Many assume that effective community organizing requires years of formal training and extensive resources. _____ Maria Santos has successfully led...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Many assume that effective community organizing requires years of formal training and extensive resources. _____ Maria Santos has successfully led three major housing campaigns using only volunteer coordinators and donated meeting spaces.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For instance,
However,
Similarly,
Therefore,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Many assume that effective community organizing requires years of formal training and extensive resources.' |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| 'Maria Santos has successfully led three major housing campaigns using only volunteer coordinators and donated meeting spaces.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Effective community organizing doesn't actually require the extensive formal training and resources that many people assume it does.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a common assumption about what community organizing requires, then provides a specific real-world example that challenges this assumption by showing success with minimal resources.
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
- Based on our analysis, we need a transition that shows the relationship between a general assumption and a counter-example
- The logical connector needs to signal contrast or contradiction
- It should show that Maria's success challenges the common belief about needing formal training and extensive resources
For instance,
✗ Incorrect
- This would suggest Maria is an example that supports the assumption
- But Maria actually contradicts it by succeeding without formal training or extensive resources
However,
✓ Correct
- Creates the exact contrast relationship we identified in our analysis
- Shows that Maria's success contradicts the common assumption
- Signals that what follows will challenge what came before
Similarly,
✗ Incorrect
- Would suggest Maria's approach is similar to requiring formal training and extensive resources
- But she succeeded with the opposite
Therefore,
✗ Incorrect
- Would suggest Maria's success logically follows from needing formal training and resources
- But her success actually happened despite lacking these things