Medical professionals at a regional healthcare facility have detected an unusual concentration of neurological disorders among patients residing withi...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Medical professionals at a regional healthcare facility have detected an unusual concentration of neurological disorders among patients residing within the same geographical vicinity. Following laboratory blood analysis and environmental testing procedures, Dr. James Rodriguez and his colleagues have proposed that this concentration may be attributable to exposure from an unknown environmental contaminant present in the regional water source. The medical professionals advise that individuals from adjacent areas should undergo monitoring to establish whether they may also exhibit indicators of comparable exposure.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Rodriguez and his team were the first to confirm that multiple regions contain dangerous environmental toxins.
A medical team has suggested that an unusual pattern of symptoms might be caused by an environmental toxin in the water supply.
Medical investigation has failed to identify evidence that environmental toxins are affecting patients in the region.
Rodriguez and his team developed new testing methods that identify toxin exposure without requiring analysis of symptom patterns.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Medical professionals at a regional healthcare facility have detected an unusual concentration of neurological disorders among patients residing within the same geographical vicinity.' |
|
| 'Following laboratory blood analysis and environmental testing procedures, Dr. James Rodriguez and his colleagues have proposed that this concentration may be attributable to exposure from an unknown environmental contaminant present in the regional water source.' |
|
| 'The medical professionals advise that individuals from adjacent areas should undergo monitoring to establish whether they may also exhibit indicators of comparable exposure.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Medical professionals have identified an unusual cluster of neurological disorders and proposed that water contamination might be the cause, leading them to recommend monitoring nearby areas.
Argument Flow: The passage follows a classic problem-hypothesis-recommendation structure. We start with the discovery of an unusual medical pattern, move to the scientific team's proposed explanation after investigation, and end with their suggested next steps to test this theory further.
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 correct answer needs to capture three key elements:
- Medical professionals found an unusual pattern of health problems
- They think it might be caused by environmental contamination in water
- This is still a hypothesis/suggestion, not a confirmed fact
- The passage is fundamentally about a medical team proposing a possible environmental cause for a health cluster they discovered
- The right answer should mention both the unusual health pattern and the proposed water contamination explanation
Rodriguez and his team were the first to confirm that multiple regions contain dangerous environmental toxins.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims Rodriguez was 'the first to confirm' toxins in 'multiple regions'
- Wrong because they proposed, not confirmed, and it's about one region
- What trap this represents: Students might confuse 'proposed' with 'confirmed' and miss the tentative nature of the findings
A medical team has suggested that an unusual pattern of symptoms might be caused by an environmental toxin in the water supply.
✓ Correct
- Captures that a medical team suggested an unusual pattern might be from water toxins
- Matches our prethinking perfectly - includes both the health pattern and the proposed cause
- Uses 'suggested' which correctly reflects the tentative nature of their hypothesis
Medical investigation has failed to identify evidence that environmental toxins are affecting patients in the region.
✗ Incorrect
- Says the investigation 'failed to identify evidence'
- Completely contradicts the passage - they did find evidence and proposed the toxin theory
Rodriguez and his team developed new testing methods that identify toxin exposure without requiring analysis of symptom patterns.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims they 'developed new testing methods'
- The passage mentions they did testing but doesn't say they developed new methods