Environmental scientist Dr. Maria Santos seeks to make citizens _____ her research on local water quality. For instance, her ongoing...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Environmental scientist Dr. Maria Santos seeks to make citizens _____ her research on local water quality. For instance, her ongoing study of the Chesapeake Bay involves training volunteers to collect water samples from their neighborhoods and submit data through a mobile app that tracks pollution levels across the region.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
participants in
confused by
excluded from
critical of
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Environmental scientist Dr. Maria Santos seeks to make citizens" |
|
| "[MISSING WORD/PHRASE]" |
|
| "her research on local water quality" |
|
| "For instance, her ongoing study of the Chesapeake Bay involves training volunteers to collect water samples from their neighborhoods and submit data through a mobile app that tracks pollution levels across the region." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Santos wants to involve citizens in her water quality research through hands-on participation.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Santos' goal regarding citizens and her research, then provides a specific example showing how she actively engages volunteers in data collection for her Chesapeake Bay study.
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 see that Dr. Santos has a goal involving citizens and her research
- The example that follows shows her training volunteers to actively collect data and submit information
- This suggests she wants citizens to be actively involved in her research work
- The missing word should describe a relationship where citizens become actively engaged with her research, not passive observers or opponents
- So the right answer should indicate that she wants citizens to actively take part in or be involved with her research activities
participants in
✓ Correct
- Correct: Creates the logical relationship where she wants citizens to be active participants in her research
- Perfectly matches the example where volunteers collect data and submit information
- Shows active involvement, which aligns with the training and data collection described
confused by
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect: Would mean she wants to confuse citizens about her research
- Contradicts the example showing her training volunteers
excluded from
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect: Would mean she wants to keep citizens away from her research
- Directly contradicts the example where she actively trains volunteers to participate
critical of
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect: Would mean she wants citizens to criticize her research
- Does not align with training volunteers to help collect data