Downtown Portland's transformation began with addressing a critical urban challenge: how to revive a declining commercial district. City planners reco...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Downtown Portland's transformation began with addressing a critical urban challenge: how to revive a declining commercial district. City planners recognized that _______ development phases would be essential. First, they established historic preservation zones, protecting the area's architectural character from demolition. This foundation enabled the second phase: constructing modern transit infrastructure that drew commuters and visitors to the preserved downtown core. Finally, these transportation improvements made possible the third phase of creating green public spaces that attracted residents and businesses to complete the revitalization.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
expensive
complementary
sequential
controversial
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Downtown Portland's transformation began with addressing a critical urban challenge: how to revive a declining commercial district. |
|
| City planners recognized that _______ development phases would be essential. |
|
| First, they established historic preservation zones, protecting the area's architectural character from demolition. |
|
| This foundation enabled the second phase: constructing modern transit infrastructure that drew commuters and visitors to the preserved downtown core. |
|
| Finally, these transportation improvements made possible the third phase of creating green public spaces that attracted residents and businesses to complete the revitalization. |
|
Main Point: Portland successfully revitalized its declining downtown through a three-phase development approach that built systematically from preservation to infrastructure to public spaces.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a problem (declining downtown), then describes a three-phase solution where each phase builds on and enables the next phase, ultimately achieving complete revitalization.
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 passage shows three phases that happen in a specific order - First, second phase, and third phase
- Each phase builds on what came before: the foundation of phase 1 enables phase 2, and the transportation improvements of phase 2 make possible phase 3
- We need a word that captures this ordered, step-by-step progression where each phase follows logically from the previous one
expensive
- Expensive describes cost but tells us nothing about the relationship between the phases
- The passage does not discuss costs or financial aspects at all
complementary
- Complementary suggests the phases work well together, which they do
- However, this misses the crucial ordered progression - the passage emphasizes first, second, and third phases where each enables the next
sequential
- Sequential perfectly captures that the phases happen in order: first, second, third
- Matches the passage's emphasis on how each phase builds on and enables the next
- Aligns with our prethinking about ordered, step-by-step progression
controversial
- Controversial suggests the phases caused disagreement or debate
- The passage presents the phases as a successful solution with no mention of controversy or opposition