The passage below comes from an academic manual focused on educational assessment methodologies.Dr. Martinez maintained a rigorous approach to grading...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The passage below comes from an academic manual focused on educational assessment methodologies.
Dr. Martinez maintained a rigorous approach to grading student work, and every term her graduate assistant would distribute papers back to learners along with comprehensive commentary—each assignment marked using the department's established evaluation criteria.
In the context of this passage, which meaning of 'marked' is most accurate?
Assessed
Recorded
Identified
Damaged
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Dr. Martinez maintained a rigorous approach to grading student work" |
|
| "and every term her graduate assistant would distribute papers back to learners along with comprehensive commentary" |
|
| "each assignment marked using the department's established evaluation criteria" |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Martinez uses a systematic, rigorous approach to grading that follows departmental standards.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Dr. Martinez as a rigorous grader, then details the process of how student work is returned with feedback, and finally specifies that all assignments are evaluated using established departmental criteria.
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 word "marked" appears in the context of academic evaluation—specifically about assignments being processed using "the department's established evaluation criteria."
- In this context, "marked" refers to the act of grading or evaluating student work according to specific standards.
- The word needs to capture the evaluation/assessment function rather than just recording or identifying.
- So the right answer should indicate some form of academic evaluation or assessment of the assignments.
Assessed
- "Assessed" perfectly captures the evaluation function described in the passage.
- Matches our prethinking about academic evaluation using established criteria.
- In academic contexts, "assessed" specifically means to evaluate work according to standards.
Recorded
- "Recorded" suggests simply writing down or documenting information.
- Doesn't capture the evaluative aspect that's central to the passage's meaning.
Identified
- "Identified" means to recognize or point out something.
- Doesn't convey the grading/evaluation function that's clearly indicated by the departmental criteria context.
Damaged
- "Damaged" means to harm or impair something.
- Completely contradicts the positive, systematic approach described in the passage.
- This is clearly wrong given the context of rigorous academic evaluation.