With his room-sized installation Unicorn/My Private Sky, Norwegian artist Børre Sæthre succeeds in creating a whimsical yet perplexing experience. ___...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
With his room-sized installation Unicorn/My Private Sky, Norwegian artist Børre Sæthre succeeds in creating a whimsical yet perplexing experience. ______ when visitors set foot inside the fantastically blue room and encounter the life-sized stuffed unicorn preening at the far end of it, they are both dazzled and confused—as if stepping into a strange and enchanting new world.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Second,
Instead,
Indeed,
Nevertheless,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'With his room-sized installation Unicorn/My Private Sky, Norwegian artist Børre Sæthre succeeds in creating a whimsical yet perplexing experience.' |
|
| _______ |
|
| 'when visitors set foot inside the fantastically blue room and encounter the life-sized stuffed unicorn preening at the far end of it, they are both dazzled and confused—as if stepping into a strange and enchanting new world.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The artist successfully creates an installation that produces a whimsical yet perplexing experience for visitors.
Argument Flow: The passage first makes a claim about what the artist achieves with his installation, then provides concrete evidence by describing how visitors actually react when they experience the artwork. The visitor reaction (dazzled and confused) directly supports the initial claim about the installation being both whimsical and perplexing.
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 first sentence claims the artist "succeeds in creating a whimsical yet perplexing experience."
- The second sentence describes visitors being "dazzled and confused" when they encounter the installation.
- The second sentence provides concrete evidence that supports the first sentence's claim.
- The logical relationship here is confirmation or emphasis—the visitor reaction proves the artist's success.
- So the right answer should be a transition that shows the second sentence confirms or supports the first sentence's claim.
Second,
✗ Incorrect
- "Second" suggests this is the second point in a sequence or list. The passage isn't presenting multiple numbered points—it's making one claim and then supporting it.
Instead,
✗ Incorrect
- "Instead" indicates contrast or replacement of what came before. The visitor reaction doesn't contrast with the artist's success—it demonstrates it.
Indeed,
✓ Correct
- "Indeed" confirms or emphasizes the truth of what was just stated. The visitor reaction (dazzled and confused) is concrete proof that the artist succeeded in creating a "whimsical yet perplexing experience." This transition perfectly shows that the evidence supports the claim.
Nevertheless,
✗ Incorrect
- "Nevertheless" indicates contrast despite what was mentioned before. This would suggest the visitor reaction somehow goes against the artist's success, but it actually proves it.