Public museums have long served as repositories for historical artifacts and centers for community education. Recent studies show that these...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Public museums have long served as repositories for historical artifacts and centers for community education. Recent studies show that these institutions also function as economic drivers, generating tourism revenue and creating jobs in their surrounding areas. Additionally, museums foster social cohesion by providing shared cultural experiences and spaces for civic engagement. These findings suggest that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
museums serve their communities through economic impact as much as through cultural preservation.
the educational mission of museums is less important than their role in economic development.
museums should focus more on tourism revenue than on historical preservation to maximize their impact.
museums fulfill multiple complementary functions that extend well beyond their traditional educational role.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Public museums have long served as repositories for historical artifacts and centers for community education.' |
|
| 'Recent studies show that these institutions also function as economic drivers, generating tourism revenue and creating jobs in their surrounding areas.' |
|
| 'Additionally, museums foster social cohesion by providing shared cultural experiences and spaces for civic engagement.' |
|
| 'These findings suggest that ________' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Recent research reveals that public museums serve multiple functions beyond their traditional educational role, including economic and social benefits for communities.
Argument Flow: The passage begins by establishing museums' traditional roles (artifacts and education), then presents research showing they also have economic benefits (tourism and jobs), adds social benefits (cohesion and civic engagement), and leads to a conclusion about what these multiple functions suggest about museums' overall role.
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 passage shows us that museums don't just do their traditional job (artifacts + education) - they also drive economic activity and create social benefits
- So the conclusion should recognize that museums do MORE than their traditional role - they have multiple, different types of functions that all work together
- The right answer should acknowledge that museums serve multiple purposes that go beyond just their historical educational mission
- It shouldn't diminish the traditional role but should recognize the broader scope of what museums actually do for communities
museums serve their communities through economic impact as much as through cultural preservation.
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests museums serve communities equally through economic impact and cultural preservation
- The passage doesn't establish any comparison between how much they serve through each function
the educational mission of museums is less important than their role in economic development.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims educational mission is less important than economic development
- The passage presents economic benefits as additional functions, not replacement functions
museums should focus more on tourism revenue than on historical preservation to maximize their impact.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests museums should prioritize tourism revenue over historical preservation
- The passage describes what museums currently do, not what they should do
museums fulfill multiple complementary functions that extend well beyond their traditional educational role.
✓ Correct
- Captures that museums have multiple functions (traditional + economic + social)
- Uses 'complementary' showing these functions work together, not compete
- 'Extend well beyond' accurately reflects that economic and social roles go beyond the traditional educational role