The percentage of US forest land that a 2023 federal report identified as being either mature or old growth exceeds...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The percentage of US forest land that a 2023 federal report identified as being either mature or old growth exceeds other recent estimates. Given how little ________ there is among scientists regarding the scope of these categories, this discrepancy shouldn't be surprising: forest researchers regularly dispute one another's classifications.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
deliberation
vigilance
interest
consensus
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The percentage of US forest land that a 2023 federal report identified as being either mature or old growth exceeds other recent estimates.' |
|
| 'Given how little ______ there is among scientists regarding the scope of these categories,' |
|
| 'this discrepancy shouldn't be surprising:' |
|
| 'forest researchers regularly dispute one another's classifications.' |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Varying estimates of US forest land shouldn't surprise us because forest researchers regularly disagree about how to classify forests.
Argument Flow: The passage notes a discrepancy between forest estimates, then argues this discrepancy is expected given that forest scientists regularly dispute each other's classification 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
- The blank needs to explain why the discrepancy 'shouldn't be surprising.'
- The evidence that follows tells us that 'forest researchers regularly dispute one another's classifications.'
- So the blank should indicate that there's little agreement or harmony among scientists about forest categories.
- The logical relationship is: Because there's little agreement among scientists, the discrepancy makes sense because they regularly dispute classifications.
- So the right answer should indicate a lack of agreement or shared understanding among scientists about forest classifications.
deliberation
deliberation
✗ Incorrect
- Deliberation means careful consideration or discussion
- This doesn't fit the logic - having little deliberation wouldn't explain why estimates differ
- The problem isn't that scientists aren't thinking carefully, it's that they disagree
vigilance
vigilance
✗ Incorrect
- Vigilance means being watchful or alert
- Little vigilance wouldn't logically explain varying estimates
- Doesn't connect to the idea that researchers 'dispute one another's classifications'
interest
interest
✗ Incorrect
- Little interest among scientists wouldn't explain discrepancies in their reports
- If scientists weren't interested, they wouldn't be producing competing estimates
consensus
consensus
✓ Correct
- Consensus means agreement among a group
- 'Little consensus among scientists' perfectly explains why estimates vary
- Directly connects to researchers 'regularly disputing one another's classifications'
- Creates clear logical flow: little agreement leads to discrepancy expected because they dispute classifications