Engineers developing the new TransBot delivery system faced significant skepticism when they announced their biomimetic design. The robot's movement p...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Engineers developing the new TransBot delivery system faced significant skepticism when they announced their biomimetic design. The robot's movement pattern, inspired by the unpredictable locomotion of desert beetles, appeared chaotic and inefficient compared to traditional wheeled delivery vehicles. Many industry experts predicted that such an erratic navigation approach would result in delayed deliveries and customer complaints. However, after six months of field testing in urban environments, logistics companies reported that TransBot achieved \(23\%\) faster delivery times and \(31\%\) higher customer satisfaction ratings than conventional delivery systems. These results indicate that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the engineers successfully adapted the biomimetic approach to meet their delivery system goals.
most logistics companies didn't understand the engineers' design principles for TransBot.
desert beetles are particularly well-suited for urban navigation challenges.
the engineers' work has inspired many other companies to develop biomimetic delivery systems.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Engineers developing the new TransBot delivery system faced significant skepticism when they announced their biomimetic design." |
|
| "The robot's movement pattern, inspired by the unpredictable locomotion of desert beetles, appeared chaotic and inefficient compared to traditional wheeled delivery vehicles." |
|
| "Many industry experts predicted that such an erratic navigation approach would result in delayed deliveries and customer complaints." |
|
| "However, after six months of field testing in urban environments, logistics companies reported that TransBot achieved 23% faster delivery times and 31% higher customer satisfaction ratings than conventional delivery systems." |
|
| "These results indicate that _____" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Despite initial skepticism about the TransBot's chaotic-seeming biomimetic design, field testing proved it actually performed significantly better than conventional delivery systems.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes widespread skepticism about an unconventional design approach, details the specific concerns experts had, then reveals that actual testing completely contradicted these concerns with strong positive results.
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 key elements we have are: initial skepticism about the biomimetic approach, expert predictions of failure, but then actual results showing significant success (23% faster, 31% higher satisfaction)
- So the right answer should connect these strong positive results back to what they mean about the engineers' original approach - essentially that despite the skepticism, their biomimetic design actually worked very well
the engineers successfully adapted the biomimetic approach to meet their delivery system goals.
✓ Correct
- This directly connects the positive results to the engineers' success with their approach
- The strong performance data shows they did successfully adapt biomimetic principles for delivery purposes
most logistics companies didn't understand the engineers' design principles for TransBot.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage shows logistics companies reported positive results, suggesting they understood the system well enough to evaluate it effectively
- This doesn't connect logically to the testing results
desert beetles are particularly well-suited for urban navigation challenges.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage is about the engineered system inspired by beetles, not about the beetles themselves
- The results tell us about TransBot's performance, not about desert beetles' navigation abilities
the engineers' work has inspired many other companies to develop biomimetic delivery systems.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage provides no information about other companies or inspiration spreading
- The results only tell us about TransBot's performance, not about broader industry impact