Cuttlefish appear to be surprisingly ________ at exercising self-control: in a 2021 study conducted by behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell, these...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Cuttlefish appear to be surprisingly ________ at exercising self-control: in a 2021 study conducted by behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell, these cephalopods routinely demonstrated restraint by delaying gratification, waiting for a favorite treat instead of instantly devouring a readily available meal.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Cuttlefish appear to be surprisingly ______' |
|
| 'at exercising self-control:' |
|
| 'in a 2021 study conducted by behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell,' |
|
| 'these cephalopods routinely demonstrated restraint by delaying gratification,' |
|
| 'waiting for a favorite treat instead of instantly devouring a readily available meal.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Cuttlefish demonstrate surprising ability at self-control by delaying gratification for better rewards.
Argument Flow: The passage makes a claim about cuttlefish having a certain level of ability at self-control, then immediately supports this with evidence from a specific study showing they can delay gratification by waiting for preferred treats instead of eating what's immediately available.
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 blank comes after 'surprisingly' and before 'at exercising self-control.'
- The evidence that follows shows cuttlefish successfully demonstrating restraint and delaying gratification.
- The word 'surprisingly' suggests this contradicts expectations - we wouldn't normally expect cuttlefish to be good at self-control.
- The missing word needs to describe their level of ability at self-control.
- Since the evidence shows they 'routinely demonstrated restraint' and successfully delayed gratification, they must be quite good at it.
- So the right answer should indicate that cuttlefish are skilled or capable at exercising self-control, which would be surprising given our typical expectations about these creatures.
- 'Awkward' would mean clumsy or uncomfortable at self-control.
- This contradicts the evidence showing they routinely and successfully demonstrated restraint.
- 'Imaginative' refers to creativity or inventiveness.
- The passage is about self-control ability, not creative thinking.
- 'Manageable' means something that can be controlled or handled.
- This doesn't make grammatical or logical sense in the context 'manageable at exercising self-control.'
- 'Competent' means skilled, capable, or effective at something.
- This perfectly matches the evidence showing cuttlefish routinely demonstrated successful restraint.
- The word 'surprisingly' makes sense because we wouldn't typically expect cuttlefish to be skilled at self-control.