good sense of logic, a strong power of concentration, and a remarkably retentive and visualizing memory.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "There Is Confusion is a 1924 novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset." |
|
| "In the novel, the narrator portrays the character Joanna as someone who admires ambition in other people to the exclusion of all other qualities:" |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[CONTEXT: Book information] → [CLAIM: Joanna's singular focus on ambition in others] → [MISSING: Evidence needed]
Main Point: We need to find evidence that Joanna values only ambition in other people, dismissing all other qualities they might have.
Argument Flow: The setup presents basic context about the novel, then states a specific claim about how the narrator characterizes Joanna's preferences in people. We're looking for a quotation that demonstrates this exclusive focus on ambition.
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 quotation needs to show two key things: first, that Joanna is interested in or drawn to people who have ambition or purpose; second, that she dismisses or ignores people who lack this quality, regardless of what other positive traits they might have
- The word "exclusion" in the claim is crucial - we need evidence that she actively disregards other qualities
Joanna was mightily interested in people who had a 'purpose' in life. Otherwise not at all.
✓ Correct
- Shows Joanna is "mightily interested" in people with "purpose" (directly relates to ambition)
- The phrase "Otherwise not at all" perfectly captures the "exclusion of all other qualities" aspect
- Creates a clear either/or situation: purpose = interest, no purpose = no interest whatsoever
Indeed from the very beginning Joanna showed her preference for her father.
✗ Incorrect
- Simply states she preferred her father from early on
- Gives no indication this preference was specifically about ambition
- Doesn't show her dismissing other qualities or focusing exclusively on ambition
Joanna was like her father not only so far as ambition was concerned but also in her willingness to work.
✗ Incorrect
- Actually contradicts the claim by showing she valued multiple qualities
- States she's like her father in ambition "and also in her willingness to work"
- Shows she values ambition plus other traits
She had a good sense of logic, a strong power of concentration, and a remarkably retentive and visualizing memory.
✗ Incorrect
- Lists Joanna's own mental abilities and qualities
- Has nothing to do with what she admires in other people
- Completely misses the point about her preferences in others