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Chronic fatigue syndrome presents with symptoms that closely mirror those of depression, autoimmune disorders, and various viral infections. These ove...

GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions

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Craft and Structure
Words in Context
MEDIUM
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Chronic fatigue syndrome presents with symptoms that closely mirror those of depression, autoimmune disorders, and various viral infections. These overlapping symptoms create diagnostic challenges so significant that comprehensive medical testing and detailed patient evaluations are typically required to _____ chronic fatigue syndrome as the underlying condition.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A

attract

B

identify

C

develop

D

acquire

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage Analysis
"Chronic fatigue syndrome presents with symptoms that closely mirror those of depression, autoimmune disorders, and various viral infections."
  • What it says: CFS symptoms = depression + autoimmune + viral symptoms
  • What it does: Introduces the diagnostic challenge by explaining symptom overlap
  • What it is: Context/Problem setup
"These overlapping symptoms create diagnostic challenges so significant that comprehensive medical testing and detailed patient evaluations are typically required to"
  • What it says: Overlapping symptoms → major diagnostic problems → need extensive testing
  • What it does: Explains the consequence of the symptom overlap
  • What it is: Causal explanation
[MISSING WORD]
  • What it is: Missing action word
"chronic fatigue syndrome as the underlying condition."
  • What it says: CFS = actual cause of symptoms
  • What it does: Specifies what doctors need to determine
  • What it is: Target outcome

Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: Chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms overlap with other conditions, requiring extensive testing to determine it as the underlying cause.

Argument Flow: The passage establishes a problem (symptom overlap), explains the consequence (diagnostic difficulty), and describes the solution (comprehensive testing) needed to achieve a specific medical goal.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

What's being asked? We need to choose the word that best completes the sentence about what comprehensive testing and evaluation allows doctors to do with chronic fatigue syndrome.

What type of answer do we need? A verb that describes the medical action doctors take when they determine CFS is the underlying condition.

Any limiting keywords? None specified.

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

  • The passage explains that CFS symptoms look like many other conditions, making diagnosis tricky
  • When doctors do comprehensive testing and detailed evaluations, they're trying to figure out what's actually causing the patient's symptoms
  • The blank needs a word that describes this process of determining or recognizing that CFS is the real problem
  • The right answer should describe the action of recognizing, determining, or pinpointing CFS as the true underlying condition after ruling out other possibilities
Answer Choices Explained
A

attract

✗ Incorrect
  • Medical testing doesn't "attract" a syndrome - this doesn't make logical sense in a diagnostic context
B

identify

✓ Correct
  • "Identify" means to recognize or determine what something is
  • Fits perfectly with the diagnostic process - doctors use testing to identify CFS as the underlying condition
C

develop

✗ Incorrect
  • You don't "develop" an existing medical condition through testing - you either have it or you don't
D

acquire

✗ Incorrect
  • Patients don't "acquire" CFS through medical testing - they already have the condition before testing begins
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