With its clichéd imagery of suburban lawns and power lines, John Ashbery's 2004 poem 'Ignorance of the Law Is No...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
With its clichéd imagery of suburban lawns and power lines, John Ashbery's 2004 poem 'Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse' may seem barren terrain for critical analysis. ________ cultural critic Lauren Berlant finds fertile ground in just its first two stanzas, devoting most of a book chapter to deciphering the 'weight of the default space' Ashbery creates in this poem.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Likewise,
Nonetheless,
In turn,
That is,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "With its clichéd imagery of suburban lawns and power lines, John Ashbery's 2004 poem 'Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse' may seem barren terrain for critical analysis." |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "cultural critic Lauren Berlant finds fertile ground in just its first two stanzas, devoting most of a book chapter to deciphering the 'weight of the default space' Ashbery creates in this poem." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While Ashbery's poem might appear unpromising for critical analysis, it actually provides rich material for scholarly examination.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a contrast between appearance and reality - first presenting how the poem might seem unworthy of deep analysis, then revealing that a respected critic found it extremely fertile for extensive scholarly work.
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 relationship we need is a contrast - the poem SEEMS barren for analysis, but Berlant FINDS fertile ground in it
- We need a connector that signals "despite what was just said" or "contrary to that impression"
- The right transition should indicate that what follows contradicts the expectation set up in the first part
Likewise,
"Likewise" suggests agreement or similarity
- "Likewise" suggests agreement or similarity
- This would wrongly imply that Berlant's finding supports the idea that the poem is barren
- Creates the opposite relationship from what the logic requires
Nonetheless,
"Nonetheless" means "despite what was just said" or "in spite of that"
- "Nonetheless" means "despite what was just said" or "in spite of that"
- Perfectly captures the contrast between the poem seeming barren and Berlant finding it fertile
- Creates the logical flow: poem appears unpromising, nonetheless Berlant finds rich material
In turn,
"In turn" suggests sequence or reciprocal action
- "In turn" suggests sequence or reciprocal action
- Does not establish the needed contrast between appearance and reality
- Would imply Berlant's analysis is a response to the poem being barren
That is,
"That is" introduces clarification or restatement of the same idea
- "That is" introduces clarification or restatement of the same idea
- This would wrongly suggest Berlant's finding explains why the poem is barren
- Creates the wrong logical relationship