In 1970, the United States Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), establishing environmental impact assessments for federal pro...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In 1970, the United States Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), establishing environmental impact assessments for federal projects. This landmark legislation came after decades of growing environmental awareness in America. In a research paper, a student claims that NEPA and other US environmental policies of this era were influenced by conservation approaches that had been developed in Germany during the early 1900s.
Which quotation from a scholarly article would be the most effective evidence for the student to include in support of this claim?
Germany's early environmental regulations emerged from concerns about industrial pollution, while the United States faced different environmental challenges related to rapid westward expansion and resource extraction.
German foresters had pioneered the concept of comprehensive environmental planning, and American policymakers recognized that systematic assessment of ecological impacts could prevent the environmental disasters they had witnessed in Europe.
The passage of NEPA reflected a growing consensus among American legislators that protecting the environment was not only scientifically necessary but also economically beneficial for long-term national prosperity.
Unlike Germany's top-down regulatory approach, the United States emphasized public participation and citizen involvement in environmental decision-making processes.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In 1970, the United States Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), establishing environmental impact assessments for federal projects." |
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| "This landmark legislation came after decades of growing environmental awareness in America." |
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| "In a research paper, a student claims that NEPA and other US environmental policies of this era were influenced by conservation approaches that had been developed in Germany during the early 1900s." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A student is researching whether early German conservation approaches influenced major US environmental policies like NEPA in the 1970s.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes NEPA as landmark 1970s legislation that emerged from growing environmental awareness, then presents a student research claim that these US policies were actually influenced by earlier German conservation approaches.
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 student claim is specifically about influence - that German conservation approaches from the early 1900s actually shaped US environmental policies of the 1970s era
- So the right answer needs to show German innovation or pioneering in environmental approaches and demonstrate that American policymakers were aware of and learned from German approaches
Germany's early environmental regulations emerged from concerns about industrial pollution, while the United States faced different environmental challenges related to rapid westward expansion and resource extraction.
- This emphasizes how Germany and the US faced different environmental challenges and developed different approaches
- Instead of showing influence, it actually suggests the countries developed separate, distinct responses
German foresters had pioneered the concept of comprehensive environmental planning, and American policymakers recognized that systematic assessment of ecological impacts could prevent the environmental disasters they had witnessed in Europe.
- Shows German foresters pioneered comprehensive environmental planning and states that American policymakers recognized this approach
- Creates direct connection between German pioneering and American recognition and adoption
The passage of NEPA reflected a growing consensus among American legislators that protecting the environment was not only scientifically necessary but also economically beneficial for long-term national prosperity.
- This focuses entirely on American legislators internal reasoning with no mention of Germany or German influence whatsoever
Unlike Germany's top-down regulatory approach, the United States emphasized public participation and citizen involvement in environmental decision-making processes.
- Uses language that emphasizes differences rather than influence
- Suggests the US deliberately chose a different path from Germany, which contradicts the influence claim