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Since its construction required over $1.5 billion and specialized materials available from only three global suppliers, Dubai's Burj Khalifa currently...

GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions

Source: Prism
Craft and Structure
Words in Context
HARD
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Notes
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Since its construction required over $1.5 billion and specialized materials available from only three global suppliers, Dubai's Burj Khalifa currently stands as the world's tallest building—and, given the extraordinary financial and logistical obstacles involved in such projects, this height record is unlikely to be ______.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A

surpassed

B

maintained

C

documented

D

justified

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Create Passage Analysis Table

Text from PassageAnalysis
"Since its construction required over $1.5 billion and specialized materials available from only three global suppliers,"
  • What it says: Cost = $1.5B+, materials = only 3 suppliers globally
  • What it does: Establishes the extreme expense and rarity of building materials
  • What it is: Context/background info
"Dubai's Burj Khalifa currently stands as the world's tallest building—"
  • What it says: Burj Khalifa = tallest building now
  • What it does: States the current record holder
  • What it is: Factual claim
"and, given the extraordinary financial and logistical obstacles involved in such projects,"
  • What it says: Building projects like this = huge $ + logistics problems
  • What it does: References back to the challenges mentioned earlier
  • What it is: Supporting reasoning
"this height record is unlikely to be ______."
  • What it says: Height record probably won't be [something]
  • What it does: Makes a prediction about the record's future
  • What it is: Conclusion/prediction

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 logical flow is: Building the Burj Khalifa was incredibly expensive and difficult → It holds the height record → These same obstacles make it unlikely that the record will be [what?]
  • The reasoning suggests that because building such structures is so challenging and costly, other builders won't attempt to go even higher. So the record is unlikely to be beaten, exceeded, or topped by someone else.
Answer Choices Explained
A

surpassed

✓ Correct

  • Means exceeded or beaten by something better. Fits the logical flow perfectly: the obstacles are so great that no one else is likely to build something taller.
B

maintained

✗ Incorrect

  • Doesn't make logical sense - why would financial obstacles prevent maintaining a record?
C

documented

✗ Incorrect

  • Completely unrelated to the context about building challenges and height records.
D

justified

✗ Incorrect

  • Doesn't fit the logical flow - obstacles wouldn't prevent justifying a record.
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