While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:By interlocking their bodies, ants can form bridges to help...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- By interlocking their bodies, ants can form bridges to help fellow ants cross gaps.
- In 2020, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin was inspired by ant behavior to design collaborative quadruped robots.
- Over the course of a year, she designed, built, tested, and refined her robots.
- Each robot is programmed to send a signal to another robot upon encountering a gap in a path.
- The signaled robot connects to the back of the signaler robot via magnetic sensors and pushes it across the gap.
The student wants to begin a narrative about the creation of the robots. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
When one of Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin's robots encounters a gap in its path, it sends a signal to another robot; the signaled robot connects to the back of the signaler and pushes it across the gap.
After a year, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin had designed, built, tested, and refined her robots.
Inspired by ants, which form bridges with their interlocked bodies to help fellow ants cross gaps, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin set out to design quadruped robots capable of similarly collaborative behavior.
Ants, which have inspired the design of robots, form bridges by interlocking their bodies.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "By interlocking their bodies, ants can form bridges to help fellow ants cross gaps." |
|
| "In 2020, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin was inspired by ant behavior to design collaborative quadruped robots." |
|
| "Over the course of a year, she designed, built, tested, and refined her robots." |
|
| "Each robot is programmed to send a signal to another robot upon encountering a gap in a path." |
|
| "The signaled robot connects to the back of the signaler robot via magnetic sensors and pushes it across the gap." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin was inspired by ants' collaborative bridge-forming behavior to create robots that can similarly help each other cross gaps.
Argument Flow: The notes begin with ant behavior as biological inspiration, then describe how this inspired Ozkan-Aydin's design goal in 2020, followed by her year-long development process, and conclude with specific details about how the finished robots actually collaborate to cross obstacles.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to choose which option would most effectively begin a narrative about the creation of the robots using relevant information from the notes.
What type of answer do we need? An opening sentence or passage that uses information from the research notes to start telling the story of how these robots came to be.
Any limiting keywords? "Begin a narrative" tells us we need an opening that sets up the story of creation, and "most effectively" means we want the choice that best accomplishes this narrative goal using the provided information.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- To effectively begin a narrative about robot creation, we need an opening that establishes the origin story - how this project started
- From our notes, we know the key elements: ants inspired Ozkan-Aydin, and this inspiration led her to set out to design collaborative robots
- A good narrative beginning should connect the biological inspiration to the human innovation goal
- The right answer should establish both the inspiration source (ant behavior) and how that inspiration led to Ozkan-Aydin's design initiative, creating a clear starting point for the creation story
When one of Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin's robots encounters a gap in its path, it sends a signal to another robot; the signaled robot connects to the back of the signaler and pushes it across the gap.
✗ Incorrect
- Describes how the finished robots operate, not how they were created
- Focuses on robot mechanics rather than the origin story
- Doesn't establish the inspiration or beginning of the creation narrative
After a year, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin had designed, built, tested, and refined her robots.
✗ Incorrect
- Mentions the development timeline but lacks context about why she created them
- Starts in the middle of the story rather than at the beginning
- Students might think any mention of the creation process works, but effective narrative beginnings need context and motivation, not just timelines
Inspired by ants, which form bridges with their interlocked bodies to help fellow ants cross gaps, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin set out to design quadruped robots capable of similarly collaborative behavior.
✓ Correct
- Establishes the biological inspiration (ant bridge behavior) that started everything
- Connects this inspiration directly to Ozkan-Aydin's design goal
- Creates a clear narrative arc from natural observation to human innovation
- Uses language that perfectly captures the beginning of the creation story
Ants, which have inspired the design of robots, form bridges by interlocking their bodies.
✗ Incorrect
- Only discusses ant behavior without connecting to robot creation
- Mentions that ants inspired robots generally but doesn't establish Ozkan-Aydin's specific narrative
- Lacks the human element needed to begin the creation story