Professor Sarah Chen developed a unique method for teaching advanced calculus concepts through hands-on geometric modeling. Initially, she created all...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Professor Sarah Chen developed a unique method for teaching advanced calculus concepts through hands-on geometric modeling. Initially, she created all the three-dimensional teaching models herself, carefully crafting each piece to illustrate complex mathematical relationships. When word of her innovative approach spread, enrollment in her calculus courses increased dramatically. To accommodate the growing number of students while maintaining the quality of her geometric models, Chen began collaborating with the university's 3D printing lab to produce the teaching aids more rapidly, though she personally refined each model to ensure mathematical accuracy.
Based on the text, what would have been the most likely consequence if Chen had not begun collaborating with the 3D printing lab?
She would have been unable to accommodate the dramatically increased enrollment.
She would have had to abandon her innovative geometric modeling approach.
She would not have been able to ensure mathematical accuracy in her models.
She would have been unable to spread word about her teaching method.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Professor Sarah Chen developed a unique method for teaching advanced calculus concepts through hands-on geometric modeling. |
|
| Initially, she created all the three-dimensional teaching models herself, carefully crafting each piece to illustrate complex mathematical relationships. |
|
| When word of her innovative approach spread, enrollment in her calculus courses increased dramatically. |
|
| To accommodate the growing number of students while maintaining the quality of her geometric models, Chen began collaborating with the university's 3D printing lab to produce the teaching aids more rapidly, |
|
| though she personally refined each model to ensure mathematical accuracy. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Professor Chen adapted her innovative calculus teaching method by collaborating with a 3D printing lab to handle dramatically increased enrollment while maintaining her commitment to quality.
Argument Flow: The passage follows a clear problem-solution narrative. Chen's innovative teaching method using handcrafted 3D models became so successful that enrollment increased dramatically, creating a capacity challenge. She solved this by partnering with a 3D printing lab for faster production while maintaining her personal quality control standards.
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
- Looking at our passage analysis, we know that Chen faced a specific problem: dramatically increased enrollment that she needed to accommodate while maintaining model quality
- Her solution was collaborating with the 3D lab for faster production
- So without this collaboration, she would still be making all models herself at her original slow pace, while facing dramatically increased enrollment
- The key elements the correct answer must have:
- Relates directly to the capacity problem she was trying to solve
- Connects to the dramatic enrollment increase mentioned in the passage
- Shows she couldn't handle the scale without help
- So the right answer should explain that she couldn't manage the dramatically increased student numbers with her original manual process
She would have been unable to accommodate the dramatically increased enrollment.
- This directly addresses the core problem Chen was solving
- The passage establishes that enrollment 'increased dramatically' and she needed the lab collaboration 'to accommodate the growing number of students'
- Without the collaboration, she'd be stuck with her original slow, individual crafting process while facing much higher demand
- Perfectly matches our prethinking about capacity limitations
She would have had to abandon her innovative geometric modeling approach.
- She could still continue her geometric modeling approach - just at a smaller scale
- The passage shows she maintained her innovative approach even WITH the collaboration
- What trap this represents: Students might think the collaboration changed her fundamental method, but she kept the same innovative approach while scaling it up
She would not have been able to ensure mathematical accuracy in her models.
- The passage actually shows she was already ensuring mathematical accuracy when making models herself initially
- She continued to 'personally refined each model to ensure mathematical accuracy' even with the lab collaboration
- Mathematical accuracy was never the issue that needed solving
She would have been unable to spread word about her teaching method.
- Word had already spread about her method - that's what caused the enrollment increase in the first place
- The collaboration happened AFTER word spread, not to help it spread
- What trap this represents: Students might confuse the timeline, thinking the lab collaboration was for publicity rather than for handling the success that already occurred