The Ainu language of northern Japan was spoken by fewer than ten native speakers by the 1980s, making it critically...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The Ainu language of northern Japan was spoken by fewer than ten native speakers by the 1980s, making it critically endangered. Traditional transmission from elders to children had been disrupted by decades of cultural suppression policies. However, recent university-led documentation projects and community revitalization programs have created comprehensive learning materials and immersion opportunities, thus ______ the language's continued existence.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
securing
documenting
celebrating
expanding
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The Ainu language of northern Japan was spoken by fewer than ten native speakers by the 1980s, making it critically endangered.' |
|
| 'Traditional transmission from elders to children had been disrupted by decades of cultural suppression policies.' |
|
| 'However, recent university-led documentation projects and community revitalization programs have created comprehensive learning materials and immersion opportunities,' |
|
| 'thus _______ the language's continued existence.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Recent documentation and revitalization efforts are helping to ensure the survival of the critically endangered Ainu language.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that the Ainu language became critically endangered due to cultural suppression policies that broke traditional learning patterns. It then contrasts this dire situation with recent positive interventions—university documentation projects and community programs that created learning resources. The missing word should describe how these efforts relate to the language's continued existence.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we see that comprehensive learning materials and immersion opportunities have been created by recent efforts
- The word 'thus' signals that whatever follows is a result of these positive interventions
- The phrase is 'the language's continued existence,' which is about survival and protection
- So the right answer should describe how creating materials and opportunities helps ensure the language survives—it should mean something like protecting, ensuring, or safeguarding the language's future
securing
✓ Correct
- 'Securing' means making something safe or protected from harm
- Perfect logical fit: comprehensive materials + immersion programs → making the language safe/protected
- Matches our prethinking about protection and ensuring survival
documenting
✗ Incorrect
- 'Documenting' means recording or writing down information
- The passage already tells us documentation projects have been completed
- Doesn't make sense as a result—the documenting was the action taken, not the outcome
celebrating
✗ Incorrect
- 'Celebrating' means honoring or expressing joy about something
- While positive, this doesn't logically follow from creating materials and programs
- Celebration doesn't ensure continued existence
expanding
✗ Incorrect
- 'Expanding' means making something larger or more widespread
- The focus isn't on growth but on survival of a critically endangered language
- With fewer than ten speakers, expansion isn't the immediate concern—preservation is