When investigating community response to environmental threats, researchers noted that ______ public awareness campaigns focusing on positive messagin...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
When investigating community response to environmental threats, researchers noted that ______ public awareness campaigns focusing on positive messaging and voluntary participation tend to generate broader support than confrontational approaches that emphasize penalties and mandatory compliance.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
expensive
ineffective
collaborative
recent
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "When investigating community response to environmental threats, researchers noted that" | What it says: Researchers studying community reactions to env. threats found... What it does: Sets up context for research findings What it is: Research context |
| "[MISSING WORD]" | What it is: Missing logical descriptor |
| "public awareness campaigns focusing on positive messaging and voluntary participation tend to generate broader support" | What it says: positive messaging plus voluntary participation leads to more support What it does: Presents first type of campaign and its effect What it is: Main finding (campaign type 1) |
| "than confrontational approaches that emphasize penalties and mandatory compliance" | What it says: Confrontational equals penalties plus forced compliance What it does: Contrasts with the positive approach just described What it is: Comparison point (campaign type 2) |
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Research shows that certain types of public awareness campaigns focusing on positive messaging and voluntary participation are more effective at gaining public support than confrontational, penalty-based approaches.
Argument Flow: The passage presents research findings about community responses to environmental campaigns. It sets up a comparison between two approaches—one involving positive messaging and voluntary participation (which generates broader support) versus confrontational approaches with penalties and mandatory compliance (which are less effective).
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
- Based on our analysis, the missing word needs to describe campaigns that use "positive messaging and voluntary participation"
- The key insight is that these campaigns are being contrasted with "confrontational approaches"
- So we need a word that reflects the positive, non-confrontational nature, aligns with "voluntary participation", and makes logical sense as a descriptor for this type of campaign approach
- The word should emphasize the cooperative, non-mandatory nature of these campaigns since they're being contrasted with approaches that "emphasize penalties and mandatory compliance"
expensive
- This focuses on cost, which has nothing to do with the logical comparison being made
- The passage isn't about budget differences between campaign types—it's about approach and effectiveness
- Doesn't connect to the voluntary vs. mandatory contrast
ineffective
- This directly contradicts the passage, which states these campaigns "generate broader support"
- Would make the sentence illogical since effective campaigns can't be described as ineffective
collaborative
- Perfectly captures the essence of "voluntary participation"—people working together willingly
- Creates a logical contrast with "confrontational approaches" and "mandatory compliance"
- Aligns with "positive messaging" since collaboration implies working together positively
recent
- Timing is irrelevant to the comparison being made about approach and effectiveness
- Doesn't connect to the voluntary vs. mandatory contrast that drives the sentence logic