While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Most major cities use traditional grid street systems with intersections...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Most major cities use traditional grid street systems with intersections at regular intervals.
- Grid systems create multiple stopping points and traffic congestion during peak hours.
- The hub-and-spoke transit model, used in cities like Atlanta, connects outer areas directly to a central hub.
- Hub-and-spoke systems minimize intermediate stops and reduce overall travel time.
- This design allows commuters to reach downtown areas more efficiently than traditional grid systems.
The student wants to explain a benefit of the hub-and-spoke transit model. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Grid street systems create regular intersections, while hub-and-spoke models connect outer areas to central hubs.
By minimizing intermediate stops and reducing travel time, the hub-and-spoke transit model allows more efficient downtown access than traditional grid systems.
The hub-and-spoke transit model was developed as an alternative to grid street systems, which are used in most major cities.
Adopting hub-and-spoke transit models would help address problems with traditional grid street systems.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Most major cities use traditional grid street systems with intersections at regular intervals." |
|
| "Grid systems create multiple stopping points and traffic congestion during peak hours." |
|
| "The hub-and-spoke transit model, used in cities like Atlanta, connects outer areas directly to a central hub." |
|
| "Hub-and-spoke systems minimize intermediate stops and reduce overall travel time." |
|
| "This design allows commuters to reach downtown areas more efficiently than traditional grid systems." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Hub-and-spoke transit systems provide more efficient transportation than traditional grid systems by reducing stops and travel time.
Argument Flow: The notes establish that most cities use grid systems but these create traffic problems with multiple stopping points. Hub-and-spoke systems are presented as a solution that connects areas directly to a center, resulting in fewer stops, reduced travel time, and superior efficiency compared to grid systems.
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 clearly identify specific benefits of hub-and-spoke systems that we found in our notes
- From our analysis, the key advantages are: minimizing intermediate stops, reducing travel time, and providing more efficient access to downtown areas compared to grid systems
- The answer should explain how these benefits work rather than just describing what the system looks like or giving background information
Grid street systems create regular intersections, while hub-and-spoke models connect outer areas to central hubs.
✗ Incorrect
- This choice only describes the structural differences between the two systems
- Doesn't explain any benefits or advantages of hub-and-spoke
By minimizing intermediate stops and reducing travel time, the hub-and-spoke transit model allows more efficient downtown access than traditional grid systems.
✓ Correct
- Directly states two key benefits from our notes: "minimizing intermediate stops" and "reducing travel time"
- Shows the result of these benefits: "more efficient downtown access"
- Includes the comparative advantage: "than traditional grid systems"
The hub-and-spoke transit model was developed as an alternative to grid street systems, which are used in most major cities.
✗ Incorrect
- Provides only background information about when hub-and-spoke was developed
- Doesn't explain any actual benefits or advantages
Adopting hub-and-spoke transit models would help address problems with traditional grid street systems.
✗ Incorrect
- Too vague about what benefits the hub-and-spoke model provides
- Doesn't specify what "problems" it addresses or how it addresses them