The Federal Reserve's emergency lending programs, launched in 2020 to address pandemic-related economic disruption, have been credited with preventing...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
The Federal Reserve's emergency lending programs, launched in 2020 to address pandemic-related economic disruption, have been credited with preventing widespread corporate bankruptcies according to economist Dr. James Chen's recent analysis. _____ these programs disbursed over $500 billion in liquidity support, enabling thousands of businesses to maintain operations and preserve jobs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Furthermore,
Conversely,
Certainly,
Hence,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The Federal Reserve's emergency lending programs, launched in 2020 to address pandemic-related economic disruption, have been credited with preventing widespread corporate bankruptcies according to economist Dr. James Chen's recent analysis. |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| these programs disbursed over $500 billion in liquidity support, enabling thousands of businesses to maintain operations and preserve jobs. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
[MAIN CLAIM] Fed programs 2020 prevented bankruptcies [MISSING CONNECTOR] [SUPPORTING EVIDENCE] $500B disbursed businesses stayed open jobs preserved
Main Point: The Federal Reserve's 2020 emergency lending programs successfully prevented widespread business failures during the pandemic.
Argument Flow: The passage makes a claim about the success of Fed programs in preventing bankruptcies, then provides specific evidence showing the scale of support and its concrete results.
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 sentence before the blank makes a general claim about Fed programs preventing bankruptcies
- The sentence after the blank provides specific details about how much money was disbursed and what concrete results were achieved
- We need a transition that shows the second sentence is building on or supporting the first sentence by providing additional evidence or elaboration
- The relationship type needed is continuation or addition
- The right answer should indicate that we're adding supporting information or continuing the same line of thought
Furthermore,
Furthermore,
✓ Correct
- Furthermore signals that additional supporting information is being provided
- This perfectly matches our prethinking - the second sentence gives specific details that support the general claim in the first sentence
- The logical flow works: programs prevented bankruptcies furthermore here's exactly how much they disbursed and what they accomplished
Conversely,
Conversely,
✗ Incorrect
- Conversely indicates contrast or opposition
- The second sentence doesn't contradict the first - both talk about the positive effects of the Fed programs
- This would create an illogical flow suggesting the specific evidence somehow opposes the general claim
Certainly,
Certainly,
✗ Incorrect
- Certainly shows emphasis or agreement but doesn't indicate addition of information
- While not wrong in meaning, it doesn't capture the logical relationship as precisely as furthermore
- Students might choose this because it seems to affirm the first sentence, but it doesn't show that we're adding supporting evidence
Hence,
Hence,
✗ Incorrect
- Hence indicates cause-and-effect or conclusion
- The second sentence isn't a conclusion drawn from the first - it's additional evidence supporting the same point
- This would suggest the disbursement information is a result of preventing bankruptcies, when actually both are aspects of what the programs accomplished