Tennis player Emma Nakamura was expected to struggle in her first Grand Slam final, given her relative inexperience on the...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Tennis player Emma Nakamura was expected to struggle in her first Grand Slam final, given her relative inexperience on the sport's biggest stages. _____ she dominated the match from start to finish, winning in straight sets to claim her first major title.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Therefore,
Previously,
However,
Additionally,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Tennis player Emma Nakamura was expected to struggle in her first Grand Slam final, given her relative inexperience on the sport's biggest stages." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "she dominated the match from start to finish, winning in straight sets to claim her first major title." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Emma Nakamura defied expectations by dominating her first Grand Slam final despite her inexperience.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up an expectation that Emma would struggle due to her inexperience, then reveals that she actually dominated the match completely, creating a clear contrast between expectation and reality.
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
- We have a clear contrast situation here
- The first part tells us Emma was expected to struggle because she's inexperienced
- The second part shows she actually dominated completely
- These two ideas directly oppose each other - expectation versus reality
- The right transition needs to signal this contrast
Therefore,
✗ Incorrect
- "Therefore" signals a logical conclusion or result
- This would suggest her domination was expected because she was inexperienced, which makes no sense
Previously,
✗ Incorrect
- "Previously" indicates something that happened before in time
- This doesn't create any logical relationship between expectation and outcome
However,
✓ Correct
- Creates the perfect contrast between expectation (struggle) and reality (domination)
- "However" signals "despite what you just read, here's what actually happened"
Additionally,
✗ Incorrect
- "Additionally" means "in addition to" or "also"
- This would suggest her domination somehow adds to her expected struggle, which is illogical