While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:In 2018 researchers Adwait Deshpande, Shreejata Gupta, and Anindya Sinha...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In 2018 researchers Adwait Deshpande, Shreejata Gupta, and Anindya Sinha were observing wild macaques in India's Bandipur National Park.
- They saw macaques calling out to and gesturing at humans who were eating or carrying food.
- They designed a study to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade the humans to share their food.
- In the study trials, macaques frequently called out to and gestured at humans holding food.
- In the study trials, macaques called out to and gestured at empty-handed humans less frequently.
The student wants to present the study's results. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In 2018 researchers Adwait Deshpande, Shreejata Gupta, and Anindya Sinha were observing wild macaques in India's Bandipur National Park." |
|
| "They saw macaques calling out to and gesturing at humans who were eating or carrying food." |
|
| "They designed a study to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade the humans to share their food." |
|
| "In the study trials, macaques frequently called out to and gestured at humans holding food." |
|
| "In the study trials, macaques called out to and gestured at empty-handed humans less frequently." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Researchers tested whether macaques intentionally communicate with humans for food and found that macaques did indeed call out and gesture more frequently at humans holding food than at empty-handed humans.
Argument Flow: The notes begin by establishing the research context and initial observation of macaque behavior toward food-carrying humans. The researchers then designed a controlled study to test whether this behavior represented intentional communication, and their results showed a clear pattern.
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 correct answer needs to communicate what the researchers actually found when they conducted their controlled study
- From our analysis, we know the study had two key findings: macaques called out and gestured frequently at humans holding food, and they did this less frequently with empty-handed humans
- The right answer should present this comparative finding in a way that clearly shows what the study revealed about macaque behavior
- This directly states the study's findings in comparative terms
- Captures both parts of the results—more frequent communication with humans holding food versus less frequent with empty-handed humans
- Uses clear language to indicate these are experimental results
- This describes the background and setup, not the results
- Focuses on when the study was designed and why, rather than what it found
- Students might confuse the research process with the research findings
- This states the researchers' hypothesis or goal, not what they actually discovered
- Uses language that indicates purpose, not results
- Students might confuse the research question with the research answer
- This describes the study's methodology—what the researchers did, not what they found
- Tells us about the experimental design but not the outcomes
- Students might confuse the study's approach with its conclusions