Many schools have _____ tutoring programs to help struggling students improve their academic performance, providing one-on-one instruction and targete...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Many schools have _____ tutoring programs to help struggling students improve their academic performance, providing one-on-one instruction and targeted skill development sessions.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
abandoning
launching
questioning
avoiding
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Many schools have" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "tutoring programs to help struggling students improve their academic performance" |
|
| "providing one-on-one instruction and targeted skill development sessions" |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Schools are taking action to implement tutoring programs that provide individualized support to help struggling students succeed academically.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from the general action schools are taking, to the specific purpose (helping struggling students), to the concrete methods these programs use (one-on-one instruction and skill development).
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
- Looking at our analysis, we need a word that describes what schools are doing with tutoring programs
- The context is entirely positive - the programs help students, provide instruction, and develop skills
- The missing word should:
- Describe a positive action schools are taking
- Make logical sense with "have [word] tutoring programs"
- Align with the supportive, proactive tone of helping struggling students
- So the right answer should be an action word that shows schools are actively implementing or starting these helpful programs
abandoning
✗ Incorrect
- "Abandoning" means giving up or stopping something
- This creates a logical contradiction - you cannot abandon programs while simultaneously using them to help students
- What trap this represents: Students might misread the sentence structure and not notice the contradiction with the helping purpose
launching
✓ Correct
- "Launching" means starting or implementing something new
- This perfectly fits the context - schools are starting tutoring programs that help students
- Matches our prethinking about schools taking positive, proactive action
questioning
✗ Incorrect
- "Questioning" means doubting or examining critically
- This does not make sense grammatically with "have questioning tutoring programs"
- Also contradicts the positive, supportive context described in the rest of the sentence
avoiding
✗ Incorrect
- "Avoiding" means staying away from or not doing something
- Like choice A, this creates a logical contradiction with the helping purpose
- You cannot avoid programs while using them to provide instruction to students