The economic report revealed that while venture capital firms struggled with limited returns from artificial intelligence startups, there has been...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The economic report revealed that while venture capital firms struggled with limited returns from artificial intelligence startups, there has been _______ funding directed toward traditional manufacturing innovations.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
decreased
hesitant
increased
competitive
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The economic report revealed that while venture capital firms struggled with limited returns from artificial intelligence startups,' |
|
| '[MISSING WORD]' |
|
| 'there has been ____ funding directed toward traditional manufacturing innovations.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: An economic report shows contrasting funding patterns between AI startups and traditional manufacturing.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a contrast structure, first establishing that venture capital firms had poor returns from AI startups, then indicating that traditional manufacturing experienced a different funding situation.
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 passage creates a 'while X... there has been Y' structure, which typically signals contrast
- Since we know AI startups struggled with limited returns from VC firms, the logical contrast would be that traditional manufacturing had better or more funding success
decreased
- 'Decreased' would suggest traditional manufacturing also struggled with funding
- This eliminates the contrast structure and makes the 'while' construction illogical
hesitant
- 'Hesitant' suggests uncertainty or reluctance in funding decisions
- This doesn't create a clear contrast with AI's poor returns
increased
- 'Increased' creates the perfect contrast: while AI struggled, manufacturing got more funding
- Fits the logical structure of the contrast perfectly
competitive
- 'Competitive' doesn't make grammatical sense in this context
- The phrase 'competitive funding directed toward' is awkward and unclear