K.D. Leka and colleagues found that the Sun's corona provides an advance indication of solar flares—intense eruptions of electromagnetic radiation...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
K.D. Leka and colleagues found that the Sun's corona provides an advance indication of solar flares—intense eruptions of electromagnetic radiation that emanate from active regions in the Sun's photosphere and can interfere with telecommunications on Earth. Preceding a flare, the corona temporarily exhibits increased brightness above the region where the flare is ______.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
antecedent
impending
innocuous
perpetual
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "K.D. Leka and colleagues found that the Sun's corona provides an advance indication of solar flares—intense eruptions of electromagnetic radiation that emanate from active regions in the Sun's photosphere and can interfere with telecommunications on Earth." |
|
| "Preceding a flare, the corona temporarily exhibits increased brightness above the region where the flare is" |
|
| "[MISSING WORD]" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Scientists discovered that the Sun's corona acts as an early warning system by brightening above regions where solar flares are about to occur.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a research finding about solar flare prediction, then explains the specific mechanism—the corona shows increased brightness in the location where a flare will soon happen.
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 tells us the corona brightens "preceding a flare" and "above the region where the flare is _____."
- Since the brightening happens BEFORE the flare occurs, we need a word that indicates the flare is about to happen but hasn't happened yet
- The word should convey that the flare is upcoming or imminent in that location
antecedent
✗ Incorrect
- "Antecedent" means something that comes before or precedes something else
- This doesn't fit because we need a word about the flare's future status, not its past
impending
✓ Correct
- "Impending" means about to happen or approaching
- This perfectly matches our prethinking—the corona brightens above where a flare is about to occur
innocuous
✗ Incorrect
- "Innocuous" means harmless or not dangerous
- This completely ignores the timing aspect and makes no sense since solar flares do interfere with Earth communications
perpetual
✗ Incorrect
- "Perpetual" means continuous or never-ending
- This contradicts the passage's emphasis on the corona providing advance warning of specific flare events