The following text is from an email by Sarah Chen, a marketing director, addressing issues with an upcoming campaign launch.Our...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from an email by Sarah Chen, a marketing director, addressing issues with an upcoming campaign launch.
Our current campaign strategy has three critical flaws that could derail the entire launch:
- Our target demographic analysis is based on outdated consumer behavior patterns from pre-pandemic shopping habits.
- Our messaging framework relies heavily on emotional appeals that recent focus groups found manipulative rather than persuasive.
- Our planned media spend allocates 60% to traditional channels when our audience has shifted almost entirely to digital platforms.
To address these issues, I'm implementing a comprehensive revision plan: conducting fresh consumer research this week, developing new messaging based on authentic value propositions, and reallocating our media budget to prioritize social media and streaming platforms where our audience actually engages.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To suggest that Sarah is worried about the implications of campaign problems for her career
To indicate that Sarah is questioning her team's research methodology and data collection
To emphasize that Sarah has identified problems and is implementing solutions to address them
To imply that Sarah engages with campaign strategy both analytically and practically
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Our current campaign strategy has three critical flaws that could derail the entire launch.' |
|
| 'First, our target demographic analysis is based on outdated consumer behavior patterns from pre-pandemic shopping habits.' |
|
| 'Second, our messaging framework relies heavily on emotional appeals that recent focus groups found manipulative rather than persuasive.' |
|
| 'Third, our planned media spend allocates 60% to traditional channels when our audience has shifted almost entirely to digital platforms.' |
|
| 'To address these issues, I'm implementing a comprehensive revision plan: conducting fresh consumer research this week, developing new messaging based on authentic value propositions, and reallocating our media budget to prioritize social media and streaming platforms where our audience actually engages.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Sarah has identified three specific problems with their campaign strategy and is implementing targeted solutions to fix each one.
Argument Flow: Sarah opens by stating there are three critical problems that could ruin the launch. She then methodically explains each flaw—outdated consumer data, messaging that feels manipulative, and misallocated media spending. Finally, she presents her comprehensive plan to address these issues with specific actions targeting each problem area.
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
- Based on our analysis, the correct answer should capture that Sarah is doing two main things: identifying specific problems and presenting solutions
- The email follows a clear problem-solution structure where she systematically outlines three flaws and then provides a comprehensive plan to address them
- The answer should recognize that this isn't just about identifying problems (that would be incomplete) or just about solutions (that would miss the setup)
- It's about both—the complete cycle of problem identification followed by solution implementation
To suggest that Sarah is worried about the implications of campaign problems for her career
- This focuses on Sarah's career concerns, but the text never mentions her worrying about personal implications
- The passage is purely focused on campaign strategy issues, not personal career anxiety
To indicate that Sarah is questioning her team's research methodology and data collection
- Sarah isn't questioning her team's methods—she's stating definitive problems that have already been identified
- She presents the flaws as established facts, not as areas of uncertainty about methodology
To emphasize that Sarah has identified problems and is implementing solutions to address them
- Perfectly captures the problem-solution structure we identified in our analysis
- The first part (identifying problems) matches her systematic presentation of three critical flaws
- The second part (implementing solutions) matches her comprehensive revision plan with specific actions
To imply that Sarah engages with campaign strategy both analytically and practically
- While Sarah does engage both analytically and practically, this doesn't capture the main purpose
- This describes how she approaches the work rather than what she's trying to accomplish with this email