During his career as a marine biologist, Dr. Rodriguez spent countless hours observing coral reef ecosystems in their natural habitat,...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
During his career as a marine biologist, Dr. Rodriguez spent countless hours observing coral reef ecosystems in their natural habitat, documenting behavioral patterns and species interactions through detailed field notes. _____ he carefully collected specimens for laboratory analysis to study their cellular structures and genetic composition.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
In addition,
For example,
Nevertheless,
At the same time,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "During his career as a marine biologist, Dr. Rodriguez spent countless hours observing coral reef ecosystems in their natural habitat, documenting behavioral patterns and species interactions through detailed field notes." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "he carefully collected specimens for laboratory analysis to study their cellular structures and genetic composition." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Rodriguez conducted comprehensive marine biology research involving both field observation and laboratory analysis.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Dr. Rodriguez's role as a marine biologist, describes his field observation work, then moves to describe his laboratory work. The missing connector must show how these two research approaches relate to each other.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we have two different but related research activities
- The first sentence describes field observation work - watching coral reefs in nature and taking detailed notes
- The second sentence describes laboratory work - collecting specimens to study their cellular and genetic properties
- Both are legitimate research methods that Dr. Rodriguez used in his career
- The relationship between these sentences is additive - both describe research activities he performed
- We need a transition that shows the second activity is another thing he did, not an example of the first, not a contrast, and not necessarily something that happened simultaneously
In addition,
- "In addition" perfectly shows that specimen collection was another research activity Dr. Rodriguez performed
- Creates the right additive relationship between field work and lab work
For example,
- "For example" would make specimen collection an example of field observation work
- This doesn't make logical sense - collecting specimens for lab analysis isn't an example of observing ecosystems in their natural habitat
Nevertheless,
- "Nevertheless" signals contrast or opposition between the two activities
- There's no contrast here - both field observation and specimen collection are standard, complementary research methods
At the same time,
- "At the same time" suggests these activities happened simultaneously
- The passage doesn't indicate timing - we don't know if he did both activities during the same period