Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person's diaphragm contracts ______. However, neuroscientist K...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person's diaphragm contracts ______. However, neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that these uncontrollable contractions may play an important role in helping infants regulate their breathing.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
involuntarily
beneficially
strenuously
smoothly
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person's diaphragm contracts |
|
| _______ |
|
| However, neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that these uncontrollable contractions may play an important role in helping infants regulate their breathing. |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While researchers have struggled to understand hiccups, new research suggests these involuntary diaphragm contractions may serve a beneficial purpose in infant breathing regulation.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from scientific uncertainty about hiccups to a specific discovery about their potential function. The blank appears at the crucial transition point where we learn how the diaphragm behaves during hiccups.
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 right answer should describe how the diaphragm contracts during hiccups
- The key clue comes from the next sentence, where Whitehead refers to these uncontrollable contractions
- This tells us the missing word should align with the concept of being uncontrollable - something that happens without conscious intent or control
involuntarily
Involuntarily
✓ Correct
- Means without conscious control or intent
- Perfectly matches the later reference to uncontrollable contractions
- Explains why researchers have struggled to pinpoint causes
- Creates logical flow from mysterious mechanism to Whitehead's insight
beneficially
Beneficially
✗ Incorrect
- Means in a helpful or advantageous way
- While the passage mentions hiccups may help infants, this discovery comes later from Whitehead's research
- Puts the conclusion before the discovery
strenuously
Strenuously
✗ Incorrect
- Means with great effort or force
- Doesn't match the nature of hiccups, which are typically brief, sudden contractions
- Contradicts the uncontrollable description that follows
smoothly
Smoothly
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests fluid, even contractions
- Doesn't capture the involuntary, unpredictable nature of hiccups
- Fails to connect with the uncontrollable characterization