In her career development blog, consultant Sarah Chen writes that she prefers working with small startup companies over large corporations:...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In her career development blog, consultant Sarah Chen writes that she prefers working with small startup companies over large corporations: ______
Which excerpt from Chen's blog most effectively illustrates this claim?
"Small startups offer incredible opportunities for professional growth and creative problem-solving that are rarely available elsewhere."
"Having spent several years in corporate environments and gained valuable experience there, I have found that the energy and innovation potential of startup teams consistently exceeds what I encountered in traditional corporate structures."
"The fast-paced nature of startup culture demands adaptability and creates an environment where every team member's contribution directly impacts company success."
"Working with emerging companies provides endless variety in projects and responsibilities, making each day uniquely challenging."
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In her career development blog, consultant Sarah Chen writes that she prefers working with small startup companies over large corporations:" |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[AUTHOR INTRODUCTION] → [STATED PREFERENCE: Startups > Corporations]
Main Point: Career consultant Sarah Chen has publicly stated her preference for working with startups rather than large corporations.
Argument Flow: This is a straightforward claim introduction that establishes Chen's position without providing supporting evidence or explanation.
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 excerpt should show Chen actually expressing preference for startups over corporations
- It should provide reasoning or evidence for why startups are better in her view
- Ideally, it would make a direct comparison between the two work environments
- The strongest evidence would mention both startups AND corporations, showing she has experience with both and chooses startups for specific reasons
- So the right answer should directly compare her experiences in both environments and explain why startups come out ahead
"Small startups offer incredible opportunities for professional growth and creative problem-solving that are rarely available elsewhere."
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses only on startup benefits without mentioning corporations
- Doesn't make the comparison needed to illustrate preference
"Having spent several years in corporate environments and gained valuable experience there, I have found that the energy and innovation potential of startup teams consistently exceeds what I encountered in traditional corporate structures."
✓ Correct
- Explicitly mentions experience in "corporate environments" and "startup teams"
- Makes direct comparison with "consistently exceeds what I encountered"
- Shows she has tried both and found startups superior
"The fast-paced nature of startup culture demands adaptability and creates an environment where every team member's contribution directly impacts company success."
✗ Incorrect
- Describes startup culture characteristics but no comparison to corporations
- Doesn't show preference - just describes one environment
"Working with emerging companies provides endless variety in projects and responsibilities, making each day uniquely challenging."
✗ Incorrect
- Talks about benefits of "emerging companies" but no comparison
- Mentions variety and challenge but doesn't contrast with corporations