Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization, provides thousands of free online courses spanning subjects from basic arithmetic to advanced scie...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization, provides thousands of free online courses spanning subjects from basic arithmetic to advanced sciences. These courses reach learners globally through internet connectivity, breaking down traditional educational barriers. One popular offering is their comprehensive statistics course, featuring interactive lessons and real-time feedback systems. An education policy researcher contends that providing free access to quality educational content online significantly expands learning opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
Which choice, if true, would most directly support the researcher's contention?
Each semester, more students from rural areas complete Khan Academy's statistics course than have access to statistics classes in their local schools.
Education policy experts have praised Khan Academy's teaching methodology.
The statistics course includes advanced topics typically found in college-level curricula.
Khan Academy's courses are recommended by numerous school districts nationwide.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization, provides thousands of free online courses spanning subjects from basic arithmetic to advanced sciences. |
|
| These courses reach learners globally through internet connectivity, breaking down traditional educational barriers. |
|
| One popular offering is their comprehensive statistics course, featuring interactive lessons and real-time feedback systems. |
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| An education policy researcher contends that providing free access to quality educational content online significantly expands learning opportunities for disadvantaged communities. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Khan Academy provides free online education that breaks down traditional barriers, and a researcher argues this approach significantly expands learning opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
Argument Flow: The passage first establishes Khan Academy as a provider of free, globally accessible online courses, gives a specific example of their offerings, then presents an expert's claim that such free online education particularly benefits disadvantaged communities by expanding their learning opportunities.
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 researcher's contention is specifically that free online educational content expands learning opportunities for disadvantaged communities
- To support this, we'd need evidence showing disadvantaged communities are actually accessing these opportunities
- They're getting more educational opportunities than they would have otherwise
- The free online format is what's making this expansion possible
Each semester, more students from rural areas complete Khan Academy's statistics course than have access to statistics classes in their local schools.
- This directly shows rural students (a disadvantaged community) completing Khan Academy's course in greater numbers than could access traditional statistics classes
- Demonstrates exactly what the researcher claims: disadvantaged communities gaining expanded learning opportunities through free online content
Education policy experts have praised Khan Academy's teaching methodology.
- This tells us experts praise Khan Academy's teaching methods but says nothing about disadvantaged communities or expanded opportunities
- Focuses on teaching quality, not access for disadvantaged groups
The statistics course includes advanced topics typically found in college-level curricula.
- This describes the advanced level of course content but doesn't address disadvantaged communities or whether they're accessing these opportunities
- Content sophistication doesn't prove expanded access for disadvantaged groups
Khan Academy's courses are recommended by numerous school districts nationwide.
- This shows institutional endorsement by school districts but doesn't specifically address disadvantaged communities or expanded opportunities
- School district recommendations don't prove the researcher's claim about disadvantaged groups gaining access