Results from comprehensive standardized examinations that evaluate student scholastic achievement do not consistently _____ the judgments that educato...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Results from comprehensive standardized examinations that evaluate student scholastic achievement do not consistently _____ the judgments that educators make based on their ongoing classroom observations of these same pupils. This inconsistency might occur because educators concentrate mainly on individual learner development and participation, whereas standardized evaluations provide merely a restricted glimpse of scholastic capability within contrived testing environments.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
confirm
oppose
broadcast
require
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Results from comprehensive standardized examinations that evaluate student scholastic achievement do not consistently ______" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "the judgments that educators make based on their ongoing classroom observations of these same pupils." |
|
| "This inconsistency might occur because educators concentrate mainly on individual learner development and participation," |
|
| "whereas standardized evaluations provide merely a restricted glimpse of scholastic capability within contrived testing environments." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[CLAIM] Tests don't consistently [?] teacher judgments → [EXPLANATION] Why this inconsistency exists: Teachers focus on individual development + participation vs Tests focus on limited snapshot in artificial environment
Main Point: Standardized tests don't consistently align with teachers' classroom-based judgments because they measure different aspects of student ability in different contexts.
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 missing word needs to describe what standardized tests "do not consistently" do in relation to teacher judgments
- The key phrase "do not consistently" suggests that sometimes tests do this thing, sometimes they don't - there's variability in the relationship
- The explanation tells us why: teachers see the full picture of student development over time, while tests only capture a limited snapshot
- So the right answer should describe some kind of agreement or alignment that doesn't always happen
confirm
✓ Correct
- Means to support or validate - this fits perfectly with "do not consistently"
- The logic works: tests don't consistently confirm teacher judgments because they measure different things
oppose
✗ Incorrect
- Means to actively work against or contradict
- This doesn't work with "not consistently" - if tests opposed teacher judgments, they would do so regularly, not inconsistently
broadcast
✗ Incorrect
- Means to transmit or spread information widely
- This doesn't make logical sense - tests don't broadcast teacher judgments
require
✗ Incorrect
- Means to need or demand something
- This creates an illogical sentence - tests don't require teacher judgments