Emergency physicians frequently encounter patients with suspected internal injuries that cannot be assessed through physical examination alone. When t...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Emergency physicians frequently encounter patients with suspected internal injuries that cannot be assessed through physical examination alone. When trauma patients present with severe abdominal pain but show no external wounds, doctors cannot directly observe potential organ damage or internal bleeding. To evaluate the patient's true medical condition, physicians must ______ the extent of internal injury using diagnostic imaging, laboratory tests, and other clinical assessment tools.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
postpone
ignore
minimize
determine
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Emergency physicians frequently encounter patients with suspected internal injuries that cannot be assessed through physical examination alone." |
|
| "When trauma patients present with severe abdominal pain but show no external wounds, doctors cannot directly observe potential organ damage or internal bleeding." |
|
| "To evaluate the patient's true medical condition, physicians must _______ the extent of internal injury using diagnostic imaging, laboratory tests, and other clinical assessment tools." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Emergency physicians need to use diagnostic tools to assess internal injuries that cannot be evaluated through physical examination alone.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that emergency physicians commonly face a challenge where they cannot assess internal injuries through physical examination. It then provides a specific scenario where trauma patients have severe pain but no visible external wounds, making direct observation impossible. Finally, it explains that physicians must use various diagnostic tools to evaluate the true extent of internal injuries, with the specific action word missing from the blank.
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 blank comes after "physicians must" and before "the extent of internal injury using diagnostic imaging, laboratory tests, and other clinical assessment tools."
- The context shows that doctors can't see internal injuries directly through physical examination, so they need to use these diagnostic tools to figure out what's going on inside the patient.
- The word we need should describe the action of finding out or establishing the extent of injury.
postpone
postpone
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean doctors delay determining the extent of injury.
- This contradicts the passage's emphasis on using diagnostic tools to evaluate patients.
ignore
ignore
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean doctors disregard the extent of internal injury.
- This directly contradicts the entire purpose of using diagnostic tools.
minimize
minimize
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean doctors downplay or reduce the extent of internal injury.
- The passage focuses on evaluation and assessment, not making injuries seem less serious.
determine
determine
✓ Correct
- This means to establish or find out the extent of internal injury.
- Perfectly matches the context of using diagnostic tools to figure out what cannot be seen directly.