Text 1: Dr. Sarah Kim's longitudinal study tracked elementary students given complete autonomy over their learning schedules. Rather than following...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 2: Educational researcher Dr. James Wright recognizes the apparent success of Kim's autonomy-based approach but cautions against overstating its implications. While students may show increased engagement, Wright argues that children's educational choices are inevitably influenced by prior conditioning, peer dynamics, and unconscious attempts to please adults. Any authentic love of learning that emerges, he suggests, is likely supported by more complex psychological factors than pure intrinsic motivation.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion of Text 1?
By noting that if students were truly experiencing joy in learning, any authentic motivation was probably supported by complex psychological factors
By arguing that some students in different educational settings may be capable of experiencing genuine intrinsic motivation
By pointing out that even adults sometimes struggle to find joy while engaging in challenging learning
By objecting that the students were actually responding to social pressure rather than experiencing authentic joy
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: "Dr. Sarah Kim's longitudinal study tracked elementary students given complete autonomy over their learning schedules." |
|
| "Rather than following traditional curricula, students chose their own subjects, pace, and methods." |
|
| "Results were remarkable: students consistently opted for challenging material, demonstrated high engagement, and appeared to experience genuine joy in learning for its own sake." |
|
| Text 2: "Educational researcher Dr. James Wright recognizes the apparent success of Kim's autonomy-based approach but cautions against overstating its implications." |
|
| "While students may show increased engagement, Wright argues that children's educational choices are inevitably influenced by prior conditioning, peer dynamics, and unconscious attempts to please adults." |
|
| "Any authentic love of learning that emerges, he suggests, is likely supported by more complex psychological factors than pure intrinsic motivation." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While Dr. Kim's study shows students can experience joy in autonomous learning, Dr. Wright argues this joy likely stems from complex psychological factors rather than pure intrinsic motivation.
Argument Flow: Text 1 presents an optimistic view of student autonomy leading to genuine joy in learning. Text 2 offers a more nuanced perspective that doesn't dismiss the success but questions whether the motivation is as pure or simple as it appears, suggesting underlying psychological complexity.
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
- From our analysis, Wright acknowledges that students might show engagement and even authentic learning joy, but he believes this stems from "more complex psychological factors than pure intrinsic motivation."
- So Wright wouldn't deny that students experience joy - he'd question what's really driving that joy.
- Wright's response to "genuine joy in learning for its own sake" would likely be: "Yes, they might experience genuine joy, but that joy is supported by complex psychological factors, not simple intrinsic motivation."
By noting that if students were truly experiencing joy in learning, any authentic motivation was probably supported by complex psychological factors
✓ Correct
- This perfectly matches Wright's perspective from the passage.
- Wright says "any authentic love of learning that emerges...is likely supported by more complex psychological factors"
- He wouldn't deny the joy exists, but would explain it through complex psychological factors.
By arguing that some students in different educational settings may be capable of experiencing genuine intrinsic motivation
✗ Incorrect
- Wright isn't making arguments about different educational settings.
- The passage shows Wright focused on questioning the source of motivation, not comparing settings.
By pointing out that even adults sometimes struggle to find joy while engaging in challenging learning
✗ Incorrect
- Wright's argument isn't about adults struggling with learning.
- This completely misses Wright's focus on the psychological complexity behind children's apparent intrinsic motivation.
By objecting that the students were actually responding to social pressure rather than experiencing authentic joy
✗ Incorrect
- This is too extreme - Wright doesn't say students are "actually responding to social pressure rather than experiencing authentic joy"
- Wright acknowledges authentic learning can emerge, he just explains it differently.