Clinical research has established that patients with chronic fatigue often experience significant improvement through structured exercise programs. __...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Clinical research has established that patients with chronic fatigue often experience significant improvement through structured exercise programs. _____ many physicians now recommend graduated physical therapy as a primary treatment approach for this condition.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
In contrast,
Consequently,
For instance,
Nevertheless,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Clinical research has established that patients with chronic fatigue often experience significant improvement through structured exercise programs." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "many physicians now recommend graduated physical therapy as a primary treatment approach for this condition." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Because research shows exercise programs help chronic fatigue patients, physicians now recommend physical therapy as a primary treatment.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from presenting research evidence about exercise effectiveness to describing how this evidence has influenced current medical recommendations. The missing transition needs to connect these two related but distinct ideas.
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 table, we need a transition that shows the relationship between the research finding (exercise programs help chronic fatigue patients) and the medical response (physicians recommending physical therapy)
- This is clearly a cause-and-effect relationship - the research evidence is causing physicians to change their treatment recommendations
- The right transition should signal that the second sentence is a direct result or logical consequence of the research findings presented in the first sentence
In contrast,
- "In contrast" signals opposition or difference between ideas
- The physician recommendations do not oppose the research findings - they actually align with them
Consequently,
- "Consequently" signals a result or logical outcome
- Perfectly captures how physicians' recommendations flow directly from the research findings
- Creates the cause-and-effect relationship our prethinking identified
For instance,
- "For instance" introduces a specific example of a general concept
- Physician recommendations are not an example of research findings - they are a response to them
Nevertheless,
- "Nevertheless" signals that something happens despite a potential obstacle
- There is no obstacle or contrasting force to overcome here
- The research actually supports the physician recommendations