Maria's research presentations consistently engage her classmates and spark lively discussions, yet they rarely receive detailed feedback from faculty...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Maria's research presentations consistently engage her classmates and spark lively discussions, yet they rarely receive detailed feedback from faculty members during graduate seminars. This pattern might stem from the presentations being remarkably ______. Professors typically reserve their most extensive commentary for work that requires significant theoretical unpacking.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
accessible
controversial
innovative
sophisticated
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Maria's research presentations consistently engage her classmates and spark lively discussions, yet they rarely receive detailed feedback from faculty members during graduate seminars." |
|
| "This pattern might stem from the presentations being remarkably ______." |
|
| "Professors typically reserve their most extensive commentary for work that requires significant theoretical unpacking." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Maria's presentations get little faculty feedback despite engaging students, and this pattern relates to some quality of her work.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a contrast between student engagement and lack of faculty feedback for Maria's work, then suggests this pattern has a cause (the missing word), and finally provides the general principle that faculty give extensive feedback to work requiring theoretical unpacking.
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
- We need a word that explains why Maria's engaging presentations rarely get detailed faculty feedback
- The key clue is that professors give extensive commentary to work requiring "significant theoretical unpacking"
- So Maria's presentations must be the opposite of needing significant unpacking - they must be clear and easy to understand
accessible
✓ Correct
- If Maria's presentations are "accessible," they're easy to understand and don't require significant theoretical unpacking
- This perfectly explains why faculty don't give detailed feedback - there's no need to break down what's already clear
controversial
✗ Incorrect
- "Controversial" presentations would likely generate MORE faculty discussion and feedback, not less
- Goes against the established pattern of little faculty feedback
innovative
✗ Incorrect
- "Innovative" work would typically generate significant faculty interest and detailed feedback
- Professors usually provide extensive commentary on groundbreaking research
sophisticated
✗ Incorrect
- "Sophisticated" presentations would require MORE theoretical unpacking, not less
- This would lead to more faculty feedback, contradicting the pattern described