The investigations by Marie Curie during the early twentieth century _______ core principles of radioactivity that remain influential in today's...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The investigations by Marie Curie during the early twentieth century _______ core principles of radioactivity that remain influential in today's medical practices: her pioneering studies with radium, for example, formed the foundation for current cancer treatment methods.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
developed
challenged
received
rejected
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The investigations by Marie Curie during the early twentieth century" |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "core principles of radioactivity that remain influential in today's medical practices:" |
|
| "her pioneering studies with radium, for example, formed the foundation for current cancer treatment methods." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture
Main Point: Marie Curie's early investigations established fundamental principles of radioactivity that continue to influence modern medical practices.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from identifying Marie Curie's work to showing its lasting impact, then provides a concrete example of how her radium research directly influences current cancer treatment methods.
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
- From our analysis, we know that Marie Curie's investigations did something to core principles of radioactivity that made them influential in today's medical practices
- The example tells us her radium studies formed the foundation for current cancer treatment methods
- The missing word needs to show that her investigations created, established, or brought into being these principles
- The relationship is creative - she didn't just discover existing principles, she established new ones through her work
developed
- Developed means created, established, or brought into being
- Fits perfectly with the evidence that her work formed the foundation for current practices
- Shows the creative, generative relationship between her investigations and the principles
challenged
- Challenged means questioned or opposed existing ideas
- Contradicts the evidence that her work formed foundations and remains influential
received
- Received means got or obtained something from others
- Doesn't make logical sense - you can't receive principles from investigations
rejected
- Rejected means refused or dismissed
- Completely contradicts the evidence that these principles remain influential and foundational