Marine biologists studying coral reef ecosystems predict that rising water temperatures will accelerate bleaching events in tropical waters. However, ...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Marine biologists studying coral reef ecosystems predict that rising water temperatures will accelerate bleaching events in tropical waters. However, recent observations of unexpected coral resilience during major heat waves _____ this environmental forecast.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
support
measure
challenge
ignore
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Marine biologists studying coral reef ecosystems predict that rising water temperatures will accelerate bleaching events in tropical waters." |
|
| "However, recent observations of unexpected coral resilience during major heat waves" |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "this environmental forecast." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: New observations of coral resilience during heat waves create tension with scientists' predictions about temperature-related bleaching.
Argument Flow: We start with a clear scientific prediction linking rising temperatures to coral bleaching. Then we get contrasting evidence showing unexpected coral survival during heat waves. The missing word needs to connect this surprising resilience back to the original prediction in a logical way.
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 word needs to show what unexpected coral resilience does to the scientists' prediction
- We have a prediction that higher temperatures cause more bleaching, but then we see evidence of corals surviving major heat waves unexpectedly
- This creates a logical tension - the new evidence works against or questions the original prediction
- So the right answer should indicate that the resilience undermines, contradicts, or calls into question the environmental forecast
support
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean the resilience backs up the prediction
- But resilience during heat waves actually contradicts predictions about temperature-caused bleaching
measure
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean the observations quantify or evaluate the forecast
- But the sentence isn't about measuring the prediction - it's about how the observations relate to it logically
challenge
✓ Correct
- This captures how unexpected resilience contradicts the bleaching prediction
- Creates the logical tension the passage sets up: prediction says one thing, observations show another
ignore
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean the observations completely disregard the forecast
- But the observations are directly relevant to the prediction - they don't ignore it, they contradict it