Contemporary commercial structures typically incorporate expansive glass facades intended to enhance natural illumination and visual clarity. _______ ...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Contemporary commercial structures typically incorporate expansive glass facades intended to enhance natural illumination and visual clarity. _______ specific design companies have adopted totally opaque exteriors that depend wholly on electric lighting systems. Such "bunker-like" constructions emphasize protection and environmental regulation rather than transparency.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
However,
Earlier,
For example,
Likewise,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Contemporary commercial structures typically incorporate expansive glass facades intended to enhance natural illumination and visual clarity." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "specific design companies have adopted totally opaque exteriors that depend wholly on electric lighting systems." |
|
| "Such 'bunker-like' constructions emphasize protection and environmental regulation rather than transparency." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While most commercial buildings use glass for natural light and openness, some companies deliberately choose the opposite approach with completely solid exteriors for security and control.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the normal practice of using glass in commercial buildings, then shifts to describe companies that do exactly the opposite, and finally explains why they make this contrasting choice.
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, we see a clear pattern: the first sentence describes what commercial buildings "typically" do (glass facades for natural light), while the sentence after the blank describes what "specific design companies" do instead (totally opaque exteriors with artificial light)
- This is a direct contrast - typical practice versus an opposing approach
- The right logical connector needs to signal this contrast
- We're moving from "most buildings do this" to "but some companies do the complete opposite"
- So the right answer should indicate a contrast or opposition between the typical glass approach and the opaque approach
However,
- "However" signals contrast, which perfectly matches the relationship we identified
- It connects "typical glass facades" with the opposing "totally opaque exteriors"
- This creates the logical flow: most buildings use glass, BUT some companies do the opposite
Earlier,
- "Earlier" indicates a time sequence, suggesting these opaque buildings came before glass facades
- The passage doesn't establish any timeline - it's comparing current approaches, not historical sequence
- This would create confusion about when things happened rather than showing the contrast
For example,
- "For example" suggests the opaque buildings are examples of the glass facade trend
- This makes no logical sense since opaque exteriors are the complete opposite of glass facades
- This would contradict the clear contrast the passage is setting up
Likewise,
- "Likewise" suggests similarity or agreement between the two approaches
- But glass facades and opaque exteriors are opposites - one maximizes natural light while the other blocks it entirely
- What trap this represents: Students might choose this if they focus on both being "design approaches" rather than recognizing they're contrasting approaches