The metropolitan transit authority has completed installation of the city's new fiber optic network. The comprehensive system ______ over 2.3...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The metropolitan transit authority has completed installation of the city's new fiber optic network. The comprehensive system ______ over 2.3 million residents across all five boroughs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
monitors
serves
processes
generates
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The metropolitan transit authority has completed installation of the city's new fiber optic network." |
|
| [MISSING WORD] |
|
| "over 2.3 million residents across all five boroughs." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A transit authority has completed a comprehensive fiber optic network system that affects millions of residents citywide.
Argument Flow: We learn about a completed infrastructure project, then need to understand how this system relates to the resident population across the entire city.
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 missing word needs to describe what a comprehensive transit system does in relation to residents
- We're talking about a metropolitan transit authority's system that affects over 2.3 million residents across all five boroughs
- The logical relationship should reflect the primary function of a transit system—it provides transportation services to people in the community
monitors
monitors
✗ Incorrect
- While a fiber optic network could technically monitor residents, this doesn't align with the primary purpose of a transit authority
- Transit systems are built to provide transportation services, not surveillance
serves
serves
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures what transit systems do—they serve residents by providing transportation
- "Serves over 2.3 million residents" makes complete logical sense for a metropolitan transit authority
processes
processes
✗ Incorrect
- "Processes residents" doesn't make logical sense—people aren't data or materials to be processed
generates
generates
✗ Incorrect
- Transit systems don't generate residents—residents already exist in the city