City planners in Denver investigated whether installing new bike lane networks increases local business revenue in commercial districts. Using revenue...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
City planners in Denver investigated whether installing new bike lane networks increases local business revenue in commercial districts. Using revenue data from 48 businesses across eight districts, researchers tracked changes over eighteen months following bike lane installations. The study found that proximity to new bike lanes was associated with measurable increases in foot traffic and subsequent revenue growth among participating businesses.
Which finding would most directly demonstrate this relationship?
Business districts with bike lanes showed similar revenue patterns to districts without bike lanes during the study period.
The River North district, which received extensive bike lane networks, experienced a 12% increase in average business revenue compared to the previous year.
Commercial areas in the Capitol Hill district, where bike lanes were installed six months into the study, showed higher revenue growth after installation than before installation.
Downtown businesses reported mixed reactions to nearby bike lane construction, with some citing increased customers and others noting parking concerns.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'City planners in Denver investigated whether installing new bike lane networks increases local business revenue in commercial districts.' |
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| 'Using revenue data from 48 businesses across eight districts, researchers tracked changes over eighteen months following bike lane installations.' |
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| 'The study found that proximity to new bike lanes was associated with measurable increases in foot traffic and subsequent revenue growth among participating businesses.' |
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Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Denver researchers found that businesses located closer to new bike lanes experienced increased foot traffic and revenue growth.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a straightforward research study - it establishes the question about bike lanes and business revenue, describes the methodology used to investigate this question, and reports the positive findings that support a connection between bike lane proximity and business success.
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
- The strongest evidence would show a clear before-and-after comparison in the same location, demonstrating that revenue increased specifically after bike lanes were installed
- We want to see that the same businesses in the same area performed better after the bike lanes than before them, which would suggest the bike lanes caused the improvement rather than other factors
Business districts with bike lanes showed similar revenue patterns to districts without bike lanes during the study period.
- Shows districts with and without bike lanes had similar revenue patterns
- This would actually contradict the study findings rather than support them
The River North district, which received extensive bike lane networks, experienced a 12% increase in average business revenue compared to the previous year.
- Shows one district with bike lanes had 12% revenue increase
- While this supports correlation, it lacks proper comparison since we don't know if districts without bike lanes also increased
Commercial areas in the Capitol Hill district, where bike lanes were installed six months into the study, showed higher revenue growth after installation than before installation.
- Shows one district had higher revenue growth after bike lane installation than before installation
- This provides direct before-and-after comparison in the same location, which is the strongest type of evidence for causation
Downtown businesses reported mixed reactions to nearby bike lane construction, with some citing increased customers and others noting parking concerns.
- Reports mixed business owner opinions about bike lanes
- Opinions are subjective, not objective revenue data that demonstrates the relationship