'Marie Curie: Pioneer of Radioactivity' chronicles the Nobel Prize winner's scientific career. The biographer argues that Curie's laboratory practices...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
'Marie Curie: Pioneer of Radioactivity' chronicles the Nobel Prize winner's scientific career. The biographer argues that Curie's laboratory practices reflected her obsessive dedication to precision in all aspects of her research.
Which quotation from 'Marie Curie: Pioneer of Radioactivity' most effectively illustrates the claim?
"Curie typically maintained sixteen-hour workdays in her laboratory, often forgetting to take meal breaks during intensive research periods."
"She established collaborative relationships with prominent scientists across Europe and maintained regular correspondence about emerging discoveries."
"Curie would repeat identical experiments dozens of times, meticulously documenting every minute variation in results until achieving perfect reproducibility."
"Her groundbreaking discoveries in radioactivity earned recognition from prestigious scientific institutions throughout the international community."
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Marie Curie: Pioneer of Radioactivity chronicles the Nobel Prize winner's scientific career. |
|
| The biographer argues that Curie's laboratory practices reflected her obsessive dedication to precision in all aspects of her research. |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The biographer argues that Marie Curie's laboratory practices demonstrated her obsessive dedication to precision in all aspects of her research.
Argument Flow: The passage briefly introduces a biography about Marie Curie and then presents the biographer's central argument about how Curie's laboratory practices reflected her obsessive dedication to precision.
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 right answer should show specific examples of Curie being extremely careful and precise in her research methods
- It should demonstrate obsessive behavior - going beyond normal scientific care to an extreme level
- It should relate to her actual laboratory practices, not just her achievements or work habits in general
"Curie typically maintained sixteen-hour workdays in her laboratory, often forgetting to take meal breaks during intensive research periods."
✗ Incorrect
- Shows dedication through long work hours and forgetting meals
- While this demonstrates commitment, it doesn't illustrate precision in research methods
"She established collaborative relationships with prominent scientists across Europe and maintained regular correspondence about emerging discoveries."
✗ Incorrect
- Describes collaboration and correspondence with other scientists
- This shows professional networking but says nothing about precision in her own research methods
"Curie would repeat identical experiments dozens of times, meticulously documenting every minute variation in results until achieving perfect reproducibility."
✓ Correct
- Shows Curie repeating identical experiments dozens of times, meticulously documenting every minute variation until achieving perfect reproducibility
- This perfectly illustrates obsessive dedication to precision in laboratory practices
"Her groundbreaking discoveries in radioactivity earned recognition from prestigious scientific institutions throughout the international community."
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on recognition and achievements rather than research methods
- Tells us about the impact of her work but not about her precise laboratory practices