Economist Dr. James Chen has been analyzing consumer spending patterns to support the automotive sector's ______ growth projections: his market...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Economist Dr. James Chen has been analyzing consumer spending patterns to support the automotive sector's ______ growth projections: his market data confirms sales figures that align with the \(15\%\) increase analysts predicted at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
verified
optimistic
thorough
detailed
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Economist Dr. James Chen has been analyzing consumer spending patterns to support the automotive sector's _______ growth projections:" |
|
| "his market data confirms sales figures that align with the 15% increase analysts predicted at the beginning of the fiscal year." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture and Core Elements
Main Point: Chen's research validates automotive growth projections by confirming predicted sales increases.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Chen's research purpose (supporting some type of growth projections) and then shows his data proves those projections were accurate by matching the predicted 15% increase.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find the most logical and precise word to describe the automotive sector's growth projections.
What type of answer do we need? A descriptive adjective that fits the context and relationship between Chen's research and the evidence.
Any limiting keywords? "Most logical and precise" - the answer must make perfect sense given the evidence provided.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The key insight is in the relationship between the two parts of the sentence. Chen is analyzing data "to support" certain growth projections, and then we learn his data "confirms" sales figures that "align with the 15% increase analysts predicted."
- This means the projections were positive/favorable predictions that turned out to be correct.
- Since the data confirms the predictions came true (15% increase as expected), Chen must have been supporting projections that showed positive growth expectations.
- The word should describe projections that anticipated good news/growth.
- So the right answer should describe projections that were hopeful or positive about future growth.
verified
✗ Incorrect
- "Verified" means already confirmed or proven
- Chen can't support projections that are already verified - that's backwards logic
- You support projections first, then verify them with data
optimistic
✓ Correct
- "Optimistic" means hopeful/positive about future outcomes
- Perfect fit: Chen supported optimistic (positive) growth projections, and his data proved they were right
- The \(15\%\) increase confirms these positive expectations were accurate
thorough
✗ Incorrect
- "Thorough" describes completeness of analysis, not the nature of the projections
- Doesn't relate to the evidence about \(15\%\) growth being confirmed
- What trap this represents: Students might think "thorough" sounds academic and impressive, but it doesn't connect to the logical relationship in the sentence
detailed
✗ Incorrect
- "Detailed" describes how comprehensive the projections were, not their outlook
- Like "thorough," it doesn't connect to whether the projections were positive or negative
- The evidence about confirmed growth doesn't relate to how detailed the projections were