The following text is from a 2020 workplace productivity study. The researcher is describing a team meeting that ran longer...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from a 2020 workplace productivity study. The researcher is describing a team meeting that ran longer than expected.
"The budget review meeting stretched well into the evening hours, continuing far beyond the scheduled two-hour timeframe as department heads debated each line item with meticulous attention to detail."
As used in the text, what does the word 'stretched' most nearly mean?
Tensed
Extended
Described
Pulled
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The budget review meeting stretched well into the evening hours," |
|
| "continuing far beyond the scheduled two-hour timeframe" |
|
| "as department heads debated each line item with meticulous attention to detail." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A budget review meeting ran significantly longer than planned because department heads spent extensive time discussing details.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that a meeting ran long, quantifies how much it exceeded the schedule, then explains the cause was thorough debate among participants.
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 see that "stretched" describes how the meeting went beyond its normal boundaries - it went longer than planned
- The meeting was supposed to be 2 hours but "stretched" into the evening, meaning it extended past its scheduled time
- The word suggests the meeting expanded beyond its original limits, like something being made longer
- So the right answer should mean "extended" or "continued beyond normal limits"
Tensed
✗ Incorrect
- This refers to muscles becoming tight or a person becoming anxious
- Doesn't fit the context of a meeting going longer than planned
Extended
✓ Correct
- Means to continue or expand beyond normal limits
- Perfectly captures how the meeting went beyond its 2-hour timeframe into the evening
- Matches our prethinking exactly
Described
✗ Incorrect
- This means to give details about something
- The meeting isn't describing anything - it's actually running long
- Trap: Students might confuse this since the passage does describe the meeting, but that's not what "stretched" is doing in the sentence
Pulled
✗ Incorrect
- While "stretch" can sometimes mean "pull," that physical meaning doesn't work here
- Meetings can't be physically pulled