Local environmental advocate Marcus Chen had spent three years building grassroots support for urban sustainability initiatives in his neighborhood. H...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Local environmental advocate Marcus Chen had spent three years building grassroots support for urban sustainability initiatives in his neighborhood. His community garden project had transformed vacant lots, his recycling program had reduced waste by thirty percent, and his advocacy had convinced the city council to adopt stricter emissions standards. _____ Chen announced his intention to run for state legislature, hoping to implement environmental reforms on a broader scale.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Meanwhile,
Similarly,
Consequently,
However,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Local environmental advocate Marcus Chen had spent three years building grassroots support for urban sustainability initiatives in his neighborhood." |
|
| "His community garden project had transformed vacant lots, his recycling program had reduced waste by thirty percent, and his advocacy had convinced the city council to adopt stricter emissions standards." |
|
| "Chen announced his intention to run for state legislature, hoping to implement environmental reforms on a broader scale." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Marcus Chen is moving from successful local environmental advocacy to state-level politics to expand his impact.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Chen's track record of local environmental successes, then transitions to his decision to seek state office where he can implement reforms on a larger scale.
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 relationship here is cause and effect - because he was successful locally, he's now ready to take on state-level environmental work
- His local successes are the foundation that logically leads to his political aspirations
- So the right answer should signal that his state legislature run is a natural result of his proven local environmental work
Meanwhile,
- "Meanwhile" indicates things happening at the same time
- This doesn't fit because announcing his candidacy isn't simultaneous with his past three years of work
Similarly,
- "Similarly" suggests he's doing something comparable to what we just read about
- But running for state office isn't similar to his local work - it's an escalation based on that work's success
Consequently,
- "Consequently" signals that what follows is a result of what came before
- Perfect fit: his local environmental successes naturally led to his decision to seek broader political influence
However,
- "However" indicates contrast or opposition
- Running for state office to expand environmental work isn't contrasting with his local environmental success - it builds on it