Text 1 Conservation biologists have long maintained that protecting biodiversity requires establishing large, pristine wilderness areas isolated from ...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 1
Conservation biologists have long maintained that protecting biodiversity requires establishing large, pristine wilderness areas isolated from human activity. This preservation-focused approach, widely accepted in the field, argues that natural ecosystems function best when completely separated from human interference, and that any human presence inevitably leads to ecological degradation.
Text 2
Dr. Maria Rodriguez and colleagues studied community-based conservation programs in several developing countries. Their research revealed that the most successful conservation outcomes occurred when local communities were given conservation education and economic incentives to protect wilderness buffer zones around pristine core areas. Communities that understood and supported traditional conservation principles achieved the greatest long-term species recovery in both community-managed buffer zones and adjacent pristine reserves.
Based on the texts, how would Dr. Rodriguez and colleagues (Text 2) most likely respond to the preservation-focused approach discussed in Text 1?
By questioning whether large wilderness areas provide sufficient space for biodiversity protection
By demonstrating that economic incentives always produce better results than preservation efforts
By suggesting that community involvement can enhance the effectiveness of traditional conservation approaches
By rejecting the idea that natural ecosystems need any form of protection from human activity
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: "Conservation biologists have long maintained that protecting biodiversity requires establishing large, pristine wilderness areas isolated from human activity." |
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| "This preservation-focused approach, widely accepted in the field, argues that natural ecosystems function best when completely separated from human interference, and that any human presence inevitably leads to ecological degradation." |
|
| Text 2: "Dr. Maria Rodriguez and colleagues studied community-based conservation programs in several developing countries." |
|
| "Their research revealed that the most successful conservation outcomes occurred when local communities were given conservation education and economic incentives to protect wilderness buffer zones around pristine core areas." |
|
| "Communities that understood and supported traditional conservation principles achieved the greatest long-term species recovery in both community-managed buffer zones and adjacent pristine reserves." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The texts present traditional conservation approaches alongside research showing community involvement can enhance conservation effectiveness.
Argument Flow: Text 1 establishes the traditional preservation approach that sees human presence as inevitably harmful to ecosystems. Text 2 presents research findings suggesting that community involvement, when combined with traditional conservation principles, actually produces the most successful conservation outcomes.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? How would Dr. Rodriguez and colleagues respond to the preservation-focused approach from Text 1?
What type of answer do we need? We need to identify how the research findings in Text 2 would address or relate to the traditional approach described in Text 1.
Any limiting keywords? Content Genre: Sciences, Content Format: Text-only, Question Type: Simple Inference, Language Complexity: Accessible
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Dr. Rodriguez's research doesn't reject the traditional approach - in fact, it shows that communities who "understood and supported traditional conservation principles" achieved the best results
- The key finding is that community involvement can work alongside pristine core areas, with communities managing buffer zones around those pristine reserves
- The research suggests that community participation enhances rather than replaces traditional conservation methods
By questioning whether large wilderness areas provide sufficient space for biodiversity protection
- Suggests Rodriguez would question whether large areas provide enough space
- The research doesn't address size adequacy - it shows communities can work with existing pristine core areas
By demonstrating that economic incentives always produce better results than preservation efforts
- Claims economic incentives "always" produce better results than preservation efforts
- The word "always" is too extreme and not supported by the research
By suggesting that community involvement can enhance the effectiveness of traditional conservation approaches
- Accurately reflects that Rodriguez's research shows community involvement can "enhance" traditional approaches
- Matches the finding that communities supporting traditional conservation principles achieved the greatest success
By rejecting the idea that natural ecosystems need any form of protection from human activity
- Suggests Rodriguez would reject the need for any protection from human activity
- Contradicts the research findings that show communities protecting buffer zones around pristine core areas