Historical surgeries frequently resulted in widespread infections and substantial patient deaths because sterile methods were not implemented. In resp...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Historical surgeries frequently resulted in widespread infections and substantial patient deaths because sterile methods were not implemented. In response to these hazardous circumstances, physicians began implementing systematic _____ during the latter part of the 1800s, including antiseptic procedures, sanitized surgical tools, and enhanced cleanliness standards in operating theaters.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
research
procedures
instruments
environments
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Historical surgeries frequently resulted in widespread infections and substantial patient deaths because sterile methods were not implemented.' |
|
| 'In response to these hazardous circumstances, physicians began implementing systematic' |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| 'during the latter part of the 1800s, including antiseptic procedures, sanitized surgical tools, and enhanced cleanliness standards in operating theaters.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Physicians in the late 1800s systematically implemented sterile practices to address the deadly infection problem in surgery.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a clear problem-solution structure. It first presents the historical problem of surgical infections and deaths due to lack of sterile methods, then explains how physicians responded with systematic implementation of various sterile practices in the late 1800s.
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 word needs to serve as a broad category that encompasses all the specific examples that follow - antiseptic procedures, sanitized surgical tools, and enhanced cleanliness standards
- These are all systematic actions or practices that physicians put into place to solve the infection problem
- The right answer should be a general term that logically includes these specific examples
research
- Research refers to investigation activities, but the examples given are practical implementations, not research activities
- This choice misunderstands what physicians were doing
procedures
- Procedures perfectly encompasses all the examples given
- Antiseptic procedures, using sanitized tools, and maintaining cleanliness standards are all types of systematic procedures
- This matches our prethinking of needing an umbrella term
instruments
- Instruments is too narrow and only covers sanitized surgical tools
- It does not logically include antiseptic procedures or cleanliness standards, which are not instruments
environments
- Environments refers to settings, but the examples are active practices and methods, not just environmental conditions
- While operating theaters relate to environments, antiseptic procedures and sanitized tools are active practices