Environmental advocates promote reducing individual carbon footprints through lifestyle changes. _____ asking people to give up air travel and meat...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Environmental advocates promote reducing individual carbon footprints through lifestyle changes. _____ asking people to give up air travel and meat consumption entirely seems impractical for most families. Nevertheless, meaningful progress can be achieved through smaller adjustments like using public transportation, reducing food waste, and choosing energy-efficient appliances.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Admittedly,
Therefore,
In contrast,
For example,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Environmental advocates promote reducing individual carbon footprints through lifestyle changes." |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "asking people to give up air travel and meat consumption entirely seems impractical for most families." |
|
| "Nevertheless, meaningful progress can be achieved through smaller adjustments like using public transportation, reducing food waste, and choosing energy-efficient appliances." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While completely eliminating high-carbon activities may be impractical, meaningful environmental progress is still possible through smaller, more manageable lifestyle changes.
Argument Flow: The passage presents the environmental advocates position, acknowledges a significant practical limitation to their approach, but then pivots to show that progress is still achievable through more realistic adjustments.
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 transition needs to connect the advocates general position with the specific criticism that complete elimination is impractical
- The transition should acknowledge the validity of the lifestyle change approach while introducing the limitation that follows, setting up the Nevertheless contrast that comes next
Admittedly,
- Admittedly acknowledges that the author concedes a point about the advocates approach
- It introduces the limitation while not rejecting the overall goal
- Sets up the Nevertheless transition perfectly
- Creates logical flow: advocates want changes, admittedly extreme changes are hard, nevertheless smaller changes work
Therefore,
- Therefore indicates a conclusion following from the previous statement
- This would make the impracticality a logical result of advocates promoting lifestyle changes, which does not make sense
In contrast,
- In contrast sets up opposition between two different ideas
- This would suggest the impracticality is contrasting with advocates promoting lifestyle changes
- But the passage is not contrasting these ideas, it is acknowledging a limitation within the same general approach
For example,
- For example introduces a specific instance of a general principle
- This would make giving up air travel and meat an example of reducing carbon footprints
- But the passage is saying this complete elimination is impractical, not offering it as a good example