Economic research conducted by graduate student Maria Rodriguez contradicted conventional assumptions suggesting that small business survival rates du...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Economic research conducted by graduate student Maria Rodriguez contradicted conventional assumptions suggesting that small business survival rates during major recessions were ______. Her analysis of federal data spanning three economic downturns revealed that approximately \(75\%\) of small businesses successfully navigated these challenging periods.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
dismal
encouraging
predictable
unprecedented
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Economic research conducted by graduate student Maria Rodriguez contradicted conventional assumptions suggesting that small business survival rates during major recessions were" |
|
| [MISSING WORD/PHRASE] |
|
| "Her analysis of federal data spanning three economic downturns revealed that approximately 75% of small businesses successfully navigated these challenging periods." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Maria Rodriguez's research challenged common beliefs about small business survival during recessions by showing that three-quarters actually make it through.
Argument Flow: We learn that Maria's research goes against conventional thinking about small businesses in recessions. The missing piece tells us what those assumptions were. Then we get her actual findings showing a 75% survival rate, which creates the contrast that makes her research noteworthy.
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 we need must describe what conventional assumptions said about small business survival rates during recessions
- Since Maria's research contradicted these assumptions and showed that 75% of businesses survived (which is actually quite good), the assumptions must have been pessimistic or negative
- The conventional thinking was probably that survival rates were low or poor
dismal
✓ Correct
- Dismal means gloomy or showing little hope of success
- This perfectly captures negative conventional assumptions that would contrast with the positive 75% survival finding
encouraging
✗ Incorrect
- Encouraging means giving hope or confidence
- If assumptions were already encouraging, Maria's research wouldn't be contradicting them
predictable
✗ Incorrect
- Predictable means able to be foreseen or expected
- This describes how consistent the rates were, not whether they were good or bad
unprecedented
✗ Incorrect
- Unprecedented means never done or known before
- This suggests the rates were unique, not necessarily good or bad