City planners in Portland have attributed the 25% increase in downtown foot traffic over the past five years to their...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
City planners in Portland have attributed the 25% increase in downtown foot traffic over the past five years to their strategic pedestrian-friendly infrastructure improvements. The installation of wider sidewalks, enhanced crosswalk systems, and dedicated bike lanes created a more accessible urban environment. However, recent data suggests that the correlation between infrastructure changes and foot traffic may be more complex than initially assumed. Weather patterns, economic conditions, and demographic shifts during the same period could have contributed significantly to the observed changes.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
It provides supporting evidence for the planners' claims about infrastructure effectiveness.
It describes the specific methods used to measure foot traffic increases.
It presents information that calls into question a conclusion drawn in the previous sentences.
It offers an alternative explanation that reinforces the planners' original hypothesis.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "City planners in Portland have attributed the 25% increase in downtown foot traffic over the past five years to their strategic pedestrian-friendly infrastructure improvements." |
|
| "The installation of wider sidewalks, enhanced crosswalk systems, and dedicated bike lanes created a more accessible urban environment." |
|
| "However, recent data suggests that the correlation between infrastructure changes and foot traffic may be more complex than initially assumed." |
|
| "Weather patterns, economic conditions, and demographic shifts during the same period could have contributed significantly to the observed changes." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While Portland planners credit infrastructure improvements for increased foot traffic, recent data suggests the relationship is more complex, with other factors potentially playing significant roles.
Argument Flow: The passage starts with the planners' straightforward causal claim about infrastructure driving foot traffic increases, provides specifics about those improvements, then introduces complicating evidence that questions this simple explanation and suggests multiple contributing factors.
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 analysis, the underlined sentence starts with "However" and suggests the correlation is "more complex than initially assumed."
- This directly contrasts with the simple cause-and-effect relationship the planners presented.
- The sentence introduces doubt about their straightforward explanation and signals that other factors might be involved.
- The right answer should recognize that this sentence challenges or questions the conclusion presented in the earlier sentences about infrastructure being the cause of increased foot traffic.
It provides supporting evidence for the planners' claims about infrastructure effectiveness.
✗ Incorrect
- This choice suggests the sentence supports the planners' claims.
- However, the sentence actually does the opposite - it introduces doubt about their claims.
- The word "However" signals contrast, not support.
It describes the specific methods used to measure foot traffic increases.
✗ Incorrect
- This choice focuses on measurement methods.
- The sentence doesn't describe how foot traffic was measured.
- It discusses the complexity of correlation, not measurement techniques.
It presents information that calls into question a conclusion drawn in the previous sentences.
✓ Correct
- This choice recognizes that the sentence questions a conclusion from earlier.
- The "However" signals that new data challenges the planners' simple attribution.
- It perfectly matches what we identified in our prethinking - the sentence introduces doubt about the cause-and-effect relationship established earlier.
It offers an alternative explanation that reinforces the planners' original hypothesis.
✗ Incorrect
- This choice suggests the sentence reinforces the original hypothesis.
- The sentence actually complicates the original hypothesis by suggesting other factors are involved.
- "Reinforces" is the opposite of what "However" and "more complex than initially assumed" indicate.