Following the release of economic analyst Maria Santos' comprehensive report forecasting a major decline in technology stocks, industry publications p...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Following the release of economic analyst Maria Santos' comprehensive report forecasting a major decline in technology stocks, industry publications promptly _______ her assessment as insightful; this confirmation occurred when her projections were vindicated by the market crash that ensued half a year afterward.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
rejected
endorsed
challenged
ignored
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Following the release of economic analyst Maria Santos' comprehensive report forecasting a major decline in technology stocks," |
|
| "industry publications promptly _________ her assessment as insightful;" | What it is: Missing action word - what publications did to her assessment |
| "this confirmation occurred when her projections were vindicated by the market crash that ensued half a year afterward." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: Santos releases report (tech stocks will decline) → Publications [MISSING ACTION] her assessment as "insightful" → Market crash 6 months later proves publications' response was correct
Main Point: Maria Santos' prediction about tech stock decline was initially recognized as insightful by industry publications and later proven correct by an actual market crash.
Argument Flow: The passage describes how an analyst made a prediction, industry publications responded to that prediction by calling it insightful, and then the prediction was vindicated by actual events that followed.
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
- From our analysis, we know the publications called her assessment "insightful," and the passage refers to their action as "confirmation"
- Later, her projections were "vindicated" by the actual market crash
- This suggests the publications did something supportive or positive - they approved of or supported her assessment in some way
- So the right answer should show the publications expressing support or approval for Santos' assessment
rejected
✗ Incorrect
- "Rejected" means refused to accept or dismissed
- This contradicts the idea that they called her assessment "insightful" and that this constituted "confirmation"
endorsed
✓ Correct
- "Endorsed" means publicly supported or approved
- This fits perfectly with calling her assessment "insightful" and matches the "confirmation" language
- Makes logical sense that their endorsement was later validated by the market crash
challenged
✗ Incorrect
- "Challenged" means questioned or disputed
- This doesn't align with calling the assessment "insightful" or with the "confirmation" reference
ignored
✗ Incorrect
- "Ignored" means paid no attention to or disregarded
- This contradicts the entire premise that they called it "insightful" and that their response constituted "confirmation"