Specialists in agriculture advise that areas vulnerable to dry conditions ought to keep significant grain stockpiles since adequate reserves can...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Specialists in agriculture advise that areas vulnerable to dry conditions ought to keep significant grain stockpiles since adequate reserves can mitigate the effects of _______ harvest outputs throughout times when precipitation trends turn irregular and uncertain.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
inconsistent
improved
forecasted
financially supported
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Specialists in agriculture advise that areas vulnerable to dry conditions ought to keep significant grain stockpiles' |
|
| 'since sufficient reserves can mitigate the effects of _______ harvest outputs' |
|
| 'throughout times when precipitation trends turn irregular and uncertain' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Agricultural experts recommend grain stockpiles for drought-prone areas because reserves help manage unpredictable harvest outcomes during irregular weather patterns.
Argument Flow: The passage presents expert advice, provides the logic behind it (reserves help with certain harvest effects), and specifies when this becomes crucial (during irregular precipitation periods). The missing word should logically connect irregular weather patterns to the type of harvest problem that stockpiles would solve.
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 relationship here is key - when precipitation becomes 'irregular and uncertain,' what kind of harvest outputs would result?
- The word should describe harvest outputs that would be problematic enough to require stockpile mitigation.
- Since irregular and uncertain weather would logically lead to unpredictable, variable harvest results, we need a word that captures this variability or unpredictability.
inconsistent
- ✓ Correct
- 'Inconsistent' perfectly matches the logical flow - irregular precipitation leads to inconsistent harvests.
- Creates clear cause-effect relationship between uncertain weather and unpredictable crop yields.
- Stockpiles would logically help smooth out inconsistent production periods.
improved
- ✗ Incorrect
- 'Improved' creates an illogical relationship - why would you need reserves to mitigate good harvests?
- Contradicts the problem-solution structure of the sentence.
forecasted
- ✗ Incorrect
- 'Forecasted' doesn't establish a logical relationship with irregular precipitation.
- Focuses on prediction rather than the actual nature of the harvests.
- Students might think this connects to uncertainty, but the passage is about the harvest outcomes themselves, not predictions about them.
financially supported
- ✗ Incorrect
- 'Financially supported' has no logical connection to precipitation patterns or the need for stockpiles.
- Introduces an irrelevant economic concept not supported by the passage context.