The following text is adapted from Countee Cullen's 1926 poem 'Thoughts in a Zoo.'They in their cruel traps, and we...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The following text is adapted from Countee Cullen's 1926 poem 'Thoughts in a Zoo.'
They in their cruel traps, and we in ours,
Survey each other's rage, and pass the hours
Commiserating each the other's woe,
To mitigate his own pain's fiery glow.
Man could but little proffer in exchange
Save that his cages have a larger range.
That lion with his lordly, untamed heart
Has in some man his human counterpart,
Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped,
But in the stifling flesh securely trapped.
Based on the text, what challenge do humans sometimes experience?
They cannot effectively tame certain wild animals because of a lack of compassion.
They cannot focus on setting attainable goals because of a lack of motivation.
They quickly become frustrated when faced with difficult tasks because of a lack of self-control.
They have aspirations that cannot be fulfilled because of certain limitations.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "They in their cruel traps, and we in ours," |
|
| "Survey each other's rage, and pass the hours" |
|
| "Commiserating each the other's woe, / To mitigate his own pain's fiery glow." |
|
| "Man could but little proffer in exchange / Save that his cages have a larger range." |
|
| "That lion with his lordly, untamed heart / Has in some man his human counterpart," |
|
| "Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped, / But in the stifling flesh securely trapped." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Both zoo animals and humans are trapped—animals in physical cages, humans by the limitations of their physical existence despite having lofty dreams and aspirations.
Argument Flow: The poem establishes a parallel between caged zoo animals and humans, both trapped in their respective confines. It shows how they observe each other with mutual sympathy to ease their own suffering. While humans may seem to have larger cages (more freedom), they are still fundamentally trapped, especially those with high aspirations who find themselves limited by physical reality—just as a lion's wild nature is constrained by its cage.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? What challenge humans sometimes experience according to the text
What type of answer do we need? A specific difficulty or obstacle that humans face
Any limiting keywords? "sometimes" (not all humans), "based on the text" (must be supported by the poem)
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The poem focuses on humans being trapped despite having aspirations
- The key lines are about "Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped, / But in the stifling flesh securely trapped."
- This suggests humans with high dreams/goals who are limited by physical reality
- The challenge is having aspirations that cannot be achieved due to constraints
- So the right answer should identify that humans face the challenge of having dreams or aspirations that they cannot fulfill because of limitations (particularly physical limitations according to this poem)
They cannot effectively tame certain wild animals because of a lack of compassion.
- Suggests the challenge is about taming wild animals due to lack of compassion
- This misses the poem's focus entirely—it's about humans being trapped like animals, not about humans trying to tame animals
- The poem shows sympathy between humans and animals, not a lack of compassion
They cannot focus on setting attainable goals because of a lack of motivation.
- Claims humans can't focus on attainable goals due to lack of motivation
- The poem actually suggests humans DO have motivation (lofty dreams and visions)
- The issue isn't lack of motivation but rather having aspirations that exceed their limitations
They quickly become frustrated when faced with difficult tasks because of a lack of self-control.
- About becoming frustrated with difficult tasks due to lack of self-control
- The poem doesn't mention frustration with tasks or self-control issues
- Focuses on the wrong type of challenge entirely
They have aspirations that cannot be fulfilled because of certain limitations.
- Identifies that humans have aspirations that cannot be fulfilled due to limitations
- Matches perfectly with "Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped, / But in the stifling flesh securely trapped."
- The "lofty soul" represents aspirations, "stifling flesh securely trapped" represents the limitations that prevent fulfillment
- Captures the core challenge the poem presents about the human condition