Klaus: Closing our neighborhood's school will mean a major hassle for neighborhood families. Students will have to travel farther to...
GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions
Klaus: Closing our neighborhood's school will mean a major hassle for neighborhood families. Students will have to travel farther to and from school, which means they'll have less time for homework. That will likely affect them academically. Additionally, a vacant school building in our neighborhood is sure to attract crime and drag down home values.
Rena: Our neighborhood's school never had a great reputation anyway. Closing it means students will get to go to a larger school—with a better reputation—just a few kilometers away, where they'll have more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. That should make homes here more valuable to potential buyers. And the vacant school building could be converted into a much-needed community center.
Select Klaus for the phrase that best describes a factor that is specifically addressed by Klaus but not by Rena, and select Rena for the phrase that best describes a factor that is specifically addressed by Rena but not by Klaus. Make only two selections, one in each column.
Phase 1: Owning the Dataset
First, Create an Argument Analysis Table
| Passage Statement | Analysis & Implications |
|---|---|
| Klaus: "Students will have to travel farther to and from school, which means they'll have less time for homework" |
|
| Klaus: "That will likely affect them academically" |
|
| Klaus: "a vacant school building in our neighborhood is sure to attract crime and drag down home values" |
|
| Rena: "students will get to go to a larger school—with a better reputation—just a few kilometers away" |
|
| Rena: "they'll have more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities" |
|
| Rena: "That should make homes here more valuable to potential buyers" |
|
| Rena: "the vacant school building could be converted into a much-needed community center" |
|
Second, Identify Key Patterns
Klaus's Focus Areas:
- Travel distance as a hardship
- Academic performance concerns
- Negative impacts on neighborhood (crime, property values)
Rena's Focus Areas:
- School quality improvement
- Extracurricular opportunities
- Positive impacts on neighborhood (property values, community center)
Shared Topics (Different Views):
- The vacant building (Klaus: crime magnet, Rena: community center)
- Real estate values (Klaus: will decrease, Rena: will increase)
Unique to Each Speaker:
- Klaus only: Academic performance, travel distance as a problem
- Rena only: Extracurricular activities
Phase 2: Question Analysis & Prethinking
First, Understand What Each Part Asks
The question asks us to:
- Part 1 (Klaus column): Find what Klaus specifically addresses that Rena does NOT address
- Part 2 (Rena column): Find what Rena specifically addresses that Klaus does NOT address
- Relationship: We need two complementary answers showing each speaker's unique concerns
Second, Generate Valid Inferences (Prethinking)
Based on our analysis:
- For Klaus column: Either "Students' academic performance" or "The distance students must travel to school" would work, as Klaus specifically addresses these concerns while Rena doesn't
- For Rena column: "Extracurricular activities" is the only factor Rena addresses that Klaus doesn't mention at all
Phase 3: Answer Choice Evaluation
Let's evaluate each option:
"The vacant school building"
- What it claims: The empty school building as a factor
- Fact Support: Both speakers address this (Klaus: crime concern, Rena: community center opportunity)
- Logical Validity: Not unique to either speaker
- Part Suitability: Neither part
"The distance students must travel to school"
- What it claims: Travel distance as a concern
- Fact Support: Klaus emphasizes this as a "major hassle" affecting homework time; Rena mentions "a few kilometers" but doesn't treat it as a problem
- Logical Validity: Klaus specifically addresses distance as a negative factor
- Part Suitability: Could work for Klaus column
"Extracurricular activities"
- What it claims: After-school activity opportunities
- Fact Support: Only Rena mentions "more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities"
- Logical Validity: Uniquely addressed by Rena
- Part Suitability: Perfect for Rena column
"Real-estate values"
- What it claims: Home/property values
- Fact Support: Both discuss this (Klaus: will decrease, Rena: will increase)
- Logical Validity: Not unique to either speaker
- Part Suitability: Neither part
"Students' academic performance"
- What it claims: Educational outcomes
- Fact Support: Only Klaus mentions this ("That will likely affect them academically")
- Logical Validity: Uniquely addressed by Klaus
- Part Suitability: Could work for Klaus column
Answer Selection Process
- For Rena column: "Extracurricular activities" is the clear choice - it's the only factor that Rena addresses and Klaus doesn't
- For Klaus column: We have two viable options:
- "The distance students must travel to school"
- "Students' academic performance"
Since Rena does acknowledge distance exists ("a few kilometers away"), even though she doesn't treat it as a concern, "Students' academic performance" is the cleaner choice. Klaus explicitly addresses academic impact while Rena never mentions academics at all.
Final Answer Verification
- Klaus: "Students' academic performance" ✓ (Only Klaus discusses academic effects)
- Rena: "Extracurricular activities" ✓ (Only Rena mentions extracurricular opportunities)
Both selections represent factors uniquely addressed by each speaker, fulfilling the question's requirements perfectly.