Daily Distance Traveled by Adult Mountain Lions in Three SeasonsSeasonKilometers per day traveled by adult femalesKilometers per day traveled by...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
| Season | Kilometers per day traveled by adult females | Kilometers per day traveled by adult males |
|---|---|---|
| cold-dry | 9.28 | 15.81 |
| monsoon | 12.64 | 18.93 |
| hot-dry | 12.48 | 18.87 |
Wildlife researcher Dana L. Karelus and her colleagues tracked the movements of female and male adult mountain lions over three seasons: the cold-dry season, the hot-dry season, and the monsoon season. They found that the least amount of travel per day occurred in ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
the cold-dry season for both females and males.
the cold-dry season for females and the hot-dry season for males.
the hot-dry season for females and the monsoon season for males.
the monsoon season for both females and males.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Daily Distance Traveled by Adult Mountain Lions in Three Seasons" |
|
| "Wildlife researcher Dana L. Karelus and her colleagues tracked the movements of female and male adult mountain lions over three seasons: the cold-dry season, the hot-dry season, and the monsoon season." |
|
| "They found that the least amount of travel per day occurred in ______" |
|
| Table data showing kilometers per day for females and males across three seasons |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Karelus and colleagues tracked mountain lion movement patterns across seasons and found that travel distance varies by season, with the lowest occurring in a specific season that we need to identify.
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 the data systematically, I need to compare the travel distances for both females and males across all three seasons to find the lowest values
- For females: cold-dry (9.28) is clearly lower than both monsoon (12.64) and hot-dry (12.48)
- For males: cold-dry (15.81) is also lower than both monsoon (18.93) and hot-dry (18.87)
- So the right answer should identify the cold-dry season as when both females and males traveled the least distance per day
the cold-dry season for both females and males.
✓ Correct
- States that both females and males had least travel in cold-dry season
- Matches exactly what the data shows: 9.28 km (females) and 15.81 km (males) are the lowest values in their respective columns
- Directly supported by numerical evidence in the table
the cold-dry season for females and the hot-dry season for males.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims males had least travel in hot-dry season
- Data shows males traveled 18.87 km in hot-dry vs. 15.81 km in cold-dry
- Hot-dry was actually their second-highest season, not their lowest
the hot-dry season for females and the monsoon season for males.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims females had least travel in hot-dry and males in monsoon season
- Data shows females traveled 12.48 km in hot-dry vs. 9.28 km in cold-dry
- Data shows males traveled 18.93 km in monsoon vs. 15.81 km in cold-dry
- Gets the season wrong for both genders
the monsoon season for both females and males.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims both genders had least travel in monsoon season
- Monsoon actually shows the highest travel distances for both: 12.64 km (females) and 18.93 km (males)
- Directly contradicts the data by choosing the season with maximum, not minimum, travel