Text 1The geographic scope of Dr. Chen's recent urban air quality research undermines what is otherwise a compelling analysis of...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The geographic scope of Dr. Chen's recent urban air quality research undermines what is otherwise a compelling analysis of particulate matter and respiratory illness rates. Coastal metropolitan areas alone cannot represent the full spectrum of air pollution sources, particularly when inland industrial regions contribute significantly to broader pollution patterns. Data from organizations like the Environmental Monitoring Consortium could have strengthened Chen's assessment by providing a more representative geographic sample.
Text 2
Dr. Chen's urban air quality research contributes valuable insights to pollution-health relationships, yet the study suffers from a fundamental theoretical flaw. The assumption that respiratory illness rates can be predicted solely through particulate matter concentrations ignores the multifaceted nature of environmental health. Urban respiratory health outcomes result from numerous interacting variables that Chen's singular focus fails to adequately address.
Which choice best describes a difference in how the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 view Dr. Chen's air quality research?
The author of Text 1 believes that the study's limited geographic scope led to incomplete conclusions, while the author of Text 2 believes that the study's theoretical approach is overly simplistic.
The author of Text 1 argues that Chen should have collaborated more with environmental monitoring organizations, while the author of Text 2 suggests that Chen's focus on health outcomes was misplaced.
The author of Text 1 maintains that the research methodology produces reliable data despite geographic constraints, while the author of Text 2 argues that the pollution-health correlation itself is questionable.
The author of Text 1 claims that coastal metropolitan areas provide insufficient data for pollution research, while the author of Text 2 contends that particulate matter measurements are inherently unreliable.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: "The geographic scope of Dr. Chen's recent urban air quality research undermines what is otherwise a compelling analysis of particulate matter and respiratory illness rates." |
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| "Coastal metropolitan areas alone cannot represent the full spectrum of air pollution sources, particularly when inland industrial regions contribute significantly to broader pollution patterns." |
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| Text 2: "Dr. Chen's urban air quality research contributes valuable insights to pollution-health relationships, yet the study suffers from a fundamental theoretical flaw." |
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| "The assumption that respiratory illness rates can be predicted solely through particulate matter concentrations ignores the multifaceted nature of environmental health." |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Text 1 and Text 2 both critique Dr. Chen's research but focus on different fundamental problems—geographic limitations versus theoretical oversimplification.
Argument Flow: Text 1 argues that Chen's study, while compelling in its analysis, fails because it's geographically too narrow to be representative. Text 2 takes a different angle, arguing that Chen's theoretical framework is fundamentally flawed because it oversimplifies the complex relationship between environmental factors and health outcomes.
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 key difference identified is that Text 1 focuses on a geographic scope problem—the study doesn't include enough different types of locations to be representative
- Text 2 focuses on a theoretical approach problem—Chen's framework is too simplistic because it assumes one factor can predict health outcomes when multiple factors interact
The author of Text 1 believes that the study's limited geographic scope led to incomplete conclusions, while the author of Text 2 believes that the study's theoretical approach is overly simplistic.
- Correctly captures Text 1's criticism about limited geographic scope and Text 2's criticism that the theoretical approach is overly simplistic
- This matches our analysis perfectly
The author of Text 1 argues that Chen should have collaborated more with environmental monitoring organizations, while the author of Text 2 suggests that Chen's focus on health outcomes was misplaced.
- Mischaracterizes Text 1's criticism as being about collaboration rather than geographic scope
- Text 1 mentions other organizations as potential data sources, not collaboration issues
The author of Text 1 maintains that the research methodology produces reliable data despite geographic constraints, while the author of Text 2 argues that the pollution-health correlation itself is questionable.
- Completely backwards on Text 1—claims it maintains methodology produces reliable data when Text 1 actually criticizes the geographic limitations
The author of Text 1 claims that coastal metropolitan areas provide insufficient data for pollution research, while the author of Text 2 contends that particulate matter measurements are inherently unreliable.
- Gets Text 1 partly right but wrongly claims Text 2 says particulate matter measurements are unreliable when Text 2's point is about narrow focus, not measurement reliability