Traditional cheese makers begin the preservation process by heating fresh milk to exactly the right temperature. After adding bacterial cultures,...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
Traditional cheese makers begin the preservation process by heating fresh milk to exactly the right temperature. After adding bacterial cultures, they allow the mixture to curdle slowly over many hours. The resulting curds are then pressed and aged in cool, humid caves for months or even years to develop complex flavors. _____ some artisan cheese makers remove certain varieties after just a few weeks, when the cheese has achieved a mild, fresh taste that many customers prefer.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
However,
Eventually,
Likewise,
In particular,
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Traditional cheese makers begin the preservation process by heating fresh milk to exactly the right temperature.' |
|
| 'After adding bacterial cultures, they allow the mixture to curdle slowly over many hours.' |
|
| 'The resulting curds are then pressed and aged in cool, humid caves for months or even years to develop complex flavors.' |
|
| [MISSING TRANSITION] |
|
| 'some artisan cheese makers remove certain varieties after just a few weeks, when the cheese has achieved a mild, fresh taste that many customers prefer.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Traditional cheese-making involves lengthy aging for complex flavors, but some artisan makers use shorter aging for milder tastes.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the traditional method of long-term aging to develop complex flavors, then presents an alternative approach where some makers prefer shorter aging periods for different flavor profiles.
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 a clear setup: traditional cheese makers age cheese for months or years to develop complex flavors
- Then after the blank, we learn that some artisan cheese makers remove varieties after just a few weeks for mild, fresh taste
- This creates a direct contrast between long aging for complex flavors versus short aging for mild flavors
- The logical connector needs to signal this contrast between the traditional lengthy process and the alternative shorter approach
However,
- Creates the perfect contrast between long aging for complex flavors vs. short aging for mild flavors
- Signals the shift from the traditional lengthy method to the alternative quick method
- Matches our prethinking by showing opposition between two different approaches
Eventually,
- Suggests a time sequence, implying the artisan approach happens after traditional aging
- Does not capture the contrast between two different philosophies of cheese-making
- Creates false cause-and-effect relationship
Likewise,
- Indicates similarity, suggesting both methods are the same
- Contradicts the clear difference between months/years of aging vs. weeks of aging
- Students might focus on both being cheese-making methods and miss the opposite approaches
In particular,
- Suggests the second sentence is a specific example of the first
- Implies artisan makers follow the traditional method when they actually do something different
- Does not acknowledge the contrast between complex vs. mild flavors