Market analyst Jennifer Chen and her research firm identified that consumer spending patterns in suburban areas shifted dramatically toward online...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Market analyst Jennifer Chen and her research firm identified that consumer spending patterns in suburban areas shifted dramatically toward online purchases during 2020-2022. Chen's team gathered data through multiple channels: analyzing credit card transaction records, conducting focus groups with suburban families, and tracking delivery logistics patterns in residential neighborhoods. The analysis revealed that suburban consumers increased their online spending by 180% while reducing in-store purchases by 65% during this period.
Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?
To advocate for businesses to invest more heavily in online retail platforms
To demonstrate how market research methods have evolved in the digital age
To present a market trend analysis and the research approach used to identify it
To contrast suburban and urban consumer behavior during the specified time period
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Market analyst Jennifer Chen and her research firm identified that consumer spending patterns in suburban areas shifted dramatically toward online purchases during 2020-2022." |
|
| "Chen's team gathered data through multiple channels: analyzing credit card transaction records, conducting focus groups with suburban families, and tracking delivery logistics patterns in residential neighborhoods." |
|
| "The analysis revealed that suburban consumers increased their online spending by 180% while reducing in-store purchases by 65% during this period." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Jennifer Chen's research firm documented a dramatic shift in suburban consumer spending from in-store to online purchases during 2020-2022.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a clear research narrative - it opens with the key finding, explains how this conclusion was reached through multiple research methods, and concludes with the specific quantitative results.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
- What's being asked? The main purpose of the entire text
- What type of answer do we need? A statement about what the author's primary intention was in writing this passage
- Any limiting keywords? "Main purpose" tells us we need the overarching goal, not a secondary function
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at our passage map, the text does two main things: it presents research findings about a consumer trend AND it describes the methodology used to discover this trend
- The passage isn't trying to persuade us of anything - it's simply presenting what Chen's research found and how they found it
- The right answer should capture both elements: the presentation of research results and the explanation of research methods used
To advocate for businesses to invest more heavily in online retail platforms
- This suggests the text is trying to persuade businesses to invest in online retail
- The passage simply reports research findings without making any recommendations
To demonstrate how market research methods have evolved in the digital age
- This focuses on how research methods have evolved over time
- The passage doesn't compare current methods to past methods - it just describes what Chen's team did
To present a market trend analysis and the research approach used to identify it
- Accurately captures both main components: presenting a market trend analysis and describing the research approach
- Matches our passage structure perfectly
To contrast suburban and urban consumer behavior during the specified time period
- The passage only discusses suburban consumer behavior
- There's no mention of urban consumers or any comparison between suburban and urban patterns