Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland's more than 30 active volcano systems emerges...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland's more than 30 active volcano systems emerges from deep within Earth. The great depths involved—nearly \(\mathrm{3,000~km}\)—mark Iceland's volcanoes as extreme outliers; _______ many of Earth's volcanoes are fed by shallow pockets of magma found less than \(\mathrm{15~km}\) below the surface.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland's more than 30 active volcano systems emerges from deep within Earth.' |
|
| 'The great depths involved—nearly 3,000 km—mark Iceland's volcanoes as extreme outliers;' |
|
| '[MISSING TRANSITION]' |
|
| 'many of Earth's volcanoes are fed by shallow pockets of magma found less than 15 km below the surface.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Iceland's volcanoes are extreme outliers because they draw magma from extraordinarily deep sources compared to typical volcanoes.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a scientific proposal about Iceland's volcanic systems, explains why this makes them unusual, then provides contrasting information about typical volcanoes to reinforce how exceptional Iceland's situation is.
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 establishes that Iceland's volcanoes are 'extreme outliers' due to their deep magma sources
- The sentence after the blank provides information about how most other volcanoes work - they use shallow magma sources
- The missing transition needs to connect these ideas logically
- We need a connector that emphasizes or confirms this supporting relationship
✓ Correct
- 'Indeed' signals that the following information will support or emphasize the previous claim
- Perfect fit: we just learned Iceland is an outlier due to deep sources, and 'indeed' introduces the contrasting evidence that confirms this outlier status
- Creates the logical flow: Iceland is unusual → indeed, here's evidence showing how different it is from the norm
✗ Incorrect
- 'Nevertheless' signals contrast or opposition to what came before
- Wrong relationship: the shallow volcano information doesn't oppose the outlier claim - it supports it
- Would suggest the shallow information somehow contradicts Iceland being unusual
✗ Incorrect
- 'In addition' signals that more similar information is being added
- Wrong relationship: we're not adding more information about deep volcanic sources - we're providing contrasting information about shallow sources
✗ Incorrect
- 'Consequently' signals cause and effect
- Wrong relationship: shallow volcanic sources aren't a consequence or result of Iceland being an outlier