Traditional bread-making relies on naturally occurring wild yeasts to create the distinctive tangy flavor of sourdough. Wild yeasts present in...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Traditional bread-making relies on naturally occurring wild yeasts to create the distinctive tangy flavor of sourdough. Wild yeasts present in flour and the environment colonize the dough mixture, establishing a complex ecosystem of beneficial microorganisms.
_____ the fermentation process produces lactic acid and acetic acid, which give sourdough its characteristic taste and improved digestibility.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Similarly,
Consequently,
Meanwhile,
However,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Traditional bread-making relies on naturally occurring wild yeasts to create the distinctive tangy flavor of sourdough." |
|
| "Wild yeasts present in flour and the environment colonize the dough mixture, establishing a complex ecosystem of beneficial microorganisms." |
|
| "[MISSING TRANSITION]" |
|
| "the fermentation process produces lactic acid and acetic acid, which give sourdough its characteristic taste and improved digestibility." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Traditional sourdough bread-making depends on wild yeasts that establish a microorganism ecosystem, which through fermentation creates the acids responsible for sourdough's distinctive taste and digestibility.
Argument Flow: The passage moves from general background about sourdough's reliance on wild yeasts, to the specific colonization process that creates a microorganism ecosystem, to the fermentation results that produce sourdough's characteristic properties.
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 passage analysis, we have wild yeasts colonizing dough and establishing a complex ecosystem, followed by the fermentation process producing acids
- We need a transition that shows the relationship between these two ideas
- The colonization and ecosystem establishment seems to lead to or enable the fermentation process - it's a cause-and-effect relationship
- The ecosystem of microorganisms is what makes the fermentation happen
- So the right answer should show that the fermentation process is a result or consequence of the ecosystem being established
Similarly,
Similarly,
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrect - suggests a comparison or parallel situation
- But we're not comparing the fermentation to the ecosystem establishment - we're showing that one leads to the other
- This would make it sound like fermentation is just another example rather than the result
Consequently,
Consequently,
✓ Correct
- Shows cause and effect, exactly what we need
- The ecosystem establishment (cause) leads to the fermentation process (effect)
- Matches our prethinking perfectly - the fermentation happens as a result of the microorganism ecosystem
Meanwhile,
Meanwhile,
✗ Incorrect
- Indicates simultaneous actions happening at the same time
- But fermentation doesn't happen at the same time as colonization - it happens because of it
- This misrepresents the chronological and causal relationship
However,
However,
✗ Incorrect
- Signals contrast or contradiction
- There's no contrast here - the fermentation process is consistent with and enabled by the ecosystem
- Trap: Students might think this contrasts complex ecosystem with simple acids, but the relationship is actually supportive