Scholars studying ancient Mesopotamian civilization discovered thousands of cuneiform tablets in the early 1900s, leading many to believe these texts...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Scholars studying ancient Mesopotamian civilization discovered thousands of cuneiform tablets in the early 1900s, leading many to believe these texts would quickly reveal lost historical knowledge. The tablets were written in Sumerian, however, a language completely unknown to modern researchers at the time. _____ archaeologists and linguists could not fully translate the majority of these important historical documents until the 1940s.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Furthermore,
Consequently,
Meanwhile,
Otherwise,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Scholars studying ancient Mesopotamian civilization discovered thousands of cuneiform tablets in the early 1900s,' |
|
| 'leading many to believe these texts would quickly reveal lost historical knowledge.' |
|
| 'The tablets were written in Sumerian, however, a language completely unknown to modern researchers at the time.' |
|
| 'archaeologists and linguists could not fully translate the majority of these important historical documents until the 1940s.' |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The discovery of cuneiform tablets initially promised quick historical insights, but the unknown Sumerian language prevented translation for decades.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes an expectation (quick knowledge from tablet discovery), introduces a complication (unknown language), and then reveals the actual delayed outcome (translation took until the 1940s). The missing transition word must connect the language barrier to its consequence.
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 sentence before the blank tells us the tablets were written in an unknown language
- The sentence after the blank tells us that scholars couldn't translate the tablets for decades
- We need a transition that shows how the unknown language directly caused the translation difficulties
- The right answer should show a cause-and-effect relationship
Furthermore,
- This word adds additional information rather than showing causation
- Doesn't connect the language barrier to its consequences
Consequently,
- Shows direct cause-and-effect relationship between unknown language and translation delays
- Creates logical flow: unknown language leads to delayed translation
Meanwhile,
- Indicates events happening at the same time rather than one causing the other
- Doesn't establish the logical connection between language barrier and translation difficulties
Otherwise,
- Suggests an alternative scenario rather than showing causation
- Doesn't fit since we're not discussing what would happen if scholars did something different