Education researchers Dr. Amanda Chen and her team discovered that students who take notes exclusively on laptops during lectures perform...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Education researchers Dr. Amanda Chen and her team discovered that students who take notes exclusively on laptops during lectures perform worse on conceptual tests than those who write by hand. The team believes that typing encourages verbatim transcription rather than active processing of information, which could ______ deep learning.
- undermine
- facilitate
- document
- evaluate
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
undermine
facilitate
document
evaluate
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Education researchers Dr. Amanda Chen and her team discovered that students who take notes exclusively on laptops during lectures perform worse on conceptual tests than those who write by hand." |
|
| "The team believes that typing encourages verbatim transcription rather than active processing of information," |
|
| "which could _______ deep learning." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Research shows laptop note-taking hurts test performance because it encourages passive copying instead of active thinking.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a research finding, then explains the mechanism behind it (typing leads to passive transcription), and concludes with the broader implication for learning.
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 a clear logical chain: typing encourages verbatim transcription instead of active processing
- Since active processing is good for learning and verbatim transcription is passive, this lack of active processing would logically harm or damage deep learning
- The missing word should show a negative effect - something that indicates this passive approach would hurt deep learning
undermine
- Undermine means to weaken or damage from within
- This fits perfectly - if typing encourages passive copying instead of active thinking, it would weaken deep learning
- Matches our prethinking about needing a negative effect
facilitate
- Facilitate means to help or make easier
- This creates the opposite relationship and contradicts the entire logic of the passage
document
- Document means to record or keep track of
- This does not create a logical relationship between passive transcription and learning outcomes
evaluate
- Evaluate means to assess or judge the value of something
- This does not fit the logical flow and creates an illogical relationship