Text 1Educational researchers Janet Kim and Robert Lee conducted a 2019 study on reading comprehension improvement in middle school students....
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Educational researchers Janet Kim and Robert Lee conducted a 2019 study on reading comprehension improvement in middle school students. They implemented a program focused on vocabulary building exercises and reading fluency practice with struggling readers. After six months, students showed moderate improvement in standardized reading scores, with an average increase of 12 points. The researchers noted that improvements were particularly strong among students who had consistent attendance.
Text 2A 2022 investigation by Sarah Martinez et al. examined reading comprehension interventions at similar middle schools with both struggling and advanced readers. The team found that vocabulary-focused approaches produced significant gains for students with limited prior knowledge, while metacognitive strategy instruction—teaching students how to monitor their own understanding while reading—was more effective for students with stronger foundational skills. The researchers concluded that student readiness levels determine which instructional approach yields optimal results.
Based on the texts, if Kim and Lee (Text 1) and Martinez et al. (Text 2) were aware of the findings of both studies, they would most likely agree with which statement?
Vocabulary building exercises are more effective for students with limited foundational reading skills than for students with stronger reading abilities.
Students with consistent school attendance typically show greater improvement regardless of the instructional method used.
Reading fluency practice should be emphasized over vocabulary instruction when working with advanced middle school readers.
Metacognitive strategy instruction requires longer implementation periods than vocabulary-focused approaches to show measurable results.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Educational researchers Janet Kim and Robert Lee conducted a 2019 study on reading comprehension improvement in middle school students. |
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| They implemented a program focused on vocabulary building exercises and reading fluency practice with struggling readers. |
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| After six months, students showed moderate improvement in standardized reading scores, with an average increase of 12 points. |
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| The researchers noted that improvements were particularly strong among students who had consistent attendance. |
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| A 2022 investigation by Sarah Martinez et al. examined reading comprehension interventions at similar middle schools with both struggling and advanced readers. |
|
| The team found that vocabulary-focused approaches produced significant gains for students with limited prior knowledge, |
|
| while metacognitive strategy instruction was more effective for students with stronger foundational skills. |
|
| The researchers concluded that student readiness levels determine which instructional approach yields optimal results. |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Two different studies on reading interventions show that vocabulary-focused instruction is particularly effective for students with weaker foundational skills, while students with stronger foundations may benefit more from different approaches.
Argument Flow: The first study demonstrates that vocabulary building helps struggling readers improve their scores. The second study expands on this by comparing different approaches across student ability levels, revealing that vocabulary instruction is most effective for students with limited prior knowledge, while metacognitive strategies work better for students with stronger foundations.
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 both studies, we need to find common ground
- The Kim and Lee study focused on struggling readers and found vocabulary building helpful
- The Martinez study found vocabulary approaches work best for students with limited prior knowledge, while metacognitive strategies work better for stronger students
- The key connection is that both studies suggest vocabulary building is particularly effective for students with weaker foundations
- So the right answer should reflect that vocabulary building is more effective for students with weaker foundations than for students with stronger foundations
Vocabulary building exercises are more effective for students with limited foundational reading skills than for students with stronger reading abilities.
- This directly matches what both studies found - Kim and Lee's vocabulary program helped struggling readers, and Martinez explicitly found vocabulary approaches work best for students with limited prior knowledge while metacognitive strategies work better for stronger students
Students with consistent school attendance typically show greater improvement regardless of the instructional method used.
- This only comes from the Kim and Lee study about attendance
- The Martinez study doesn't mention attendance at all, so there's no basis for both teams to agree on this
Reading fluency practice should be emphasized over vocabulary instruction when working with advanced middle school readers.
- This contradicts the Martinez findings, which showed metacognitive strategies work better for advanced students, not reading fluency practice
Metacognitive strategy instruction requires longer implementation periods than vocabulary-focused approaches to show measurable results.
- Neither study provides information about how long different approaches take to show results