The following text describes two marketing professionals during a campaign planning meeting.Janet Rodriguez presented her creative concept with enthus...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text describes two marketing professionals during a campaign planning meeting.
Janet Rodriguez presented her creative concept with enthusiasm, outlining an innovative social media campaign featuring interactive storytelling and immersive user experiences. She detailed how the approach would build emotional connections with customers and create memorable brand moments. "This campaign will establish us as industry pioneers in experiential marketing," she announced confidently. Her colleague, David Park, reviewed the proposal with concern for practical constraints. "Our timeline is tight and our budget is fixed," he reminded the team. "We should focus on proven strategies that guarantee measurable results within our resources."
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To highlight Janet's expertise in social media marketing
To illustrate that Janet and David have fundamentally different professional priorities
To argue that creative campaigns are more effective than traditional approaches
To describe a typical disagreement in marketing departments
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Janet Rodriguez presented her creative concept with enthusiasm, outlining an innovative social media campaign featuring interactive storytelling and immersive user experiences." |
|
| "She detailed how the approach would build emotional connections with customers and create memorable brand moments." |
|
| "'This campaign will establish us as industry pioneers in experiential marketing,' she announced confidently." |
|
| "Her colleague, David Park, reviewed the proposal with concern for practical constraints." |
|
| "'Our timeline is tight and our budget is fixed,' he reminded the team." |
|
| "'We should focus on proven strategies that guarantee measurable results within our resources.'" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The text contrasts two marketing professionals who approach campaign planning with fundamentally different priorities - creative innovation versus practical constraints.
Argument Flow: The passage first presents Janet's enthusiastic, innovation-focused approach to marketing, emphasizing creativity and industry leadership. It then introduces David's contrasting perspective, which prioritizes practical limitations and proven strategies over creative risk-taking.
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 passage presents two different marketing professionals with two very different approaches to campaign planning
- Janet focuses on creativity, innovation, and industry leadership
- David focuses on practical constraints, proven methods, and staying within limits
- The main purpose seems to be showing this fundamental difference in their professional philosophies
- The right answer should capture that the text's main purpose is to illustrate the contrast between these two different professional approaches or priorities
To highlight Janet's expertise in social media marketing
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses only on Janet's expertise, ignoring David entirely
- Too narrow - misses the comparative structure of the passage
- The passage isn't highlighting expertise, but contrasting approaches
To illustrate that Janet and David have fundamentally different professional priorities
✓ Correct
- Captures both characters and their contrasting approaches
- "Fundamentally different professional priorities" matches our analysis - Janet prioritizes innovation/creativity, David prioritizes practical constraints
- Reflects the passage's comparative structure perfectly
To argue that creative campaigns are more effective than traditional approaches
✗ Incorrect
- The passage doesn't argue that creative campaigns are more effective
- Simply presents two viewpoints without making a judgment about which is better
- What trap this represents: Students might assume the passage favors Janet's approach because it's presented first and with more enthusiasm
To describe a typical disagreement in marketing departments
✗ Incorrect
- Too generic - doesn't capture the specific nature of their different priorities
- "Typical disagreement" misses that this is about fundamental professional philosophies, not just a workplace dispute
- Doesn't reflect the deeper contrast the passage is illustrating