Text 1Rapid population growth in metropolitan areas has created significant housing shortages, with demand far exceeding available supply. Young profe...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Rapid population growth in metropolitan areas has created significant housing shortages, with demand far exceeding available supply. Young professionals and families are finding themselves priced out of urban centers, leading to longer commutes from affordable suburban areas. This demographic pressure has intensified competition for rental properties and driven up housing costs across entire regions.
Text 2
In response to these housing challenges, city governments are implementing zoning reforms to encourage higher-density development. Planning departments are fast-tracking approvals for apartment complexes and revising building codes to allow mixed-use developments in previously residential-only areas. These policy changes aim to increase housing stock and provide more diverse living options for growing urban populations.
Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
Zoning reforms are more effective than suburban development in addressing housing shortages.
Population pressures are prompting adaptive responses in urban development policies.
Young professionals should prioritize suburban living over urban centers for affordability.
City governments are primarily focused on increasing rental property competition rather than expanding housing options.
Looking at this Cross-Text Connections question, I need to find what both authors would agree on. Let me work through this systematically.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: "Rapid population growth in metropolitan areas has created significant housing shortages, with demand far exceeding available supply." |
|
| "Young professionals and families are finding themselves priced out of urban centers, leading to longer commutes from affordable suburban areas." |
|
| "This demographic pressure has intensified competition for rental properties and driven up housing costs across entire regions." |
|
| Text 2: "In response to these housing challenges, city governments are implementing zoning reforms to encourage higher-density development." |
|
| "Planning departments are fast-tracking approvals for apartment complexes and revising building codes to allow mixed-use developments in previously residential-only areas." |
|
| "These policy changes aim to increase housing stock and provide more diverse living options for growing urban populations." |
|
Main Point: Population growth has created housing shortages that are prompting city governments to implement policy changes aimed at increasing housing supply.
Argument Flow: Text 1 establishes the housing crisis caused by rapid population growth and its cascading effects on affordability and regional competition. Text 2 then presents how city governments are responding with concrete policy reforms designed to address these housing challenges.
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 correct answer should acknowledge that Text 1 identifies population pressure as creating housing problems
- Text 2 shows governments adapting their policies in response to these challenges
- Both texts are connected by this cause-and-effect relationship: demographic pressures (Text 1) are driving policy adaptations (Text 2)
- The answer should recognize that population growth is creating problems that require governmental responses
Zoning reforms are more effective than suburban development in addressing housing shortages.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims zoning reforms are more effective than suburban development
- Text 1 doesn't compare effectiveness of different solutions
- Text 2 describes zoning reforms but doesn't compare their effectiveness to suburban development
- Neither author makes this comparative judgment
Population pressures are prompting adaptive responses in urban development policies.
✓ Correct
- States that population pressures prompt adaptive policy responses
- Perfectly matches our prethinking: Text 1 establishes population pressures creating housing challenges
- Text 2 shows governments adapting policies ("in response to these housing challenges")
- Both authors would agree this cause-and-effect relationship exists
Young professionals should prioritize suburban living over urban centers for affordability.
✗ Incorrect
- Makes a recommendation about what young professionals "should" do
- Text 1 describes what young professionals are doing (moving to suburbs), not what they should do
- Neither text makes prescriptive recommendations for individual choices
City governments are primarily focused on increasing rental property competition rather than expanding housing options.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims governments focus on increasing competition rather than expanding housing options
- Text 2 clearly states the goal is to "increase housing stock and provide more diverse living options"
- This directly contradicts what Text 2 actually says about government intentions