The Environmental Protection Agency announced that new water quality standards would require all commercial farms to reduce pesticide runoff by...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
The Environmental Protection Agency announced that new water quality standards would require all commercial farms to reduce pesticide runoff by forty percent. Agricultural experts predicted that compliance costs would force smaller operations out of business. _____ many family-owned farms have successfully adapted by switching to organic farming methods.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For example,
Similarly,
Nevertheless,
Therefore,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The Environmental Protection Agency announced that new water quality standards would require all commercial farms to reduce pesticide runoff by forty percent." |
|
| "Agricultural experts predicted that compliance costs would force smaller operations out of business." |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "many family-owned farms have successfully adapted by switching to organic farming methods." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Despite expert predictions that new EPA water quality standards would harm smaller farms, many family-owned operations have actually thrived by adapting to organic methods.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a regulatory change, presents expert concerns about negative impacts on smaller farms, then reveals that the reality contradicted these predictions as family farms found successful adaptation strategies.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we see the experts predicted smaller farms would fail due to compliance costs, but many family farms actually succeeded by adapting
- This creates a contrast - the prediction versus reality
- The right transition needs to signal that what follows contradicts the expert prediction
For example,
✗ Incorrect
- This would introduce the family farms as an example supporting the experts' prediction, but the family farms actually contradict the prediction by succeeding rather than failing
Similarly,
✗ Incorrect
- This would suggest family farms followed the same pattern as the expert prediction, but they did the opposite - they succeeded instead of being forced out
Nevertheless,
✓ Correct
- This creates the perfect contrast between expert prediction and actual outcome
- Shows that despite the gloomy forecast, family farms found a way to succeed
Therefore,
✗ Incorrect
- This would make family farm success a result of the expert prediction, but their success contradicts the prediction rather than following from it