James Park et al. focused their research on Detroit's downtown transformation, examining how different revitalization approaches emerged across the 20...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
James Park et al. focused their research on Detroit's downtown transformation, examining how different revitalization approaches emerged across the 2010-2020 decade. Building permits and business establishment records revealed a clear chronological pattern. The research team documented that modest small-business openings and residential rehabilitation projects characterized the initial phase, while corporate relocations and luxury residential construction became prominent later. Economic setbacks affected both periods intermittently. The data demonstrated grassroots initiatives establishing groundwork before major investment arrived, with these transitions tied to broader economic shifts, suggesting that ______
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
corporate investment dominated throughout the decade despite periodic grassroots development occurring simultaneously.
small-scale development was eventually replaced by major investment, with each phase operating independently of economic conditions.
grassroots revitalization established the foundation for subsequent major investment, with both phases influenced by broader economic fluctuations.
major investment preceded grassroots development, creating conditions that allowed smaller-scale projects to succeed.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "James Park et al. focused their research on Detroit's downtown transformation, examining how different revitalization approaches emerged across the 2010-2020 decade." |
|
| "Building permits and business establishment records revealed a clear chronological pattern." |
|
| "The research team documented that modest small-business openings and residential rehabilitation projects characterized the initial phase, while corporate relocations and luxury residential construction became prominent later." |
|
| "Economic setbacks affected both periods intermittently." |
|
| "The data demonstrated grassroots initiatives establishing groundwork before major investment arrived, with these transitions tied to broader economic shifts, suggesting that ______" |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Research on Detroit's downtown transformation revealed that grassroots development established the foundation for later major investment, with both phases influenced by broader economic conditions.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a research study on Detroit, identifies the data sources that revealed a pattern, details the specific chronological findings (small-scale first, then major investment), notes economic disruptions throughout, and concludes with the overall relationship between grassroots and major development phases.
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 second sentence introduces the data sources (building permits and business records) that allowed researchers to identify the chronological pattern
- Looking at the overall structure, this sentence serves as the bridge between the general research introduction and the specific findings that follow
- It's essentially the methodology that enables everything else - without these data sources, we wouldn't have the detailed phases or the final conclusions about grassroots-to-major-investment progression
- The right answer should recognize that this sentence provides the methodological foundation or data source that makes the rest of the analysis possible
corporate investment dominated throughout the decade despite periodic grassroots development occurring simultaneously.
- Incorrect - This choice mischaracterizes the overall findings
- The passage clearly shows grassroots came first, then major investment - not corporate domination throughout
- Doesn't address the function of the second sentence at all
small-scale development was eventually replaced by major investment, with each phase operating independently of economic conditions.
- Incorrect - Incorrectly claims the phases operated "independently of economic conditions"
- The passage explicitly states both phases were affected by economic setbacks
- Again doesn't focus on the second sentence's structural role
grassroots revitalization established the foundation for subsequent major investment, with both phases influenced by broader economic fluctuations.
- Correct - Accurately captures the main finding: grassroots established foundation for major investment
- Correctly notes both phases were influenced by economic fluctuations
- This represents what the second sentence's data sources revealed through the research methodology
major investment preceded grassroots development, creating conditions that allowed smaller-scale projects to succeed.
- Incorrect - Reverses the chronological order - claims major investment came first
- Directly contradicts the passage's clear sequence of grassroots first, then major investment