The city of Portland implemented a congestion pricing system which charges drivers a fee for entering the downtown core during...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
The city of Portland implemented a congestion pricing system which charges drivers a fee for entering the downtown core during peak hours. _____ commuters have started using public transportation or carpooling to avoid the additional costs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Meanwhile,
Consequently,
However,
Previously,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The city of Portland implemented a congestion pricing system which charges drivers a fee for entering the downtown core during peak hours." |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "commuters have started using public transportation or carpooling to avoid the additional costs." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Portland's congestion pricing has led to changes in commuter behavior.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a policy implementation and then shows the behavioral response to that policy, with the missing connector needing to bridge these two related ideas.
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 transition must show the relationship between Portland implementing congestion pricing and commuters changing their behavior
- We need a word that indicates cause-and-effect since the pricing policy caused the behavioral change
- The right answer should indicate that the behavioral change happened as a result of the pricing policy
Meanwhile,
✗ Incorrect
- "Meanwhile" suggests things happening at the same time but doesn't show the cause-and-effect relationship between the policy and behavioral change
Consequently,
✓ Correct
- "Consequently" shows direct cause-and-effect and perfectly connects the pricing policy (cause) to the behavior change (effect)
However,
✗ Incorrect
- "However" signals contrast or opposition, but there's no contrast here since the behavior change aligns with what you'd expect from congestion pricing
Previously,
✗ Incorrect
- "Previously" indicates something that happened before in time but doesn't establish the logical relationship between cause and effect