The consulting firm's new training program produced remarkable results, ______ the director's initial skepticism; despite her concerns that the unconv...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The consulting firm's new training program produced remarkable results, ______ the director's initial skepticism; despite her concerns that the unconventional methods would confuse employees, the interactive workshops actually improved both productivity and job satisfaction significantly.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
validating
reinforcing
contradicting
sustaining
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The consulting firm's new training program produced remarkable results,' |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| 'the director's initial skepticism;' |
|
| 'despite her concerns that the unconventional methods would confuse employees,' |
|
| 'the interactive workshops actually improved both productivity and job satisfaction significantly.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[POSITIVE RESULTS] Training program → remarkable results
↓
[MISSING CONNECTOR]
↓
[INITIAL SKEPTICISM] Director's doubts
├── Specific concern: methods too unconventional
└── Feared employee confusion
↓
[ACTUAL OUTCOME] Workshops → significant improvements
├── ↑ Productivity
└── ↑ Job satisfaction
Main Point: A consulting firm's unconventional training program succeeded despite the director's initial concerns, producing significant improvements in both productivity and job satisfaction.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that a training program produced remarkable results, then presents the director's initial skepticism about the unconventional methods and her specific concerns about employee confusion. Finally, it confirms the positive outcome by showing the workshops actually delivered significant improvements in key areas.
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 missing word needs to show the relationship between 'remarkable results' and 'the director's initial skepticism'
- Looking at our analysis, we see that the results were positive (significant improvements in productivity and job satisfaction), while the director was initially skeptical and worried the methods would confuse employees
- The logical relationship here is one of opposition or contrast - the positive results went against what her skepticism would have predicted
- The director's skepticism suggested negative outcomes, but the actual results were remarkably positive
- So the right answer should indicate that the remarkable results opposed, contradicted, or went against the director's initial skepticism
validating
- 'Validating' would mean the results confirmed or supported her skepticism
- But the results were positive, which would actually contradict skeptical expectations
- This creates the opposite relationship from what we need
reinforcing
- 'Reinforcing' means strengthening or supporting her skepticism
- The positive results would weaken, not strengthen, skeptical doubts
- What trap this represents: Students might think 'reinforcing' just means 'affecting' without considering the direction of that effect
contradicting
- 'Contradicting' means going against or opposing her skepticism
- The remarkable positive results directly oppose what skeptical expectations would predict
- This perfectly matches our prethinking about the contrast relationship needed
sustaining
- 'Sustaining' means maintaining or keeping alive her skepticism
- Positive results would actually eliminate reasons for skepticism, not sustain them
- This reverses the actual relationship between evidence and attitude