The dining experience at Chef Martinez's restaurant often proves ______ for newcomers. Unfamiliar ingredients and unusual flavor combinations create a...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The dining experience at Chef Martinez's restaurant often proves ______ for newcomers. Unfamiliar ingredients and unusual flavor combinations create an initial barrier that can overwhelm first-time visitors. Despite this challenging introduction, Martinez has built both critical acclaim and a devoted following. Diners who push through their initial confusion typically discover remarkably innovative and satisfying culinary experiences.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
jarring
refined
conventional
aromatic
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The dining experience at Chef Martinez's restaurant often proves _______ for newcomers." |
|
| "Unfamiliar ingredients and unusual flavor combinations create an initial barrier that can overwhelm first-time visitors." |
|
| "Despite this challenging introduction, Martinez has built both critical acclaim and a devoted following." |
|
| "Diners who push through their initial confusion typically discover remarkably innovative and satisfying culinary experiences." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Chef Martinez's restaurant provides an initially challenging but ultimately rewarding dining experience for newcomers.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a dining experience that needs description, explains why it's initially difficult (unfamiliar elements that overwhelm), acknowledges this challenge doesn't prevent success, then reveals why—the experience becomes rewarding for those who persist through the initial confusion.
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
- Based on our passage analysis, the missing word must:
- Describe how newcomers experience the restaurant initially
- Align with "unfamiliar ingredients" that "create barriers" and "overwhelm first-time visitors"
- Make sense with people experiencing "initial confusion" they need to "push through"
- The context shows newcomers face something challenging and off-putting at first—ingredients and flavors that create barriers and overwhelm them. So the right answer should describe something initially unsettling, shocking, or disturbing for newcomers.
jarring
- "Jarring" means shocking or disturbing in an unpleasant way
- Perfectly matches the idea of unfamiliar ingredients creating barriers and overwhelming visitors
- Explains why people experience "initial confusion" they need to push through
- Creates logical flow: jarring experience → caused by unfamiliar elements → but ultimately rewarding
refined
- "Refined" means elegant, sophisticated, or cultured
- Contradicts the description of overwhelming barriers and confusion
- Doesn't explain why newcomers would need to "push through" anything
conventional
- "Conventional" means traditional or following established practices
- Directly contradicts "unfamiliar ingredients and unusual flavor combinations"
- Conventional experiences wouldn't create barriers or overwhelm visitors
aromatic
- "Aromatic" means having a pleasant, distinctive smell
- Doesn't connect to the ideas of barriers, overwhelming experiences, or confusion
- Pleasant aromas wouldn't require people to "push through" anything