The following text is from a neighborhood resident's blog post.Our community center proposal seemed unlikely to succeed just a year...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from a neighborhood resident's blog post.
Our community center proposal seemed unlikely to succeed just a year ago. The previous city council had rejected similar projects twice, citing budget constraints. However, three key developments changed everything. First, the federal infrastructure grant became available in January, covering sixty percent of construction costs. Second, the demographic study revealed that our neighborhood has the highest concentration of school-age children in the district, creating urgent need for after-school programs. Finally, when the old Henderson warehouse was demolished, it left an ideal vacant lot that the city already owned. These converging factors made our community center not just possible, but inevitable.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
It describes the timeline of the community center construction project.
It explains the factors that made the community center project viable.
It compares the current city council to the previous administration.
It argues that the neighborhood needed more recreational facilities.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Our community center proposal seemed unlikely to succeed just a year ago." |
|
| "The previous city council had rejected similar projects twice, citing budget constraints." |
|
| "However, three key developments changed everything." |
|
| "First, the federal infrastructure grant became available in January, covering sixty percent of construction costs." |
|
| "Second, the demographic study revealed that our neighborhood has the highest concentration of school-age children in the district, creating urgent need for after-school programs." |
|
| "Finally, when the old Henderson warehouse was demolished, it left an ideal vacant lot that the city already owned." |
|
| "These converging factors made our community center not just possible, but inevitable." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The community center proposal transformed from unlikely to inevitable due to three converging developments: federal funding, demographic need, and available land.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes an initial situation where success seemed unlikely, then systematically presents three specific developments that completely changed the project's viability, concluding that these factors made success not just possible but certain.
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, the author isn't just telling a story chronologically or comparing councils
- The author is specifically focused on explaining how three separate developments came together to make something that seemed impossible become not just possible, but inevitable
- The right answer should capture this explanatory purpose - showing us why the project's status changed so dramatically
- So the right answer should explain that the text's purpose is to show what made the community center project viable or feasible
It describes the timeline of the community center construction project.
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests the text is about timing and sequence of construction
- The passage doesn't describe actual construction timeline - it explains what made the project viable in the first place
It explains the factors that made the community center project viable.
✓ Correct
- Perfectly captures what we identified - the text explains the developments that transformed the project from unlikely to inevitable
- Matches our analysis that shows three factors making the project "viable"
- The word "factors" aligns with our "three key developments"
It compares the current city council to the previous administration.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage mentions both councils but doesn't compare them as the main purpose
- The previous council is only mentioned to establish why the project initially seemed unlikely
It argues that the neighborhood needed more recreational facilities.
✗ Incorrect
- While the text mentions need for after-school programs, this is presented as just one of three factors, not the main argument
- The purpose isn't to argue for recreational facilities but to explain viability factors