Upon first approaching artist Kurt Wenner's Dies Irae, a colorful scene painted on the surface of a cobblestone street in...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Upon first approaching artist Kurt Wenner's Dies Irae, a colorful scene painted on the surface of a cobblestone street in Mantua, Italy, one might assume a deep hole filled with life-sized, classically styled sculptures had opened up in the street. ______ by expertly applying the principles of perspective, Wenner created merely the illusion of depth.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Additionally,
On the contrary,
As a result,
Next,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Upon first approaching artist Kurt Wenner's Dies Irae, a colorful scene painted on the surface of a cobblestone street in Mantua, Italy, one might assume a deep hole filled with life-sized, classically styled sculptures had opened up in the street." |
|
| "______" |
|
| "by expertly applying the principles of perspective, Wenner created merely the illusion of depth." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: [INITIAL IMPRESSION] → One might assume: real deep hole with sculptures → [MISSING TRANSITION] → REALITY: Just an illusion created through perspective
Main Point: Kurt Wenner's street art creates such a convincing illusion of depth that viewers initially think they're seeing real three-dimensional sculptures in an actual hole.
Argument Flow: The passage first presents what a viewer might initially assume when seeing the artwork, then reveals the contrasting reality that it's actually just a skillfully created optical illusion.
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
- Looking at our passage analysis, the sentence before the blank presents what someone "might assume" - that there's a real deep hole with sculptures
- The sentence after the blank reveals that Wenner "merely" created an "illusion" - meaning it's not actually real
- This is a clear contrast between assumption and reality
- The transition needs to signal that what follows contradicts or opposes what was just stated
Additionally,
Additionally
✗ Incorrect
- "Additionally" suggests we're adding similar or supporting information
- This doesn't work because the second sentence contradicts rather than supports the first
On the contrary,
On the contrary
✓ Correct
- "On the contrary" explicitly signals that what follows contradicts what was just stated
- Perfect fit for contrasting the assumption (real hole) with reality (just an illusion)
As a result,
As a result
✗ Incorrect
- "As a result" indicates cause and effect relationship
- Doesn't make sense here - the illusion isn't a result of people's assumptions
Next,
Next
✗ Incorrect
- "Next" indicates sequence in time or steps in a process
- The sentences aren't describing events that happen one after another