TechStart Inc. has built its competitive advantage through innovative product development, consistently launching cutting-edge solutions that address ...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
TechStart Inc. has built its competitive advantage through innovative product development, consistently launching cutting-edge solutions that address emerging market needs. _______ the company has invested heavily in strategic partnerships with leading research universities to accelerate its innovation pipeline.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
However,
Additionally,
For instance,
Consequently,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'TechStart Inc. has built its competitive advantage through innovative product development, consistently launching cutting-edge solutions that address emerging market needs.' |
|
| '[MISSING TRANSITION]' |
|
| 'the company has invested heavily in strategic partnerships with leading research universities to accelerate its innovation pipeline.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: TechStart Inc. builds its competitive advantage through both innovative product development and strategic partnerships with research universities.
Argument Flow: The passage presents TechStart's approach to maintaining competitive advantage. It first establishes their focus on innovative product development, then shows how they complement this with strategic partnerships to further strengthen their innovation capabilities.
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
Let's first think about what the right answer should tell us:
- The transition must connect two related strategies that TechStart uses for competitive advantage
- Both sentences describe ways the company strengthens its position - the first through product development, the second through partnerships
- The logical relationship is additive - the second sentence adds another strategy rather than contrasting, exemplifying, or showing a result
- The partnership strategy supports the same overall goal as the product development strategy
So the right answer should signal that we're adding complementary information about how TechStart builds its competitive advantage.
However,
✗ Incorrect
- 'However' signals contrast or opposition
- The partnership strategy doesn't oppose the product development strategy - they work together toward the same goal
- What trap this represents: Students might think strategic partnerships contrast with product development, but they're actually complementary approaches
Additionally,
✓ Correct
- 'Additionally' signals that we're adding more information about the same topic
- Perfect fit since both sentences describe different ways TechStart builds competitive advantage
- Matches our prethinking about needing an additive connector
For instance,
✗ Incorrect
- 'For instance' introduces a specific example of something general
- The partnerships aren't an example of product development - they're a separate strategy
- What trap this represents: Students might see partnerships as an example of 'innovative product development,' but partnerships are actually a distinct approach to innovation
Consequently,
✗ Incorrect
- 'Consequently' shows cause and effect - that one thing resulted from another
- The partnerships aren't a result of the product development; they're an additional strategy
- What trap this represents: Students might think the company invested in partnerships because of their product development success, but the passage presents them as parallel strategies