Businesses typically try to promote themselves, but research by Michael Luca, Abhishek Nagaraj, and Gauri Subramani suggests that some do...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Businesses typically try to promote themselves, but research by Michael Luca, Abhishek Nagaraj, and Gauri Subramani suggests that some do not _______ their marketing. The researchers studied restaurants in Texas and found that those listed on a popular review website (which can be done at no cost) had revenue increases of 5 percent on average, but 33 percent of restaurants studied never listed on the site.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Businesses typically try to promote themselves" |
|
| "but research by Michael Luca, Abhishek Nagaraj, and Gauri Subramani suggests that some do not ______ their marketing" |
|
| "The researchers studied restaurants in Texas" |
|
| "and found that those listed on a popular review website (which can be done at no cost) had revenue increases of 5 percent on average" |
|
| "but 33% of restaurants studied never listed on the site" |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Research suggests that while businesses generally try to promote themselves, some fail to take full advantage of available marketing opportunities.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from a general statement about business promotion to specific research that reveals a gap between intention and action. The Texas restaurant study provides concrete evidence that free, beneficial marketing opportunities exist, yet many businesses don't use them, illustrating the disconnect between wanting to promote and actually maximizing marketing effectiveness.
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 passage analysis, we see a contrast: businesses typically promote themselves, BUT some don't do something with their marketing
- The evidence shows that a free marketing opportunity (review site listing) increases revenue by 5%, yet 33% of restaurants don't use it
- The missing word needs to capture the idea that these businesses aren't making the best use of their marketing opportunities
- They're not fully taking advantage of or making the most effective use of available marketing tools
- So the right answer should express the concept of making the best or most effective use of something - getting maximum benefit from available marketing opportunities
- "Adorn" means to decorate or embellish something
- Doesn't fit the logical relationship - the passage isn't about decorating marketing but about using marketing effectively
- The evidence about revenue increases and missed opportunities has nothing to do with decoration
- "Optimize" means to make the best or most effective use of something
- Perfectly matches our prethinking - captures the gap between wanting to promote and actually maximizing marketing effectiveness
- The evidence supports this: free listing increases revenue, but many restaurants don't optimize by taking advantage of this opportunity
- "Endorse" means to publicly support or approve of something
- Doesn't fit the context - businesses aren't failing to approve of their marketing
- The evidence about listing behavior isn't about endorsement but about utilization
- "Counteract" means to act against something to reduce its effect
- Makes no logical sense - why would businesses act against their own marketing?
- Contradicts the opening statement that businesses typically try to promote themselves