The following text is adapted from a 2020 urban planning analysis of downtown revitalization. The demolition project had created an...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from a 2020 urban planning analysis of downtown revitalization.
The demolition project had created an unexpected opportunity for the city. Where outdated buildings once stood, planners now surveyed a blank canvas of cleared lots. These open spaces represented a hiatus in the urban fabric, temporarily interrupting the dense commercial district while offering potential for innovative development approaches that could bridge the historical architecture with modern design needs.
As used in the text, what does the word "hiatus" most nearly mean?
A problem
A mistake
A delay
A gap
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The demolition project had created an unexpected opportunity for the city." |
|
| "Where outdated buildings once stood, planners now surveyed a blank canvas of cleared lots." |
|
| "These open spaces represented a hiatus in the urban fabric," |
|
| "temporarily interrupting the dense commercial district" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Demolition created cleared lots that temporarily break up urban landscape but offer development opportunities.
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
- Context shows "hiatus" describes cleared lots in "urban fabric" that are "temporarily interrupting the dense commercial district"
- Looking for word meaning break or interruption in previously continuous area
A problem
A problem
✗ Incorrect
- Passage frames demolition as "unexpected opportunity" with positive potential, not as problem
A mistake
A mistake
✗ Incorrect
- Nothing suggests cleared spaces are error
- Passage emphasizes opportunity
A delay
A delay
✗ Incorrect
- While passage mentions "temporarily," hiatus describes physical space not time
- Cleared lots exist now as empty spaces
A gap
A gap
✓ Correct
- Perfectly captures physical break in "urban fabric" where buildings used to be
- Cleared lots create literal gaps in previously "dense commercial district"