Ofelia Zepeda's contributions to the field of linguistics are ______: her many accomplishments include working as a linguistics professor and...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Ofelia Zepeda's contributions to the field of linguistics are ______: her many accomplishments include working as a linguistics professor and bilingual poet, authoring the first Tohono O'odham grammar book, and co-founding the American Indian Language Development Institute.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
pragmatic
controversial
extensive
universal
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Ofelia Zepeda's contributions to the field of linguistics are" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "her many accomplishments include working as a linguistics professor and bilingual poet, authoring the first Tohono O'odham grammar book, and co-founding the American Indian Language Development Institute." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[ZEPEDA'S CONTRIBUTIONS] = [MISSING DESCRIPTOR] → [EVIDENCE LIST] Professor + poet, First grammar book author, Institute co-founder
Main Point: Ofelia Zepeda has made significant contributions to linguistics across multiple areas and roles.
Argument Flow: The sentence establishes Zepeda as having made contributions to linguistics, then provides a colon to introduce specific evidence. The evidence shows accomplishments spanning different roles (academic, creative, institutional) and achievements (teaching, writing, founding).
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 blank comes before a colon, which signals that what follows will explain or support the descriptor we choose
- After the colon, we get a list of "many accomplishments" that span different areas: academic work (professor), creative work (poet), scholarly work (grammar book), and institutional work (co-founding an institute)
- The right word needs to capture what these diverse accomplishments demonstrate about her contributions
- Since the evidence shows she has worked across multiple roles and created multiple significant works in the field, the descriptor should reflect the breadth and comprehensiveness of her impact
- So the right answer should describe contributions that are wide-ranging and comprehensive across different aspects of linguistics
pragmatic
✗ Incorrect
- "Pragmatic" means practical or realistic
- The evidence doesn't focus on whether her work is practical - it focuses on the variety and scope of her accomplishments
- What trap this represents: Students might choose this thinking about the "real-world" applications of her work, but the passage emphasizes quantity and range, not practicality
controversial
✗ Incorrect
- "Controversial" means causing disagreement or debate
- Nothing in the evidence suggests her work caused controversy - the accomplishments are presented as positive achievements
- This doesn't match the supportive tone of the evidence list
extensive
✓ Correct
- "Extensive" means comprehensive or wide-ranging
- Perfectly matches the evidence showing multiple different types of accomplishments across various roles
- The list demonstrates the breadth of her contributions - from teaching to poetry to grammar work to institutional founding
universal
✗ Incorrect
- "Universal" means applying to all cases or everyone
- The evidence is about Zepeda's specific accomplishments, not whether her work applies universally
- What trap this represents: Students might think "universal" sounds impressive and academic, but it doesn't match what the evidence actually demonstrates