Text 1Urban development specialist Maria Santos has established her professional standing through extensive infrastructure initiatives that integrate ...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Urban development specialist Maria Santos has established her professional standing through extensive infrastructure initiatives that integrate transit systems, utility networks, and residential construction in coordinated approaches. Although Santos has engaged in smaller community-centered projects, her professional accomplishments are most prominently exhibited through these comprehensive infrastructure endeavors that reshape complete metropolitan areas.
Text 2
Academic policy analysts frequently neglect the extensive community enhancement initiatives Maria Santos has executed. Santos continuously creates these focused programs as part of her sustained urban development practice. While she receives acknowledgment for her substantial infrastructure undertakings, Santos reliably obtains financial support through developing specialized programs targeting particular community requirements. Consequently, these community enhancement initiatives constitute an essential element of her professional practice in urban development.
According to these passages, both writers would most likely support which assertion?
Santos's methodologies in urban development include various scales and categories of initiatives.
Community enhancement programs have emerged as Santos's distinctive professional contribution.
Comprehensive infrastructure development reflects a temporary phenomenon in urban planning.
Santos's substantial infrastructure initiatives diminish attention to her community-centered efforts.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
Text 1:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Urban development specialist Maria Santos has established her professional standing through extensive infrastructure initiatives that integrate transit systems, utility networks, and residential construction in coordinated approaches.' |
|
| 'Although Santos has engaged in smaller community-centered projects,' |
|
| 'her professional accomplishments are most prominently exhibited through these comprehensive infrastructure endeavors that reshape complete metropolitan areas.' |
|
Text 2:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Academic policy analysts frequently neglect the extensive community enhancement initiatives Maria Santos has executed.' |
|
| 'Santos continuously creates these focused programs as part of her sustained urban development practice.' |
|
| 'While she receives acknowledgment for her substantial infrastructure undertakings,' |
|
| 'Santos reliably obtains financial support through developing specialized programs targeting particular community requirements.' |
|
| 'Consequently, these community enhancement initiatives constitute an essential element of her professional practice in urban development.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
Text 1: [Santos's professional identity through infrastructure] Primary: Comprehensive infrastructure projects Secondary: Small community projects (acknowledged but minimized)
Text 2: [Overlooked importance of Santos's community work] Problem: Community work gets neglected Evidence: Continuous community programs + financial support Conclusion: Community work is essential to her practice
Main Point: The two texts present different perspectives on Maria Santos's urban development work—Text 1 emphasizes her infrastructure achievements while acknowledging community work, while Text 2 argues that her community initiatives are essential and underappreciated.
Argument Flow: Text 1 establishes Santos primarily as an infrastructure specialist who also does community work. Text 2 counters by arguing that Santos's community work is actually essential to her practice and deserves more recognition, though it acknowledges she's known for infrastructure work.
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
- Both texts acknowledge that Santos does multiple types of work
- Text 1 says she does 'extensive infrastructure initiatives' but 'has engaged in smaller community-centered projects'
- Text 2 says she 'receives acknowledgment for her substantial infrastructure undertakings' while also continuously creating 'focused programs' and 'specialized programs targeting particular community requirements'
- Both authors agree that Santos works on different scales (comprehensive infrastructure vs. smaller community projects) and different categories (infrastructure vs. community enhancement)
- They disagree about which is more important, but they both acknowledge she does both types of work
- The right answer should acknowledge that Santos's work includes multiple scales and types of urban development initiatives
Santos's methodologies in urban development include various scales and categories of initiatives.
- Both texts explicitly acknowledge that Santos works on different scales (comprehensive infrastructure vs. smaller/focused community projects) and categories (infrastructure vs. community enhancement)
- Text 1 mentions both 'extensive infrastructure initiatives' and 'smaller community-centered projects'
- Text 2 discusses both 'substantial infrastructure undertakings' and 'community enhancement initiatives'
- This matches our prethinking perfectly—both authors would agree Santos uses various approaches
Community enhancement programs have emerged as Santos's distinctive professional contribution.
- Text 1 would not support this since it emphasizes infrastructure as Santos's primary contribution
- Only Text 2 argues that community programs are distinctive/essential
- What trap this represents: Students might choose this because Text 2 strongly advocates for community programs, but they need to find what BOTH texts support
Comprehensive infrastructure development reflects a temporary phenomenon in urban planning.
- Neither text suggests infrastructure development is temporary
- Text 1 treats infrastructure work as ongoing and significant
- Text 2 acknowledges infrastructure work as substantial, not temporary
Santos's substantial infrastructure initiatives diminish attention to her community-centered efforts.
- Only Text 2 supports this idea (that infrastructure work overshadows community efforts)
- Text 1 doesn't suggest infrastructure work diminishes attention to community work—it simply emphasizes infrastructure as more prominent
- What trap this represents: Students might select this because Text 2 does suggest this relationship, forgetting they need something both texts support