Urban sprawl has created significant challenges for American cities, as residential and commercial development spreads outward into previously undevel...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Urban sprawl has created significant challenges for American cities, as residential and commercial development spreads outward into previously undeveloped areas. Transportation planners have responded to these challenges with various strategies aimed at promoting more sustainable growth patterns. Some cities have invested heavily in public transit systems to reduce car dependency, while others have implemented strict zoning regulations to limit outward expansion. Recent studies suggest that cities combining multiple approaches—transit investment, zoning reform, and mixed-use development incentives—have been most successful in managing sprawl-related problems.
Which choice best describes the function of the first sentence in the text as a whole?
It defines a solution that is implemented in the text.
It establishes a context that is expanded in the text.
It identifies a problem that is addressed in the text.
It makes a prediction that is tested in the text.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Urban sprawl has created significant challenges for American cities, as residential and commercial development spreads outward into previously undeveloped areas.' |
|
| 'Transportation planners have responded to these challenges with various strategies aimed at promoting more sustainable growth patterns.' |
|
| 'Some cities have invested heavily in public transit systems to reduce car dependency, while others have implemented strict zoning regulations to limit outward expansion.' |
|
| 'Recent studies suggest that cities combining multiple approaches have been most successful in managing sprawl-related problems.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Transportation planners have developed various strategies to address urban sprawl challenges, with research showing that combining multiple approaches yields the best results.
Argument Flow: The passage starts by identifying urban sprawl as a significant problem for American cities, then explains how transportation planners have responded with different strategies, provides specific examples of these strategies, and concludes with research showing that cities using multiple approaches together have been most successful.
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, the first sentence tells us that urban sprawl has created significant challenges for American cities
- Everything that follows in the passage is about how transportation planners are dealing with these challenges through various strategies
- So the first sentence introduces the central problem that drives the entire discussion
- The right answer should recognize that the first sentence identifies a problem that the rest of the passage then addresses through various solutions and approaches
It defines a solution that is implemented in the text.
- This says the first sentence defines a solution
- But we can see from our analysis that it identifies urban sprawl as creating challenges
- The solutions come later when we learn about transportation planning strategies
It establishes a context that is expanded in the text.
- While the sentence does establish context, this choice is too general
- The sentence does more than just provide background - it specifically identifies the central problem
It identifies a problem that is addressed in the text.
- This perfectly matches our analysis - the first sentence identifies urban sprawl creating challenges (the problem)
- The rest of the passage addresses this problem through planning strategies, examples, and research findings
It makes a prediction that is tested in the text.
- The first sentence states a current reality about urban sprawl, not a prediction about the future
- There's no testing happening in the passage - instead there's explanation of responses and research findings