Some economic historians _______ that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States experienced an economy of scale...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Some economic historians _______ that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States experienced an economy of scale when it came to food purchases—they assumed that large households spent less on food per person than did small households. Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the available data disproves this supposition.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
surmised
contrived
questioned
regretted
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Some economic historians _______ that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States experienced an economy of scale when it came to food purchases" |
|
| "—they assumed that large households spent less on food per person than did small households." |
|
| "Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the available data disproves this supposition." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Economic historians believed large households had food cost advantages, but research data proves this assumption wrong.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a historical economic theory about household size and food costs, clarifies what this theory specifically claimed, then introduces research that contradicts this long-held belief.
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 word must describe what historians did regarding this economic theory
- The context shows they believed this theory but it was later disproven, suggesting it wasn't based on solid evidence initially
- The right answer should indicate that historians believed or supposed this theory to be true, likely based on limited evidence
surmised
✓ Correct
- "Surmised" means to suppose or assume something based on incomplete evidence
- Fits perfectly with the context - historians formed this belief, then Logan's data proved them wrong
contrived
✗ Incorrect
- "Contrived" means artificially created or forced
- Doesn't make sense - historians didn't artificially create this economic principle
questioned
✗ Incorrect
- "Questioned" means to doubt or express uncertainty about
- This contradicts the passage - they clearly believed the theory
regretted
✗ Incorrect
- "Regretted" means to feel sorry about something
- Makes no logical sense in this context about forming economic theories