Animal researcher Amalia P.M. Bastos led a 2021 study about a wild kea parrot that used small stones as tools...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Animal researcher Amalia P.M. Bastos led a 2021 study about a wild kea parrot that used small stones as tools to preen its feathers. Skeptical colleagues had initially suggested to Bastos that the kea's interactions with the stones might simply be ______, but Bastos and her team showed that the kea was using the stones deliberately.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
intriguing
obvious
accidental
observable
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Animal researcher Amalia P.M. Bastos led a 2021 study about a wild kea parrot that used small stones as tools to preen its feathers." |
|
| "Skeptical colleagues had initially suggested to Bastos that the kea's interactions with the stones might simply be" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "but Bastos and her team showed that the kea was using the stones deliberately." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture and Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: [RESEARCH CONTEXT] Bastos study on kea parrot tool use leads to [SKEPTICAL VIEW] Colleagues thought behavior was [MISSING] leads to [CONTRASTING EVIDENCE] BUT Bastos proved it was deliberate
Main Point: Bastos proved that a kea parrot's stone use was deliberate tool behavior, contrary to skeptical colleagues initial assessment.
Argument Flow: The passage presents research findings, then introduces skeptical opposition to those findings, and concludes by affirming the researcher's evidence that contradicted the skeptics view.
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
- From our analysis, we can see there's a clear contrast structure here
- The colleagues were skeptical about the kea's behavior, and then Bastos proved something that contradicts their skepticism
- The word but signals this contrast directly
- The missing word needs to represent what skeptical colleagues would think - something that would contrast with deliberate
- If Bastos had to prove the behavior was deliberate, the colleagues must have thought it was NOT deliberate
- So the right answer should be a word that means not deliberate or not intentional
intriguing
✗ Incorrect
- Intriguing means interesting or fascinating
- This doesn't create the logical contrast needed with but Bastos proved it was deliberate
- Why would colleagues being intrigued lead to skepticism?
obvious
✗ Incorrect
- Obvious suggests the behavior was clear or evident
- If colleagues thought the tool use was obvious, they wouldn't be skeptical about it
- This creates no logical contrast with the but that follows
accidental
✓ Correct
- Accidental means unintentional or happening by chance
- Creates perfect contrast: colleagues thought equals accidental versus Bastos proved equals deliberate
- Explains why colleagues were skeptical - they thought it wasn't real tool use
observable
✗ Incorrect
- Observable means able to be seen or noticed
- If the behavior was observable, this wouldn't explain colleagues skepticism
- Doesn't contrast meaningfully with deliberate