Academic standards defining learning outcomes for degree programs originate from university curriculum committees. The implementation responsibility f...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Academic standards defining learning outcomes for degree programs originate from university curriculum committees. The implementation responsibility falls to individual faculty members, who ______ these established standards by creating specific coursework and assessment methods that maintain alignment with institutional requirements.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
debate
modify
actualize
reference
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Academic standards defining learning outcomes for degree programs originate from university curriculum committees.' |
|
| 'The implementation responsibility falls to individual faculty members, who' |
|
| [MISSING WORD/PHRASE] |
|
| 'these established standards by creating specific coursework and assessment methods that maintain alignment with institutional requirements.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture and Core Elements
Main Point: Faculty members take academic standards created by committees and turn them into concrete educational practice through specific courses and assessments.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from abstract (where standards come from) to concrete (how they get implemented), with the missing word describing the crucial action that bridges these two levels.
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
- We need a word that describes what faculty members do with 'these established standards' when they create coursework and assessments
- The word should capture the action of taking abstract standards and making them concrete through practical educational activities
- It is about turning policy into practice, making theoretical standards real through actual courses and tests
debate
- 'Debate' suggests arguing or discussing the standards
- This does not fit because faculty are not questioning the standards, they are implementing them
modify
- 'Modify' means to change or alter the standards
- This contradicts the goal of maintaining 'alignment with institutional requirements'
actualize
- 'Actualize' means to make something real or concrete
- Perfect fit: faculty take abstract standards and make them real through specific courses and assessments
- Captures the transformation from committee-created policy to classroom practice
reference
- 'Reference' means to mention or refer to something
- Too passive - simply referring to standards does not fulfill 'implementation responsibility'