Drivers who strongly believe that the toll they must pay to use the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which spans the...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Drivers who strongly believe that the toll they must pay to use the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which spans the Ohio River to connect Indiana and Kentucky, is currently too high are unlikely to be ________ a proposal to increase the toll. Advocates for a higher toll are likely to have more success if they instead direct their arguments toward a more persuadable segment of the population.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
receptive to
apprised of
incensed by
cited in
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Drivers who strongly believe that the toll they must pay to use the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which spans the Ohio River to connect Indiana and Kentucky, is currently too high" |
|
| "are unlikely to be _______ a proposal to increase the toll." |
|
| "Advocates for a higher toll are likely to have more success if they instead direct their arguments toward a more persuadable segment of the population." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Drivers who already think tolls are too expensive will not respond favorably to proposals for toll increases, so advocates should target different audiences.
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 blank needs to show how drivers who already believe tolls are "too high" would respond to proposals to make them even higher
- Since they think current tolls are excessive, they logically wouldn't welcome or be open to increases
- The word should convey their lack of openness or support for toll hike proposals
receptive to
- "Receptive to" means open to or willing to accept
- Perfectly fits the logic: drivers who think tolls are already too high would be unlikely to be "open to" proposals for increases
apprised of
- "Apprised of" means informed about
- Doesn't fit the logic - the issue isn't whether they know about proposals, but how they'd respond
incensed by
- "Incensed by" means angry about
- Creates wrong logical relationship - if they think current tolls are too high, they WOULD likely be angry about increases
cited in
- "Cited in" means mentioned or referenced in
- Doesn't make grammatical sense in this context