City planning experts previously believed that suburban communities built after World War II lacked _____ characteristics, yet Dr. Chen's contemporary...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
City planning experts previously believed that suburban communities built after World War II lacked _____ characteristics, yet Dr. Chen's contemporary research demonstrates that 1950s residential developments were far from homogeneous middle-class neighborhoods. Chen's findings document communities containing immigrant households, multi-generational families, and local commercial areas, particularly in places like expanded Levittown regions, where she discovered varied economic enterprises and cultural traditions.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
affluent
heterogeneous
viable
reachable
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "City planning experts previously believed that suburban communities built after World War II lacked _____ characteristics," |
|
| "yet Dr. Chen's contemporary research demonstrates that 1950s residential developments were far from homogeneous middle-class neighborhoods." |
|
| "Chen's findings document communities containing immigrant households, multi-generational families, and local commercial areas," |
|
| "particularly in places like expanded Levittown regions, where she discovered varied economic enterprises and cultural traditions." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Chen's research contradicts previous expert beliefs by showing that post-WWII suburban communities were actually diverse rather than uniform.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up what experts previously believed about suburban communities, then uses "yet" to introduce Chen's contrasting research findings that demonstrate these communities contained diverse elements rather than being homogeneous middle-class neighborhoods.
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 key is understanding the logical relationship created by "yet."
- Chen's research shows these communities were "far from homogeneous" and contained immigrant households, multi-generational families, local commercial areas, varied enterprises, and cultural traditions.
- This describes communities with diversity and variety.
- Since "yet" signals contrast, the experts must have believed these communities lacked the opposite of what Chen found—they must have thought the communities lacked diversity or variety.
affluent
✗ Incorrect
- "Affluent" refers to wealth or prosperity.
- The passage doesn't focus on economic class differences or wealth levels.
heterogeneous
✓ Correct
- "Heterogeneous" means diverse or varied in character.
- Perfectly contrasts with Chen finding communities were "far from homogeneous."
- Chen's evidence demonstrates heterogeneous characteristics.
viable
✗ Incorrect
- "Viable" means workable or capable of success.
- Chen's research focuses on diverse composition, not success or feasibility.
reachable
✗ Incorrect
- "Reachable" refers to accessibility.
- The passage discusses internal diversity of communities, not their accessibility.