The following text is from a 2022 business strategy guide. Just as a thriving garden depends on consistent watering, fertile...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The following text is from a 2022 business strategy guide.
Just as a thriving garden depends on consistent watering, fertile soil, and adequate sunlight to flourish, a successful startup requires steady funding, skilled personnel, and market opportunity to grow. Companies that secure these fundamental resources can expand rapidly and capture significant market share. Conversely, startups lacking sufficient capital, talent, or market timing often wither quickly, regardless of how innovative their initial concept might be.
Based on the text, in what way is a successful startup like a thriving garden?
Both demonstrate resilience during difficult periods.
Both need essential resources to prosper.
Both improve their performance through competition.
Both achieve success through rapid adaptation.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Just as a thriving garden depends on consistent watering, fertile soil, and adequate sunlight to flourish," |
|
| "a successful startup requires steady funding, skilled personnel, and market opportunity to grow." |
|
| "Companies that secure these fundamental resources can expand rapidly and capture significant market share." |
|
| "Conversely, startups lacking sufficient capital, talent, or market timing often wither quickly, regardless of how innovative their initial concept might be." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Successful startups, like thriving gardens, depend on having essential resources to prosper.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a direct analogy between gardens and startups, showing that both require specific fundamental resources to succeed. It then reinforces this comparison by explaining what happens when these resources are present (success) versus absent (failure), emphasizing that even great ideas cannot overcome resource deficiencies.
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 draws a direct parallel between gardens and startups by showing that both need specific essential elements to succeed
- Gardens need watering, fertile soil, and sunlight
- Startups need funding, skilled personnel, and market opportunity
- The comparison is fundamentally about resource dependency - both require their respective ingredients to thrive
Both demonstrate resilience during difficult periods.
- Claims both show resilience during tough times
- The passage never mentions resilience or difficult periods for either gardens or startups
Both need essential resources to prosper.
- States both need essential resources to prosper
- Perfectly matches the passage's core comparison: gardens need water/soil/sunlight while startups need funding/personnel/opportunity
Both improve their performance through competition.
- Suggests both improve through competition
- The passage makes no mention of competition for either gardens or startups
Both achieve success through rapid adaptation.
- Claims both succeed through rapid adaptation
- While the passage mentions startups can "expand rapidly," this refers to growth after getting resources, not adaptation