Before the 1920s, traveling between city neighborhoods required either walking long distances or hiring expensive private carriages. The introduction ...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Before the 1920s, traveling between city neighborhoods required either walking long distances or hiring expensive private carriages. The introduction of affordable public streetcar systems helped to _____ urban mobility: workers could now live farther from their jobs, and families could easily visit different parts of the city for shopping and entertainment.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
limit
revolutionize
document
ignore
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Before the 1920s, traveling between city neighborhoods required either walking long distances or hiring expensive private carriages.' |
|
| 'The introduction of affordable public streetcar systems helped to' |
|
| [MISSING WORD/PHRASE] |
|
| 'urban mobility: workers could now live farther from their jobs, and families could easily visit different parts of the city for shopping and entertainment.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Affordable streetcar systems dramatically changed urban transportation by making it possible for people to travel easily between neighborhoods.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a problem (limited, expensive transportation options), introduces a solution (streetcar systems), and then shows the positive results (people could live and travel more freely). The blank describes the nature of this change.
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 analysis, we see a dramatic shift from limited, expensive options to accessible, affordable transportation that opened up entirely new possibilities
- The blank needs to capture this transformation
- Key elements the correct answer must have:
- Shows significant positive change, not minor adjustment
- Matches the scale of transformation described in the evidence
- Fits the cause-and-effect relationship (streetcars → [blank] → new freedoms)
- The relationship type needed is one of major positive transformation - streetcars didn't just slightly improve things, they completely changed how people could move around cities
limit
✗ Incorrect
- 'Limit' means to restrict or reduce
- This directly contradicts our evidence showing expanded freedoms and new possibilities
revolutionize
✓ Correct
- 'Revolutionize' means to completely transform or change dramatically
- Perfect match for the transformation from limited options to expanded freedoms
- Fits the scale shown in our evidence - workers living farther away and families easily visiting different areas represents a revolutionary change in urban life
document
✗ Incorrect
- 'Document' means to record or provide evidence of something
- Streetcars didn't record urban mobility - they changed it
- Makes no logical sense in the cause-and-effect relationship
ignore
✗ Incorrect
- 'Ignore' means to pay no attention to or disregard
- Contradicts the entire premise that streetcars had a positive impact
- The evidence clearly shows streetcars addressed urban mobility, not ignored it