After appropriate permissions are granted, a typical archaeological dig begins with a surveyor making a detailed grid of the excavation...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
After appropriate permissions are granted, a typical archaeological dig begins with a surveyor making a detailed grid of the excavation site. Then, the site is carefully dug, and any artifacts found are recorded and mapped onto the site grid. ______ the artifacts are removed, cataloged, and analyzed in a laboratory.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For instance,
On the contrary,
Earlier,
Finally,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "After appropriate permissions are granted, a typical archaeological dig begins with a surveyor making a detailed grid of the excavation site." |
|
| "Then, the site is carefully dug, and any artifacts found are recorded and mapped onto the site grid." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "the artifacts are removed, cataloged, and analyzed in a laboratory." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG PROCESS: Step 1 Get permissions make grid, Step 2 Dig record/map artifacts, MISSING TRANSITION, Step 3 Remove catalog analyze in lab
Main Point: The passage describes the sequential steps of a typical archaeological dig from initial setup to final analysis.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a chronological sequence of archaeological procedures, moving from preparation through excavation to the final processing phase. Since there is a missing logical connector, the complete flow shows a three-step process from start to finish.
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 table analysis, we can see this passage describes a clear sequence of steps in an archaeological dig
- Before the blank, we have the digging and recording phase
- After the blank, we have the removal and laboratory analysis phase
- The key elements the correct answer must have:
- It should signal that this is the final step in the sequence
- It should show continuation of the process not contrast or interruption
- It should logically connect the field work to the lab work
- So the right answer should indicate this is the concluding step in the archaeological process
For instance,
- This introduces an example or illustration
- The sentence after the blank is not giving an example of digging - it is describing the next step in the process
- What trap this represents: Students might think this works because they see it as giving an example of what archaeologists do, but it breaks the chronological flow
On the contrary,
- This introduces a contrast or contradiction
- The lab analysis does not contradict the field work - it continues it
- There is no opposing relationship between digging/recording and analyzing
Earlier,
- This refers to something that happened before in time
- But removing and analyzing artifacts happens after the digging, not before
- This would reverse the logical time sequence
Finally,
- This signals the concluding step in a sequence
- Perfectly matches our prethinking that this is the final phase of the archaeological process
- Creates the right chronological flow from field work to lab analysis