While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:The Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed eBird, a citizen science...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed eBird, a citizen science platform launched in 2002.
- eBird allows birdwatchers worldwide to submit their observations through a mobile app or website.
- The platform has collected over 1 billion bird sightings from more than 600,000 participants.
- Scientists can access real-time data about bird populations and migration patterns from around the globe.
- Traditional bird surveys required researchers to physically visit multiple locations across vast geographic areas.
- The digital platform enables data collection from remote areas that would be difficult for professional researchers to access regularly.
The student wants to explain an advantage of eBird's digital data collection method. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Through its digital platform, eBird enables scientists to gather bird population data from remote locations that would be challenging for researchers to access regularly through traditional methods.
The eBird platform, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has been collecting bird observations since 2002.
Over 1 billion bird sightings have been submitted to eBird by more than 600,000 citizen science participants worldwide.
eBird allows birdwatchers to submit their observations through either a mobile app or website interface.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed eBird, a citizen science platform launched in 2002." |
|
| "eBird allows birdwatchers worldwide to submit their observations through a mobile app or website." |
|
| "The platform has collected over 1 billion bird sightings from more than 600,000 participants." |
|
| "Scientists can access real-time data about bird populations and migration patterns from around the globe." |
|
| "Traditional bird surveys required researchers to physically visit multiple locations across vast geographic areas." |
|
| "The digital platform enables data collection from remote areas that would be difficult for professional researchers to access regularly." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: eBird's digital citizen science platform has revolutionized bird data collection by enabling massive-scale, real-time data gathering from locations that would be difficult for traditional research methods to access.
Argument Flow: The notes establish eBird as a digital platform, explain its mechanism and impressive scale, then highlight its advantages by contrasting digital capabilities with traditional survey limitations, ultimately emphasizing how the digital approach solves the geographic access problem.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The student wants to explain an advantage of eBird's digital data collection method.
What type of answer do we need? A statement that clearly articulates a specific benefit or advantage that eBird's digital approach provides over traditional methods.
Any limiting keywords? "Advantage" is the key limiting word - we need to identify a benefit, not just describe features or provide statistics.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Enables massive-scale data collection through citizen participation
- Provides real-time access to global data
- Solves the geographic limitation problem by accessing remote areas that traditional researchers can't easily reach
Through its digital platform, eBird enables scientists to gather bird population data from remote locations that would be challenging for researchers to access regularly through traditional methods.
- Directly explains the geographic advantage by stating that eBird enables data collection from remote locations. Makes the explicit contrast with traditional methods that would find these areas challenging to access regularly. Perfectly synthesizes the comparison between digital and traditional approaches from the notes.
The eBird platform, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has been collecting bird observations since 2002.
- Simply provides background information about when eBird was developed and by whom. Contains no explanation of any advantage.
Over 1 billion bird sightings have been submitted to eBird by more than 600,000 citizen science participants worldwide.
- Provides impressive statistics about the scale of data collection. While the numbers suggest success, doesn't explicitly explain why this represents an advantage or what benefit it provides.
eBird allows birdwatchers to submit their observations through either a mobile app or website interface.
- Describes the technical mechanism of how people submit observations. Explains functionality but not advantage.