The technology company's initial product launch strategy emphasized premium pricing and exclusive distribution. When sales remained sluggish after the...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
The technology company's initial product launch strategy emphasized premium pricing and exclusive distribution. When sales remained sluggish after the first quarter, executives worried that their high-end approach was limiting market penetration. _____ they maintained their premium positioning, believing that lowering prices would damage the brand's prestige.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
As a result,
For instance,
Nevertheless,
Therefore,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The technology company's initial product launch strategy emphasized premium pricing and exclusive distribution." |
|
| "When sales remained sluggish after the first quarter, executives worried that their high-end approach was limiting market penetration." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "they maintained their premium positioning, believing that lowering prices would damage the brand's prestige." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Despite concerns about sluggish sales potentially limiting market reach, the technology company chose to stick with their premium pricing strategy.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the company's premium strategy, then reveals the problem of poor sales and executive concerns, and concludes with the company's decision to maintain their approach despite these worries.
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
- Looking at our analysis, we have a clear contrast situation
- The executives were worried about their premium approach limiting sales, but then they maintained that exact same premium positioning anyway
- The right connector needs to show this contrast between their concerns and their actual decision
As a result,
✗ Incorrect - Creates cause-and-effect relationship suggesting they maintained premium positioning BECAUSE they were worried, which is backwards logic
For instance,
✗ Incorrect - Signals an example is coming, which doesn't make logical sense in this context
Nevertheless,
✓ Correct - Creates the perfect contrast relationship showing that despite their concerns about limiting market reach, they stuck with premium pricing anyway
Therefore,
✗ Incorrect - Creates illogical cause-and-effect suggesting worry led to maintaining strategy when worry should logically lead to changing it