A quotation question tests whether you can find a line that supports a claim, not only mentions its topic. Start with the claim, and put its comparison in plain words so you know what matters more and what matters less. Then predict what a quotation would need to show, including any setting or activity the claim names. Read each quotation in everyday language and check every part, because sharing the claim’s topic isn’t enough to prove what it says.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with Gómez’s claim after “argues that.” Put the claim in a few words, keeping what tells us less and what tells us more.
- Hint 2
Check the activity and the place named in the claim. What would a quotation need to show to cover both?
- Hint 3
Put each quotation in plain words. How does it show the full comparison, including what happens in the places Gómez names?
Step-by-step
Match the whole claim
Step 1Put the comparison in plain words
Gómez says a city’s vitality is revealed less by its striking skyline. What does that comparison ask us to show? Vitality means how alive a city is, and she links it more closely to everyday encounters in parks and plazas than to impressive buildings. The quotation must show which tells us more about city life.
- Step 2
Predict what would show the claim
What would show the everyday interactions that occur in its parks and plazas? We can predict people meeting in a shared public space, with that meeting showing why the city is alive. A quotation can show this through a picture without naming a park or plaza.
- Step 3
Find what each line leaves out
Let’s test how closely the quotations show everyday interactions in shared places. The aesthetically memorable plaza is about lighting, fountains, and walkways, so it gives a setting but no people meeting. The line about street-level activity leaves the activity unnamed, so we can’t tell how people interact. The relationships among its residents line puts people ahead of buildings, but it doesn’t tell us where or how those relationships form. It’s half right because the public encounters are missing.
- Step 4
Connect the encounter to vitality
The shaded bench where strangers converse shows people talking in a shared outdoor space. How does that reveal a city’s vitality? Conversation signals trust, and without trust, no city can thrive means the city needs that trust to do well. This encounter shows what keeps a city alive, while skyscrapers signal wealth. Choice D.