When Marcus Thompson noticed that many elderly residents in his town lacked basic computer skills, he launched the Digital Bridge...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
When Marcus Thompson noticed that many elderly residents in his town lacked basic computer skills, he launched the Digital Bridge Initiative in 2020. Thompson designed the program to help older adults develop essential technology skills and connect with family members online. The initiative offers weekly sessions where participants learn to use video calling applications.
According to the text, what is one goal of the Digital Bridge Initiative?
To sell computers and devices to elderly residents
To create employment opportunities in technology
To help older adults develop essential technology skills
To research the effects of technology on aging
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "When Marcus Thompson noticed that many elderly residents in his town lacked basic computer skills," |
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| "he launched the Digital Bridge Initiative in 2020." |
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| "Thompson designed the program to help older adults develop essential technology skills and connect with family members online." |
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| "The initiative offers weekly sessions where participants learn to use video calling applications." |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Marcus Thompson created the Digital Bridge Initiative to address elderly residents' lack of computer skills by teaching them essential technology.
Argument Flow: The passage follows a simple problem-solution structure, starting with Thompson identifying a need in his community, then describing his program's goals and methods for addressing that need.
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
- From our analysis, we can see that Thompson designed his program with specific goals in mind
- The passage explicitly states the program was created "to help older adults develop essential technology skills and connect with family members online"
- So the right answer should mention either developing technology skills or connecting families online—both are clearly stated objectives of the initiative
- The right answer should identify one of these explicitly mentioned program goals
To sell computers and devices to elderly residents
- Claims the goal is selling computers to elderly residents
- Nothing in the passage mentions selling, purchasing, or providing devices
- The program focuses on teaching skills, not distributing equipment
To create employment opportunities in technology
- Suggests creating technology employment opportunities
- The passage describes teaching participants, not preparing them for jobs
- Students might confuse "developing skills" with "job training," but the passage focuses on personal/family use
To help older adults develop essential technology skills
- States the goal is helping older adults develop essential technology skills
- This matches exactly what we found in our analysis: "Thompson designed the program to help older adults develop essential technology skills"
- Directly addresses the problem Thompson identified
To research the effects of technology on aging
- Claims the goal is researching technology's effects on aging
- The passage describes a teaching program, not a research study
- No mention of data collection, analysis, or scientific investigation