Since 1995, conflicts between ranching communities and conservationists over livestock predation have intensified near Yellowstone National Park. Thes...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Since 1995, conflicts between ranching communities and conservationists over livestock predation have intensified near Yellowstone National Park. These ongoing disputes stem from the wolf reintroduction program, which has achieved remarkable ecological success in restoring predator-prey relationships and vegetation recovery. While extensive analysis celebrates these environmental achievements, the persistent ranching conflicts reflect the program's origins in an era when conservation policy emphasized ecosystem restoration over stakeholder collaboration, suggesting the reintroduction ______
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
successfully restored ecosystem balance while inadvertently creating new challenges requiring ongoing stakeholder mediation.
prioritized ecological goals over community concerns, reflecting the limitations of conservation policies that fail to integrate diverse stakeholder needs.
achieved its primary conservation objectives but highlighted the need for policies that balance environmental restoration with local economic interests.
demonstrated the effectiveness of ecosystem restoration while exposing the inadequacy of collaborative approaches to wildlife management.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Since 1995, conflicts between ranching communities and conservationists over livestock predation have intensified near Yellowstone National Park." |
|
| "These ongoing disputes stem from the wolf reintroduction program, which has achieved remarkable ecological success in restoring predator-prey relationships and vegetation recovery." |
|
| "While extensive analysis celebrates these environmental achievements, the persistent ranching conflicts reflect the program's origins in an era when conservation policy emphasized ecosystem restoration over stakeholder collaboration, suggesting the reintroduction ______" |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
PROBLEM CONTEXT: Rancher-conservationist conflicts since 1995
CAUSE & PARADOX: Wolf program = ecological success BUT ongoing disputes
ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION: Celebrates environmental wins BUT conflicts persist → Reflects origins: ecosystem focus > stakeholder collaboration → [MISSING INFERENCE about what this suggests]
Main Point: The wolf reintroduction program's ecological success is overshadowed by persistent conflicts that reveal the program's original focus on environmental goals rather than inclusive stakeholder engagement.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from identifying ongoing conflicts to explaining their source in a successful but narrowly-focused conservation program, then analyzes how these conflicts reflect the program's origins in an era that prioritized ecosystem restoration over collaborative approaches, leading to a conclusion about what this historical context suggests about the program.
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 passage sets up a clear contrast: the wolf program succeeded ecologically but created persistent conflicts with ranchers
- The key insight is that these conflicts "reflect the program's origins in an era when conservation policy emphasized ecosystem restoration over stakeholder collaboration"
- The right answer should acknowledge that the program prioritized ecological/environmental goals
- The answer should recognize that this came at the expense of community/stakeholder concerns
- It should connect this to broader limitations in conservation policy approaches
- It should reflect the historical context of ecosystem-focused rather than collaborative policy
- The right answer should indicate that the program prioritized environmental objectives over community integration, revealing problems with conservation policies that don't adequately involve affected stakeholders
successfully restored ecosystem balance while inadvertently creating new challenges requiring ongoing stakeholder mediation.
- Describes the program as "successfully restored ecosystem balance while inadvertently creating new challenges"
- Misses the key point about policy origins and stakeholder collaboration
- Treats conflicts as unintended consequences rather than reflecting fundamental policy approach limitations
prioritized ecological goals over community concerns, reflecting the limitations of conservation policies that fail to integrate diverse stakeholder needs.
- Directly captures that the program "prioritized ecological goals over community concerns"
- Connects this to "limitations of conservation policies that fail to integrate diverse stakeholder needs"
- Perfectly matches the passage's emphasis on ecosystem restoration being emphasized over stakeholder collaboration
- Reflects the broader policy critique implied by the historical context
achieved its primary conservation objectives but highlighted the need for policies that balance environmental restoration with local economic interests.
- Focuses on "balancing environmental restoration with local economic interests"
- Too narrow in framing this as just economic vs. environmental rather than the broader stakeholder collaboration issue
- What trap this represents: Students might be drawn to this because it mentions balancing interests, but it mischaracterizes the core issue as economic rather than collaborative policy approach
demonstrated the effectiveness of ecosystem restoration while exposing the inadequacy of collaborative approaches to wildlife management.
- Claims the program "exposed the inadequacy of collaborative approaches"
- Completely backwards - the passage suggests the program lacked collaborative approaches, not that collaborative approaches were inadequate
- What trap this represents: Students might misread the passage's critique of non-collaborative policies as a critique of collaboration itself