To perform a quad axel, a figure skater must leap into the air and complete four and a half rotations...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
To perform a quad axel, a figure skater must leap into the air and complete four and a half rotations before landing, an extreme feat. ______ in 2022, when 17-year-old Ilia Malinin landed the first quad axel—considered the most difficult quad jump—in a high-level competition, the audience was left awestruck.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Moreover,
Fittingly,
Next,
However,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "To perform a quad axel, a figure skater must leap into the air and complete four and a half rotations before landing, an extreme feat." |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| "in 2022, when 17-year-old Ilia Malinin landed the first quad axel—considered the most difficult quad jump—in a high-level competition, the audience was left awestruck." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The quad axel is an extremely difficult figure skating jump, as demonstrated when Ilia Malinin became the first to land one in competition, leaving audiences amazed.
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 first sentence establishes that the quad axel is an "extreme feat" requiring incredible skill
- The second sentence gives us a specific example of someone actually achieving this difficult jump, and notes that the audience was "awestruck"
- The transition needs to connect these ideas logically
- We're moving from the general difficulty to a specific successful example
- The connector should suggest that the audience's reaction was appropriate or expected given how difficult the feat is
Moreover,
✗ Incorrect
- "Moreover" adds additional information in the same direction
- This doesn't capture the logical relationship between difficulty and the appropriate reaction to achievement
Fittingly,
✓ Correct
- "Fittingly" indicates that something is appropriate or as expected
- This perfectly captures how the audience's awestruck reaction was fitting given the extreme difficulty just described
Next,
✗ Incorrect
- "Next" indicates chronological sequence or steps in a process
- The passage isn't presenting events in chronological order or listing steps
However,
✗ Incorrect
- "However" signals contrast or contradiction
- There's no contradiction here—both sentences work together to show the quad axel's difficulty and the appropriate reaction to achieving it