The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) examines trends in economic well-being among 25,000 people in Australia...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) examines trends in economic well-being among 25,000 people in Australia unfolding over many years. As is true of most longitudinal studies, this need for years of data collection results in high costs. By contrast, a relatively straightforward fitness study, such as one that is merely trying to identify the percentage of regular exercisers in a city who do weight training, may not need a large budget because ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
longitudinal methods are probably suitable for the fitness study.
it would be easy for HILDA researchers to add questions to their economic well-being study.
25,000 people is more than enough for HILDA to find trends in economic well-being.
the fitness study can be done well without years of data collection.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) examines trends in economic well-being among 25,000 people in Australia unfolding over many years." |
|
| "As is true of most longitudinal studies, this need for years of data collection results in high costs." |
|
| "By contrast, a relatively straightforward fitness study, such as one that is merely trying to identify the percentage of regular exercisers in a city who do weight training, may not need a large budget because ______" |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map: [HILDA STUDY EXAMPLE] → Long-term economic tracking, 25,000 people, Many years needed → [GENERAL PRINCIPLE] → Longitudinal studies need years of data, Years of data = high costs → [CONTRASTING EXAMPLE] → Simple fitness study, Basic goal (% doing weight training), May not need large budget because [BLANK]
Main Point: Different types of studies require different resources - longitudinal studies like HILDA are expensive because they need years of data, while simpler studies may be less costly for different reasons.
Argument Flow: The passage first presents HILDA as an example of a costly longitudinal study, then explains the general principle that longitudinal studies are expensive because they require years of data collection, and finally contrasts this with a simpler fitness study that may not need a large budget for an unstated reason.
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 establishes that HILDA is expensive because it's a longitudinal study requiring "years of data collection"
- The fitness study is presented as a contrast - it's "relatively straightforward" and "merely trying to identify" a simple percentage
- The right answer should explain why this fitness study doesn't face the same cost burden as HILDA
- The key difference should be about time and complexity
- The fitness study has a simple, specific goal that can likely be achieved quickly, unlike HILDA's long-term tracking
- The right answer should explain that the fitness study can be completed without the time-intensive data collection that makes longitudinal studies expensive
longitudinal methods are probably suitable for the fitness study.
- Claims longitudinal methods are suitable for the fitness study
- This contradicts the contrast being set up - the passage presents the fitness study as different from longitudinal studies like HILDA
it would be easy for HILDA researchers to add questions to their economic well-being study.
- Discusses HILDA researchers adding questions to their study
- This is completely irrelevant to why the fitness study might have a smaller budget
25,000 people is more than enough for HILDA to find trends in economic well-being.
- Makes a claim about HILDA's sample size being sufficient
- This doesn't explain anything about the fitness study's potential budget advantages
the fitness study can be done well without years of data collection.
- States the fitness study can be done well without years of data collection
- This directly addresses why it would cost less than HILDA - no long-term data collection needed