Neighborhood bakery proprietor Sarah Martinez continues to personally compose gratitude letters for every wedding cake commission, preserving the inti...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Neighborhood bakery proprietor Sarah Martinez continues to personally compose gratitude letters for every wedding cake commission, preserving the intimate customer service approach that established her business reputation. Massive corporate bakeries, by comparison, handle thousands of transactions through computerized processing systems, since individual manual customization for every single order would be nearly _______.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
lucrative
unique
impractical
conventional
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Neighborhood bakery proprietor Sarah Martinez continues to personally compose gratitude letters for every wedding cake commission' | What it says: Sarah = local baker, writes personal thank-you notes for all wedding cakes What it does: Introduces Sarah's personal approach to customer service What it is: Context/background |
| 'preserving the intimate customer service approach that established her business reputation' | What it says: Personal touch = why she's successful What it does: Explains why Sarah uses this approach What it is: Explanation |
| 'Massive corporate bakeries, by comparison,' | What it says: Big commercial bakeries vs. Sarah What it does: Introduces contrast with Sarah's approach What it is: Transition/contrast marker |
| 'handle thousands of transactions through computerized processing systems' | What it says: Corporate = thousands orders + computer systems What it does: Describes how corporate bakeries operate What it is: Evidence/example |
| 'since individual manual customization for every single order would be nearly' | What it says: Because personal customization for each order would be nearly... What it does: Sets up explanation for why they use computers What it is: Reasoning |
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The passage contrasts Sarah Martinez's personal, intimate customer service approach with corporate bakeries' computerized systems.
Argument Flow: The passage first establishes Sarah's personal approach to customer service, then contrasts it with how massive corporate bakeries operate using computerized systems, explaining that individual manual customization would be nearly impossible for them to implement.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we need a word that explains why corporate bakeries use computerized systems instead of manual customization
- The context shows corporate bakeries handle thousands of transactions and use computerized processing systems
- The reason is that manual customization for every order would be nearly something negative
- The word should convey that doing individual manual work for thousands of orders would be extremely difficult, unrealistic, or impossible to execute effectively
lucrative
✗ Incorrect
- 'Lucrative' means profitable or financially rewarding
- This doesn't explain why corporate bakeries avoid manual customization - if anything, being profitable would be a reason TO do something
- The passage is about operational challenges, not financial benefits
unique
✗ Incorrect
- 'Unique' means one-of-a-kind or distinctive
- This doesn't fit the logic - the passage isn't saying manual customization would be nearly one-of-a-kind
- Doesn't explain why they use computerized systems instead
impractical
✓ Correct
- 'Impractical' means not realistic or feasible to carry out
- This perfectly explains why corporate bakeries use computers - doing manual customization for thousands of orders would be nearly impossible to execute effectively
- Creates the logical flow: they use computers because manual work would be nearly impractical
conventional
✗ Incorrect
- 'Conventional' means traditional or standard
- This doesn't make logical sense - the passage isn't saying manual customization would be nearly traditional
- Doesn't provide a reason for using computerized systems