College students generally attempt to learn efficiently, but findings from Dr. Sarah Chen and her research team indicate that many...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
College students generally attempt to learn efficiently, but findings from Dr. Sarah Chen and her research team indicate that many fail to _____ their study methods. The researchers analyzed university students during final exam preparation and found that students utilizing spaced repetition strategies achieved scores that were \(12\%\) higher on average, despite the fact that \(40\%\) of students never adopted these evidence-based approaches.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
optimize
vary
confirm
discard
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "College students generally attempt to learn efficiently," |
|
| "but findings from Dr. Sarah Chen and her research team indicate that many fail to ______ their study methods." |
|
| "The researchers analyzed university students during final exam preparation" |
|
| "and found that students utilizing spaced repetition strategies achieved scores that were \(12\%\) higher on average," |
|
| "despite the fact that \(40\%\) of students never adopted these evidence-based approaches." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Despite wanting to learn efficiently, many college students fail to improve their study methods, missing out on evidence-based strategies that significantly boost performance.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up students' learning intentions, then reveals a gap between intention and execution. Research evidence demonstrates that better methods exist and work (\(12\%\) improvement), but a large portion of students (\(40\%\)) never adopt these proven approaches.
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 evidence shows that better study methods exist and work significantly better (\(12\%\) improvement), but many students (\(40\%\)) don't use them
- This suggests students aren't making their study methods as good as they could be
- The missing word should describe the action of making study methods better or more effective
- The right answer should indicate that students fail to improve, perfect, or make the best use of their study methods
optimize
✓ Correct
- "Optimize" means to make as effective or functional as possible
- Fits perfectly with the evidence: students could improve their methods (spaced repetition works \(12\%\) better) but many don't adopt these improvements
vary
✗ Incorrect
- "Vary" means to change or make different
- The passage isn't about changing methods for the sake of change - it's about using better methods
confirm
✗ Incorrect
- "Confirm" means to verify or validate
- The passage doesn't suggest students need to verify their methods are working
- This might seem logical since research "confirms" spaced repetition works, but students aren't failing to confirm - they're failing to improve their approach
discard
✗ Incorrect
- "Discard" means to throw away or get rid of
- This would mean students should throw away their study methods, which contradicts the evidence about adopting better methods