Attendance and Cost of Hosting for Past Four US World's FairsWorld's fairs held in the USCost (in US dollars)Number of...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
| World's fairs held in the US | Cost (in US dollars) | Number of visitors |
|---|---|---|
| Century 21 Exposition (1962) | $47 million | 9.60 million |
| HemisFair '68 | $156 million | 6.40 million |
| 1984 World's Fair | $350 million | 7.35 million |
| Expo '74 | $78 million | 5.60 million |
Huge international exhibitions known as world's fairs have been held since 1851, but the United States hasn't hosted one since 1984. Architecture expert Mina Chow argues that this is because some people think the events are too expensive and not popular enough. For example, the 1984 World's Fair cost $350 million and had only ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?
7.35 million visitors.
9.60 million visitors.
6.40 million visitors.
5.60 million visitors.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Huge international exhibitions known as world's fairs have been held since 1851, but the United States hasn't hosted one since 1984." |
|
| "Architecture expert Mina Chow argues that this is because some people think the events are too expensive and not popular enough." |
|
| "For example, the 1984 World's Fair cost $350 million and had only ______" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Expert Mina Chow argues that the US stopped hosting world's fairs because people consider them too expensive relative to their popularity.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that world's fairs have a long history but the US hasn't hosted since 1984, then presents Chow's explanation that this happened because people view the events as too costly and insufficiently popular, and begins to support this claim with data from the expensive 1984 fair.
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 example is meant to support Chow's argument that world's fairs are "too expensive and not popular enough."
- We know the 1984 World's Fair cost $350 million - the highest cost in the table.
- The word "only" before the blank suggests the visitor number was disappointing relative to this high cost.
- So we need the actual visitor data for the 1984 World's Fair from the table.
- Looking at the table, the 1984 World's Fair had 7.35 million visitors.
- This number, combined with the $350 million cost, shows an expensive fair with relatively modest attendance compared to some earlier fairs, supporting Chow's point.
7.35 million visitors.
- This is the actual visitor data for the 1984 World's Fair from the table.
- It effectively completes the example by showing that despite costing $350 million, the fair attracted 7.35 million visitors.
- The "only" before the blank emphasizes that this attendance was disappointing relative to the enormous cost, supporting Chow's argument.
9.60 million visitors.
- This is the visitor data for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition, not the 1984 World's Fair.
- Would incorrectly suggest the 1984 fair had 9.60 million visitors when the table shows it had 7.35 million.
6.40 million visitors.
- This is the visitor data for HemisFair '68, not the 1984 World's Fair.
- Would provide inaccurate information about the 1984 fair's actual attendance.
5.60 million visitors.
- This is the visitor data for Expo '74, not the 1984 World's Fair.
- Would misrepresent the actual attendance figures for the 1984 fair.