Researchers Narelle Haworth and Amy Schramm studied bicycling behavior in Queensland, Australia. Haworth and Schramm asked adult bike riders questions...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Researchers Narelle Haworth and Amy Schramm studied bicycling behavior in Queensland, Australia. Haworth and Schramm asked adult bike riders questions about their level of experience, reasons for riding a bike, and route preferences. The researchers claim that experienced riders who mainly bike to work tend to prefer routes that reduce their travel time.
Which survey response from a bike rider in Queensland would best support the underlined claim?
'I have a bike, but I don't ride it very often. When the weather is nice, I sometimes use my bike to go into town to do some shopping.'
'I just got a new bike, and I'm looking forward to going on rides with my friends soon.'
'I bike to my job every day. There's a nice bike path that goes through a park, but I use the bike lane on the main road because it's faster.'
'I usually bike to work, but I'm taking the bus now because my bike has a broken part that needs to be fixed.'
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Researchers Narelle Haworth and Amy Schramm studied bicycling behavior in Queensland, Australia.' |
|
| 'Haworth and Schramm asked adult bike riders questions about their level of experience, reasons for riding a bike, and route preferences.' |
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| 'The researchers claim that experienced riders who mainly bike to work tend to prefer routes that reduce their travel time.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Researchers found that experienced cyclists who commute to work prefer routes that minimize their travel time.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a research study context, describes the data collection methods, and then presents the researchers' main finding about the relationship between rider experience, work commuting, and route preferences focused on time efficiency.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find survey evidence that supports the researchers' claim about experienced work commuters preferring time-saving routes.
What type of answer do we need? A survey response that demonstrates both: (1) an experienced rider who bikes to work, and (2) route choices based on reducing travel time.
Any limiting keywords? Survey evidence that supports the claim about experienced work commuters and time-based route preferences.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
The correct survey response must demonstrate two key elements from the claim:
- An experienced rider who mainly bikes to work (not recreational or occasional riding)
- A clear preference for routes that reduce travel time over other considerations
'I have a bike, but I don't ride it very often. When the weather is nice, I sometimes use my bike to go into town to do some shopping.'
✗ Incorrect
- Describes infrequent, recreational riding for shopping with no mention of work commuting or route time preferences
'I just got a new bike, and I'm looking forward to going on rides with my friends soon.'
✗ Incorrect
- Describes a new bike rider planning recreational rides with friends, explicitly identifies as inexperienced
'I bike to my job every day. There's a nice bike path that goes through a park, but I use the bike lane on the main road because it's faster.'
✓ Correct
- Shows experienced rider who bikes to job every day and demonstrates time-based route choice: chooses bike lane on main road because it's faster over nice bike path through park
'I usually bike to work, but I'm taking the bus now because my bike has a broken part that needs to be fixed.'
✗ Incorrect
- Shows work commuting but currently not biking and provides no information about route preferences or time considerations