With the ongoing expansion of e-commerce, consumers are expecting faster and faster delivery of goods, but delivery companies continue to...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
With the ongoing expansion of e-commerce, consumers are expecting faster and faster delivery of goods, but delivery companies continue to struggle with last-mile logistics (the final step in delivery to consumers) due to challenges such as complex and inefficient delivery routes. Innovations to mitigate these challenges have been emerging—the use of aerial drones, for example—but these innovations tend to engender their own complications (e.g., regulations on the use of drones in residential airspace), leading researchers to conclude that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| With the ongoing expansion of e-commerce, consumers are expecting faster and faster delivery of goods, |
|
| but delivery companies continue to struggle with last-mile logistics (the final step in delivery to consumers) due to challenges such as complex and inefficient delivery routes. |
|
| Innovations to mitigate these challenges have been emerging—the use of aerial drones, for example— |
|
| but these innovations tend to engender their own complications (e.g., regulations on the use of drones in residential airspace), |
|
| leading researchers to conclude that ______ |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The cycle of rising consumer expectations, delivery challenges, and problematic solutions leads to a broader realization about the feasibility of meeting delivery demands.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a pattern where each attempt to solve delivery problems creates new complications. It starts with consumer demand driving expectations, shows how companies struggle to meet them, explains that innovations arise but generate their own issues, and builds toward a conclusion about this problematic cycle.
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 passage shows a clear pattern: consumers want faster delivery, companies struggle to provide it, innovations help but create new complications
- This creates a cycle where every solution generates fresh obstacles
- The researchers would likely conclude something about this problematic pattern - perhaps that consumer expectations are becoming unrealistic given the practical challenges, or that the goal itself may be unattainable
- The right answer should acknowledge this mismatch between what consumers want and what companies can realistically deliver, especially given that solutions keep creating new problems
- Captures the core issue: expectations vs. practical limitations
- Follows logically from the pattern shown - each solution creates new problems
- Outstripping what is viable perfectly describes the gap between consumer wants and company capabilities
- Matches our prethinking about unrealistic expectations
- Focuses on understanding expectations and planning for volume
- Misses the main point about solutions creating complications
- The passage isn't about delivery volume fluctuations - it's about the fundamental challenge of speed
- Suggests investing more resources in speed
- Directly contradicts the passage's message about innovations creating problems
- If innovations cause complications, more investment would likely mean more complications
- Claims there's insufficient incentive for companies to solve logistics problems
- The passage shows companies ARE trying (innovations emerging)
- Misreads the situation - companies are attempting solutions, but those solutions backfire