Text 1Online education fundamentally undermines the learning process. Students miss the crucial interpersonal dynamics that occur in traditional class...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Online education fundamentally undermines the learning process. Students miss the crucial interpersonal dynamics that occur in traditional classrooms. Without face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers, online learners cannot develop the critical thinking and collaborative skills that real education demands.
Text 2
Effective online education involves far more than simply watching recorded lectures. Students must actively engage with multimedia content, participate in virtual discussions, and complete interactive assignments that often require higher levels of self-direction and time management than traditional courses. Research consistently shows that well-designed online programs can produce learning outcomes equivalent to or exceeding those of conventional classroom instruction.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claims of the author of Text 1?
By maintaining that online education can develop essential academic skills even if it uses different interactive methods
By arguing that online students actually have more face-to-face interaction than traditional classroom students
By conceding that most online programs fail to provide adequate interpersonal learning experiences
By explaining that virtual discussions are always more effective than in-person classroom conversations
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: 'Online education fundamentally undermines the learning process.' |
|
| 'Students miss the crucial interpersonal dynamics that occur in traditional classrooms.' |
|
| 'Without face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers, online learners cannot develop the critical thinking and collaborative skills that real education demands.' |
|
| Text 2: 'Effective online education involves far more than simply watching recorded lectures.' |
|
| 'Students must actively engage with multimedia content, participate in virtual discussions, and complete interactive assignments that often require higher levels of self-direction and time management than traditional courses.' |
|
| 'Research consistently shows that well-designed online programs can produce learning outcomes equivalent to or exceeding those of conventional classroom instruction.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The two texts present opposing views on online education's effectiveness - Text 1 argues it fundamentally fails students while Text 2 argues it can be highly effective when properly designed.
Argument Flow: Text 1 takes a categorical stance against online education, claiming the lack of face-to-face interaction prevents essential skill development. Text 2 directly counters this by describing the active, multifaceted nature of effective online education and citing research showing it can match or exceed traditional instruction outcomes.
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
- Text 1 argues that online education fails because it lacks face-to-face interaction needed for critical thinking and collaboration
- Text 2 counters by showing that effective online education uses different but valid methods - virtual discussions, interactive assignments, multimedia engagement - and research proves these methods work
- So Text 2's author would respond by arguing that the essential skills CAN be developed through online methods, just using different interactive approaches than traditional classrooms
By maintaining that online education can develop essential academic skills even if it uses different interactive methods
- This perfectly captures Text 2's response strategy
- Text 2 acknowledges that online education uses different interactive methods (virtual discussions, multimedia content, interactive assignments) and argues these alternative methods can still develop essential academic skills as evidenced by research showing equal or better outcomes
By arguing that online students actually have more face-to-face interaction than traditional classroom students
- Text 2 never claims online students have MORE face-to-face interaction
- Text 2 focuses on virtual discussions and multimedia engagement, not traditional face-to-face contact
By conceding that most online programs fail to provide adequate interpersonal learning experiences
- This agrees with Text 1's criticism rather than responding to it
- Text 2 argues the opposite - that well-designed online programs can be highly effective
By explaining that virtual discussions are always more effective than in-person classroom conversations
- Text 2 says online programs can produce outcomes equivalent to or exceeding traditional instruction - not that virtual discussions are always more effective
- The word always is too extreme and unsupported by Text 2's measured language