Volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists have become essential contributors to wildlife research in Yellowstone National Park. During their hiking...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists have become essential contributors to wildlife research in Yellowstone National Park. During their hiking expeditions, these dedicated individuals document wolf pack behaviors and territorial movements that would be impossible for park staff to monitor comprehensively. The restoration program successfully _______ these community volunteers, transforming recreational hikers into valuable data collectors for conservation science.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
ignored
enlisted
avoided
questioned
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists have become essential contributors to wildlife research in Yellowstone National Park." |
|
| "During their hiking expeditions, these dedicated individuals document wolf pack behaviors and territorial movements that would be impossible for park staff to monitor comprehensively." |
|
| "The restoration program successfully _______" |
|
| "these community volunteers, transforming recreational hikers into valuable data collectors for conservation science." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Volunteer naturalists have become essential wildlife researchers in Yellowstone through a program that successfully transformed recreational hikers into scientific data collectors.
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 right answer should describe what the restoration program did with the volunteers to transform them from recreational hikers into data collectors
- The logical relationship here is that the program took action to engage or recruit these volunteers for this scientific purpose
ignored
✗ Incorrect
- "Ignored" means to deliberately pay no attention to something
- This contradicts the entire passage - you cannot ignore volunteers and simultaneously transform them into data collectors
enlisted
✓ Correct
- "Enlisted" means to recruit someone's help or support for a cause
- This perfectly matches our prethinking - the program recruited volunteers to help with research
avoided
✗ Incorrect
- "Avoided" means to stay away from or prevent something from happening
- Like "ignored," this makes the transformation impossible
questioned
✗ Incorrect
- "Questioned" means to ask about or express doubt
- While programs might question volunteers, this does not lead to transformation