Sectional Tests: Verbal - 5 - GMAT MCQ

A detail question; evaluate it carefully. What is a resurgence? It‘s a rise to previous levels; if it were just a rise, it would be a surge, but not a re-surgence. Only the United States has enough data in the passage to infer a resurgence from: the author says at the end of ¶2 that ―the rate of growth in labor productivity returned to the pre-1970 rate of increase.‖ While other nations are mentioned, their previous levels aren‘t mentioned. Therefore, RN I must fit, while the other ones don‘t. (A) fits.
(A): The correct answer
(B): Opposite. As described above.
(C): Opposite. As above.
(D): Opposite. As above.
(E): Opposite. As above.

Review the topic and scope of the passage: the author is concerned with information technology‘s role in boosting American productivity in the recent past. Look for an answer choice that sticks as closely as possible to topic and scope. (B) does this: It‘s reasonable to guess that the author would continue the paragraph by talking about the next stage of these trends in the same topic and scope: information technology and its effect on productivity.
(A): Out of Scope. The author discusses the 1970s in ¶3, but only as background to discuss the current productivity spurt. It‘s more reasonable to think that the author will continue by talking about the future trajectory of the productivity gains.
(B): The correct answer(C): Out of Scope. The author doesn‘t mention any other possible causes for the increase in productivity and believes that information technology is the primary cause, and so it‘s unlikely that there would be a drastic shift that discussed other causes.
(D): Out of Scope. The author only discusses other countries to shed light on American productivity gains. Going into greater depth regarding other countries would veer out of scope.
(E): Out of Scope. Prediction for the next five years does not follow from the information in the passage

An evaluation question: Predict by reviewing your map of ¶2. The author‘s main intent is to define productivity growth, and to suggest that the investment in information technology should have led to a growth in productivity. (D) most closely describes the author‘s purpose of providing a possible explanation, and suggests that the explanation is given with the intent of following it up with further evidence, which the author does in fact provide in ¶4.
(A): Faulty Use of Detail. Though (A) might be tempting because the author does define productivity and identify the factors that can affect its growth, this choice neglects the second half of the paragraph, which provides an explanation for a growth in productivity.
(B): Distortion. The author describes a correlation between investment and productivity, but doesn‘t describe peaks in either.
(C): Distortion. As above, while the author proposes a broad correlation between investment and productivity, there‘s no specific discussion of how much investment is required for a certain amount of productivity.
(D): The correct answer
(E): Opposite as explained above

The author states that the Tokugawa period in Japan was a model for patterns of organization, and writes, as psychologists, social historians, and Biblical prophets have all observed, in varying ways, humans inevitably fail to anticipate unintended consequences. This certainly qualifies as a “common failing.”
(A) is incorrect, as Iceland is only mentioned briefly as an analogy.
(B) is wrong both because the author does not express a point of view and because the issue is the result rather than the imposition of a fixed order.
(C) addresses a very minor detail, not the purpose.
(E) is a comparison that the passage does not address and therefore cannot be inferred.

To provide further support for the main reason cited for the decline of the Tokugawa period, consider the following points:

• Social Mobility: A samurai becoming a successful merchant illustrates a shift in traditional roles, indicating a decline in the rigid class structure.
• Economic Changes: The rise of merchant wealth suggests that economic power was moving away from the samurai class.
• Role Reversal: If samurai had to take on roles such as bodyguards for artisans, it indicates a loss of status and traditional power.

The passage primarily aims to:

• Summarise Morris' insights on the role of photographs in reflecting reality.
• Argue that photographs can embody elements of both reality and fantasy.
• Examine challenges to the constructivist perspective on photography.
• Explore the nuances behind iconic documentary photographs.
• Reveal issues related to the manipulation of photographic evidence.

The author refers to Susan Sontag mainly to:

• Support Fenton’s analysis of Crimean photography.
• Corroborate Morris's views on Fenton's responsibility.
• Investigate controversies surrounding Fenton's famous image.
• Provide an additional example of photo-journalism.
• Suggest her expertise in Fenton's work.

Morris’ perspective on the Abu Ghraib crimes can be summarised as follows:

• The photographs function as both a revelation of misconduct and a potential distraction from broader accountability.
• They illustrate the extent of abuse that goes beyond established military procedures.
• The images implicate individuals at various levels of the command structure.
• Ultimately, they serve as a documented evidence of criminal actions that demand scrutiny.

The author presents several points throughout the passage. In paragraph 4, the main focus is on:

• Offering a more nuanced understanding of tyranny compared to the simplistic view in Republic.
• Examining the connection between the content of Platonic dialogues and their chronological order.
• Critiquing Giovannini's findings, suggesting they are based more on imagination than reality.
• Evaluating Giovannini's argument regarding the Platonic idea of tyranny.
• Gently critiquing Giovannini's conclusions while also showing some support.

Giovannini's perspective on tyrannical regimes in Lysis suggests:

• They often serve the brutal desires of the tyrant.
• They tend to conflict with the idea of a political community.
• They emerge from a significant imbalance between ruler and ruled.
• They do not foster strength or self-reliance in the populace.
• They are seen as anomalies compared to generally benevolent regimes.

If it were revealed that Plato sometimes refrained from disclosing complex or contradictory ideas in his dialogues to avoid confusing his audience, this information would have specific implications:

• It would challenge Giovannini's claim that the Platonic tyrant is a paradoxical figure.
• It would support the assertion that the Republic presents a reasonable yet incomplete view of Plato's understanding of the tyrannical character.
• It would undermine the author's key critique of Giovannini's research.
• It would diminish the author's evaluation of Giovannini's work as both ingenious and provocative.
• It may not affect the claims made in the passage.

To weaken the argument that product liability suits have not significantly increased costs for U.S. businesses, consider the following points:

• If the number of unsuccessful suits has greatly increased, businesses may be facing higher legal costs.
• Recent large awards in product liability cases could indicate a trend towards higher damages, challenging the claim that awards have only kept pace with inflation.
• The growth of the consumer movement may lead to more individuals pursuing legal action for product issues, potentially increasing the number of suits.
• Since lawyers often work on a contingency basis, they may be incentivised to pursue larger awards, impacting overall costs.
• Emotional factors influencing juries could result in higher damage awards, further straining business finances.

Mark interprets Ronald’s statement to suggest that:

• Housing prices will only rise if interest rates decline.
• He believes that a drop in interest rates does not guarantee an increase in housing prices.
• Past experience shows that prices did not rise when interest rates fell significantly a year ago.

This indicates Mark's view that there are other factors influencing housing prices beyond just interest rates.

To weaken the argument that education spending is sufficient, consider the following points:

• The claim of a 30 percent increase in spending does not reflect the effectiveness of that spending.
• If per-pupil expenditure has decreased when adjusted for inflation, it raises concerns about the real value of spending.
• Declining enrolment in schools suggests that increased funding may not be addressing the needs of all students.
• Comparative spending to other nations indicates that despite increased funding, we may still be lagging in education quality.
• Persistent declines in student achievement highlight that more money alone does not guarantee better educational outcomes.

The U.S. census is not perfect: thousands of Americans probably go uncounted. However, the basic statistical portrait of the nation painted by the census is accurate. Certainly some of the poor go uncounted, particularly the homeless; but some of the rich go uncounted as well, because they are often abroad or traveling between one residence and another.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument above depends?
Conclusion: Basic stat portrait of census is accurate
Premise: Some poor uncounted, but also some rich
Assumption: The uncounted rich and poor are roughly equal. Rich and poor are emblematic of the portrait of other groups.
Notice I was able to come up with a couple of assumptions here. This is a pretty bad argument, so there might even be more. It's always helpful to think ahead as much as possible. I wrote both of these before looking at the answer choices, so I have an idea of what I'm looking for.
(A) Both the rich and the poor have personal and economic reasons to avoid being counted by the census.
PROBLEM: We don't care why people avoid the census, only how many of them do.
(B) All Americans may reasonably be classified as either poor or rich.
PROBLEM: This relates to my second assumption, but the language goes too far. We don't need all Americans to be classifiable as poor or rich, because even if there were Americans who could not be classified as poor or rich, the argument would not fall apart. It would become a little muddy (what about those middle class folks?), but we wouldn't have definitive proof that the census was bad.
(C) The percentage of poor Americans uncounted by the census is close to the percentage of rich Americans uncounted.
ANSWER: This relates to my first assumption, and is tough to figure out, so it helps to actually take apart the math a bit. Let's imagine that there are 100 people in the country, but we only end up counting 80. If 50 poor, 50 rich is reality and 50 poor and 30 rich are actually counted, we'd have missed 66% of the rich and 0% of the poor, and now our count doesn't provide an accurate portrait of the break down in America (which should have been 50/50, but is no 5/8ths versus 3/8ths). On the flip side, if we miss 10 poor and 10 rich (The same percentage of 50), our breakdown of the country's statistics is still accurate (40 and 40 out of 80, versus 50 and 50 out of 100), even though the hard numbers are wrong.
(D) The number of homeless Americans is approximately equal to the number of rich Americans.
PROBLEM: How many actual people there are in each category is immaterial here. We only care about percentage breakdowns.
(E) The primary purpose of the census is to analyze the economic status of the American population.
PROBLEM: The purpose of the census is immaterial, only its statistical results.

(A) fewer and fewer publishers will be willing to enter the financially uncertain textbook industry
Wrong. The argument and the premise is not concern with future publishers entering the market. Plus the argument does not talk about financial uncertainty.
(B) the ethical and moral content of textbooks will become increasingly neutral and bland
Correct. Because one stance will offend other group and because publishers rely on community goodwill, it will have to take a neutral stand to protect its image.
(C) more and more pressure groups will arise that seek to influence the content of textbooks
The premise or the argument does not talk anything about pressure groups. And if the publishers rely on community goodwill, why will they scum under the pressure of pressure groups.
(D) the government will be forced to intervene in the increasingly rancorous debate over the content of textbooks
Wrong. We are talking about being moral right and socially presentable. This has nothing to do with the government.
(E) school boards, teachers, and principals will find it nearly impossible to choose among the variety of textbooks being offered
Wrong. This argument is not talking anything about the increased competition between publishers.

The argument in the passage is that because no independent or third party candidate has won, and because the two main parties spent more than ever, it is incorrect to consider the two main parties in decline. Whether or not the two-party system has contributed to stability has no bearing on the argument put forward by the statement. The writer may well believe the complete opposite and it wouldn't affect the argument. Therefore C is not an assumption made in the argument.
A is an assumption made in the argument as the writer uses money raised and spent as evidence of influence. If money raised and spent wasn't an indicator of influence then the argument would be flawed.
(A) The amount of money raised and spent by a political party is one valid criterion for judging the influence of the party.

The argument presented highlights the ongoing relevance of the two major political parties in the electoral process. To strengthen this argument, the following points can be considered:

• Current Influence: If every current member of the U.S. Senate was elected from one of the two major parties, it underscores their dominance in political representation.
• Election Outcomes: The absence of significant victories for independent or third-party candidates in recent elections reinforces the argument that the two-party system remains robust.
• Financial Support: The record levels of fundraising and spending by the two major parties during campaigns demonstrate their continued power and influence in shaping electoral outcomes.

Overall, these points illustrate that reports of the decline of the two-party system may be exaggerated.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the psychologists’ conclusion?

The psychologists concluded that children are more likely to imitate violent behaviour when a male model is shown. To challenge this conclusion, consider the following points:

• Victim gender: If both experiments had victims of both genders, it suggests children may imitate violence regardless of the model's gender.
• Emotional response: If many children were upset during the second film, it could indicate they were less likely to imitate the behaviour due to their emotional state.
• Group composition: Similar numbers of male and female students in both groups suggest that gender alone may not account for the differences in behaviour.
• Boredom and sleep: High boredom or sleep rates among the first group might imply that not all children were engaged, affecting their likelihood to imitate.
• Discipline issues: A higher percentage of discipline problems in the first group could mean these children were predisposed to violent behaviour regardless of the film shown.

Each of these points could introduce alternative explanations for the observed behaviours, potentially undermining the psychologists' conclusion about gender influence.

The argument's weak point is primarily its lack of evidence linking key events to profit increases.

• The argument does not clearly establish a causal relationship between employee ownership or the hiring of QualiCo and the increase in profits.
• There is no data provided to support the notion that employee-owned airlines, like Mainline, are inherently more profitable than others.
• It assumes that the upward trend in profits will continue indefinitely, which lacks substantiation.
• No specific figures are given regarding the current profits of Mainline Airways, making it difficult to assess the claim.
• There is no explanation of how profits are actually calculated, leaving room for ambiguity.

The argument primarily supports its case by:

• Highlighting the restrictions on freedom of speech imposed by regulations.
• Contending that these regulations contradict the true essence of democracy.
• Arguing that the intention behind these rules is misaligned with democratic values.

This approach effectively demonstrates a contradiction in the rationale of the regulations, which aim to protect but may actually harm democratic principles.

The conclusion that Eleanor Bixby's Danish ten-øre coin will sell for over $18,000 can be weakened by considering the following points:

• The discovery of a previously unknown cache of similar coins can impact the rarity and value of Bixby’s coin.
• If there are significantly more coins available, the demand may decrease, leading to a lower selling price.
• The presence of many wealthy collectors may not guarantee a high sale price if the market is saturated.

Thus, the finding of more coins like Bixby’s would likely have the most significant effect on the expected selling price.

From the information given, we can draw the following conclusions:

• Merco has been in business longer than Nolen, Inc.
• Olean Industries was established years before the Potter Company.
• The Potter Company was founded years after the Quarles Corporation.
• Nolen, Inc. and the Quarles Corporation were both founded in the same year.

Based on this, we can reason that:

• Olean Industries predates both the Potter Company and Nolen, Inc.
• Merco has been operating longer than Nolen, Inc., but we cannot conclude anything about Olean Industries' age relative to Merco.
• The Potter Company is younger than both Nolen, Inc. and the Quarles Corporation.

Therefore, the only statements that must be true based on the information provided are:

• Nolen, Inc. has been in business for fewer years than Olean Industries.
• Merco has been in business for more years than the Potter Company.