Rural communities in Appalachia historically struggled with limited access to quality education, with many children unable to complete high school...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Rural communities in Appalachia historically struggled with limited access to quality education, with many children unable to complete high school due to geographic isolation. To _____ this challenge, educator Martha Berry established Berry College in 1902, offering work-study programs that made education accessible to students from poor farming families. The institution went on to educate thousands of students who might otherwise have been denied educational opportunities.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
acknowledge
intensify
observe
address
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Rural communities in Appalachia historically struggled with limited access to quality education, with many children unable to complete high school due to geographic isolation." |
|
| "To _____ this challenge," |
|
| "educator Martha Berry established Berry College in 1902, offering work-study programs that made education accessible to students from poor farming families." |
|
| "The institution went on to educate thousands of students who might otherwise have been denied educational opportunities." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Martha Berry solved Appalachia's education access problem by creating Berry College with work-study programs that educated thousands of students from poor families.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a problem (limited educational access in rural Appalachia), then presents a solution (Martha Berry's college with work-study programs), and concludes with the positive results (thousands of students educated who otherwise would have been denied opportunities).
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 word we need must describe what Berry did in relation to "this challenge" (the education access problem)
- Make logical sense with the fact that she "established Berry College" as a response
- Connect appropriately with the positive results that followed
- From our analysis, we know Berry didn't just recognize or observe the problem - she took concrete action to solve it
- She created a college specifically designed to make education accessible to those who couldn't otherwise access it
- So the right answer should describe taking action to solve or deal with a problem
acknowledge
✗ Incorrect
- "Acknowledge" means to recognize or admit the existence of something
- While Berry certainly recognized the problem, the sentence shows she did much more - she took concrete action by establishing a college
- This choice is too passive given that she actually created an institution to solve the problem
intensify
✗ Incorrect
- "Intensify" means to make something stronger or more extreme
- This would mean Berry made the education access problem worse
- The passage clearly shows she improved the situation by educating thousands, so this creates the opposite meaning from what's intended
observe
✗ Incorrect
- "Observe" means to watch or notice something
- Like "acknowledge," this is too passive for what Berry actually did
- The sentence structure "To observe this challenge, Martha Berry established..." doesn't make logical sense - you don't establish a college just to watch a problem
address
✓ Correct
- "Address" means to deal with or tackle a problem
- This perfectly captures what Berry did - she didn't just recognize the challenge, she took concrete action to solve it
- The phrase "To address this challenge, educator Martha Berry established Berry College" creates a logical flow: problem identified, then action taken to solve it
- This choice connects perfectly with the evidence that follows showing thousands of students were educated