The following text is adapted from a medical journal article about emergency room procedures.The cardiac monitor's alarms were sounding continuously,...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from a medical journal article about emergency room procedures.
The cardiac monitor's alarms were sounding continuously, and the patient's vital signs were declining rapidly. The nursing staff moved with urgent efficiency, their faces tense with concentration. Dr. Martinez, however, remained completely composed; she methodically reviewed the patient's chart while issuing calm, precise instructions to her team.
As used in the text, what does the word 'composed' most nearly mean?
Calm
Assembled
Arranged
Created
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The cardiac monitor's alarms were sounding continuously, and the patient's vital signs were declining rapidly.' |
|
| 'The nursing staff moved with urgent efficiency, their faces tense with concentration.' |
|
| 'Dr. Martinez, however, remained completely composed;' |
|
| 'she methodically reviewed the patient's chart while issuing calm, precise instructions to her team.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: [EMERGENCY CRISIS] includes Alarms + declining patient, Stressed nursing staff response, and Dr. Martinez's contrasting response with composed behavior and Methodical + calm actions
Main Point: In a medical emergency, Dr. Martinez maintained her composure while others around her showed stress and urgency.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a high-stress emergency situation, shows the typical stressed response from nursing staff, then contrasts this with Dr. Martinez's calm, controlled approach despite the same crisis.
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
- From our analysis, we can see that composed is used to contrast Dr. Martinez's behavior with the tense and urgent behavior of the nursing staff
- The context clues show she was acting methodically and giving calm, precise instructions while everyone else was stressed
- So composed here means she was maintaining her calm and control despite the emergency situation
- The right answer should capture this sense of being calm, controlled, and unruffled under pressure
Calm
✓ Correct
- This perfectly matches our context analysis
- Calm directly aligns with the calm, precise instructions she was giving
- Creates the intended contrast with the tense nursing staff
- Fits the overall meaning of maintaining control under pressure
Assembled
✗ Incorrect
- Assembled refers to putting parts together or gathering
- Makes no sense in this context about someone's emotional state
- Does not create any meaningful contrast with the stressed nursing staff
Arranged
✗ Incorrect
- Arranged means organized or put in order
- While Dr. Martinez was being methodical, this does not capture her emotional state
- Fails to contrast with the tension and urgency described in others
Created
✗ Incorrect
- Created means made or brought into existence
- Completely unrelated to describing someone's demeanor in a crisis
- Provides no logical connection to the context