The city's public transit system effectively serves residential and commercial districts, connecting neighborhoods to downtown business areas and majo...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The city's public transit system effectively serves residential and commercial districts, connecting neighborhoods to downtown business areas and major shopping centers. However, the system faces significant operational challenges in the industrial corridor, where oversized cargo vehicles frequently obstruct bus routes and create safety hazards for passenger services. Transportation commissioner Maria Rodriguez and her planning committee have documented that standard public transit infrastructure encounters persistent difficulties with the specialized demands of industrial transport. Rodriguez and her committee's findings therefore indicate that the current public transit system _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
should expand service routes to include additional coverage of residential and commercial districts.
can be readily adapted to handle the industrial transport challenges that Rodriguez and her committee have documented.
has inherent operational limitations when functioning in environments designed for industrial rather than passenger transport.
will be completely replaced by specialized freight systems to address the problems Rodriguez and her committee identified.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The city's public transit system effectively serves residential and commercial districts, connecting neighborhoods to downtown business areas and major shopping centers.' |
|
| 'However, the system faces significant operational challenges in the industrial corridor, where oversized cargo vehicles frequently obstruct bus routes and create safety hazards for passenger services.' |
|
| 'Transportation commissioner Maria Rodriguez and her planning committee have documented that standard public transit infrastructure encounters persistent difficulties with the specialized demands of industrial transport.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The city's transit system works well in residential and commercial areas but has documented operational problems in industrial environments.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the system's success in certain areas, then contrasts this with specific problems in industrial zones. It supports these problems with official documentation from Rodriguez and her committee, leading to a logical conclusion about the system's limitations.
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 findings show that standard public transit infrastructure has 'persistent difficulties' with 'specialized demands of industrial transport'
- This is different from the residential and commercial success mentioned earlier
- The right answer should acknowledge that the transit system has fundamental limitations when operating in industrial environments rather than passenger-focused areas
- The conclusion should reflect that these aren't temporary or easily fixable problems, but inherent challenges when the system operates outside its intended design parameters
should expand service routes to include additional coverage of residential and commercial districts.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests expanding to more residential/commercial districts
- Makes no sense since passage shows system already works well in these areas
- Ignores the industrial corridor problems entirely
can be readily adapted to handle the industrial transport challenges that Rodriguez and her committee have documented.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims system 'can be readily adapted' to handle industrial challenges
- Directly contradicts the 'persistent difficulties' Rodriguez documented
has inherent operational limitations when functioning in environments designed for industrial rather than passenger transport.
✓ Correct
- States the system 'has inherent operational limitations when functioning in environments designed for industrial rather than passenger transport'
- Perfectly matches our prethinking about built-in limitations
- Logically follows from the persistent difficulties with specialized industrial demands
will be completely replaced by specialized freight systems to address the problems Rodriguez and her committee identified.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests complete replacement with specialized freight systems
- Too extreme - passage shows problems but doesn't indicate total system failure