Test: Complete the Passage - GMAT MCQ

The role of the claim that early Egyptian expenditure on largely ceremonial architecture was not frivolous in the historian's argument can be understood through the following points:

• The historian argues that the pharaohs spent a significant amount of wealth on ceremonial architecture as well as on roads and irrigation systems.
• The historian then claims that this expenditure on ceremonial architecture was not frivolous (meaning, it was not a waste or unnecessary).
• The justification for this claim is provided by the argument's appeal to the psychological effects of these structures on the Egyptian population. The historian suggests that the impressive architecture demonstrated the pharaoh's mastery of the physical world, which in turn helped maintain loyalty among the people without needing military coercion.

Thus, the correct answer is (A) It is a conclusion purportedly justified by the argument's appeal to the psychological effects of these structures on the Egyptian population.

Premise: describing content of the book. it opens to the Western readers hitherto unknown harsh realities of abject poverty and utter negligence by the local government on key issues such as education, healthcare, and terrorism.

Conclusion: It goes beyond describing the struggle for survival in the valley

Pre-thinking: We need to complete the passage and tell what is absolutely indicated by the book. One of the following choice would be absolutely correct.

(B) it is time Western readers knew about life in the valley --- we don't know if something such as this is mentioned. is it the time that is why book is written. to wide choice to predict.

(C) books are capable of spreading awareness about certain geographies ignored by other media --- Surely book is about the valley, but that does not mean it ignored rest of the geographies.

(E)the valley government is unfair to its citizens --- this choice is too wide. unfair can has many meanings. that too in what area. in certain area gov may be fair, but not mentioned in this abstract.

Tricky choices:

(D) government should focus on providing education and healthcare, and countering terrorism --- So my question is, from any possible way, one can say that book indicated that gov should do anything at all. Showing some atrocities/negligence does not mean one want to give an indication for focus. Moreover may be many more issues needed gov focus.

(A) life in the valley is tougher than previously thought --- So I was left with choice A, but it took me some time to give a verdict. Clearly it not a fav choice but its the best answer. So key work is 'unknown'. This word indicates that readers don't know about few harsh realities and book indicated them in this direction. these few are indicated as education and healthcare, and countering terrorism.

To support the revocation of the forced closure of the new banking system, we need a reason that highlights the shortcomings or negative impact of the traditional banking methods. Option (D) provides the necessary reasoning by stating that the methods previously employed by the banks sapped the economy's foundations and made it susceptible to radical changes in its monetary system. This implies that the existing banking practices were inadequate and failed to provide a strong foundation for the economy, leading to the emergence and popularity of the new banking system. Revoking the closure would allow the new system to continue operating and potentially address the flaws of the old system.

The other answer choices can be evaluated and eliminated as follows:

(A) it was the incompetence and high fees charged by the banks that led to the development of the new system in the first place.

• This statement explains the reason behind the development of the new system but does not directly address the revocation of the forced closure. It does not provide a direct link to the argument's main concern.

(B) the fact that many banks went bankrupt only shows that people are better off saving their hard-earned money in safes.

• This answer choice suggests an alternative solution (saving money in safes) but does not address the revocation of the forced closure or the argument's main concern about economic health.

(C) mass unemployment results in low purchasing power and, in turn, low income for industries, fueling additional unemployment.

• While this answer choice highlights the negative consequences of mass unemployment, it does not directly support the revocation of the forced closure. It focuses on the impact of unemployment rather than addressing the validity of the government's decision.

(E) developers of new products or services must take into account the social and economic effect of their creations on the greater population.

• This answer choice presents a general statement about the responsibility of developers but does not directly contribute to the argument's main concern of revoking the forced closure for economic health reasons.

Therefore, based on the options provided, the most logical completion of the argument is (D).

To complete the passage, we need to find an option that explains the findings mentioned in the passage. The passage states that the presence of price-matching policies leads to a decrease in consumer searches when search costs are low but an increase in consumer searches when search costs are high. We need to find an explanation for this behavior.

Let's analyze each option:

(A) affect consumer search behavior only when information about prices in other stores is unavailable.

• This option suggests that price-matching policies only affect consumer search behavior when price information in other stores is not available. However, the passage doesn't mention anything about the availability of price information.

(B) encourage consumers to shop around when there are multiple competitor stores nearby.

• This option aligns with the findings mentioned in the passage. When multiple competitor stores are clustered in a small area, low search costs make it easier for consumers to compare prices. Therefore, price-matching policies would encourage consumers to shop around. This is a plausible explanation for the decrease in consumer searches when search costs are low.

(C) force nearby competitor stores to reduce their prices in order to retain a market share.

• This option suggests that the presence of price-matching policies forces competitor stores to lower their prices. While this may be a potential outcome of price-matching policies, it doesn't directly explain the decrease in consumer searches when search costs are low or the increase in consumer searches when search costs are high.

(D) are taken as credible indicators of low prices at the store when and only when it is easy for consumers to verify them.

• This option provides a logical explanation for the findings in the passage. When search costs are low and consumers can easily verify the prices at other stores, they consider price-matching policies as credible indicators of low prices. This leads to a decrease in consumer searches because they trust that the store already offers the lowest price. Conversely, when search costs are high, consumers are more likely to verify the prices, and price-matching policies become a signal for them to search for better deals.

(E) lead to significant increases in consumer searches only for high-price purchases.

• This option suggests that price-matching policies only lead to increased consumer searches for high-price purchases. However, the passage doesn't provide any information supporting this specific claim.

Based on the explanations above, option (D) is the most logical completion of the passage. It provides a plausible explanation for the observed behavior and aligns with the findings mentioned in the passage.

The argument states that setting up movie rental services within the country would cater to the people's love for watching movies and provide easy access to them, but it wouldn't be of help to the economy. The most logical completion of this argument is option B, which can be explained through the following points:

• Leisure time limitations: The statement suggests that the available leisure time is not enough for people to accommodate increased movie watching. This means that if movie rental services are introduced, people might not have sufficient free time to fully benefit from them.
• Impact on productivity: The statement also mentions that people might cut into their productive time to compensate for the increased movie watching. This implies that the introduction of movie rental services might lead to a decrease in overall productivity, as people might spend more time watching movies instead of engaging in economically productive activities.
• Economic consequences: Since the argument is about the impact of movie rental services on the economy, option B provides the most logical completion of the argument. It states that such services may not be helpful for the economy because they might encourage people to spend more time watching movies at the expense of engaging in economically productive activities, ultimately leading to a potential negative impact on the country's economy.

The passage discusses a survey about divorced men and the role their infidelity played in the decision to dissolve their marriages. The goal is to identify a reason why the survey might underreport the percentage of men who have committed dishonest acts (infidelity).

(A) some people who will commit one dishonest act might not object to further dishonesty on a survey

• This statement suggests that men who have already been unfaithful might be more likely to lie on the survey, leading to an underreporting of infidelity. This best completes the passage as it addresses the potential underreporting issue.

(B) some generally honest people taking the survey might have claimed on the survey to be have performed dishonest acts

• This statement does not explain the underreporting issue. If generally honest people claim to be dishonest, it would lead to an overreporting of infidelity, not underreporting.

(C) some people who claimed on the survey to behave at least a little dishonestly at some point may be very dishonest

• This statement does not address the underreporting issue. It simply suggests that those who admitted to being a little dishonest may be more dishonest than they claimed.

(D) some people who claimed on the survey to behave dishonest may have been answering honestly

• This statement does not explain the underreporting issue. If people who claimed to be dishonest were answering honestly, it would not affect the accuracy of the survey results.

(E) some married men probably behave at least a little dishonestly

• This statement does not address the underreporting issue. It is a general statement about married men and does not explain why the survey might underreport the percentage of men who have committed dishonest acts.

The author is accusing the artists of being inconsistent, claiming that they give lip service to the idea that an artist must suffer, but that they then live in material comfort—so they do not themselves suffer. Only (B) completes the paragraph in a way so that this inconsistency comes out.

(A) and (D) can be dismissed because the author is attacking artists, not connoisseurs or purchasers of art, nor critics of art.

(C) is inadequate, for it does not reveal the inconsistency. The author apparently allows that these people are, after a fashion, artists, but objects to their claiming that it is necessary to suffer while they do not themselves suffer.

(E) is the second best answer, but it fails, too. The difficulty with (E) is that the author’s point is that there is a contradiction between the actions and the words of artists: They claim to suffer but they do not. But the claimed suffering goes beyond matters of eating and has to do with deprivation generally.

To effectively complete the argument, we need to choose the statement that aligns with the analogy presented and supports the idea that a good public servant should base their decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations. Let's evaluate the given options and explain why option (D) is the most reasonable choice:

Option A: Public servants should not be concerned about the outcomes of public opinion surveys.

• This statement is not directly related to the analogy or the main argument. It doesn't address the need for public servants to rely on something other than the average person's recommendations.

Option B: The average public servant knows more about what is best for society than the average person does.

• This statement contradicts the analogy and the main argument. It suggests that the average public servant is more knowledgeable than the average person, which goes against the initial comparison of not relying on an average person for medical treatment.

Option C: Public servants should be more knowledgeable about the public good than they are.

• This statement supports the idea that public servants should be more knowledgeable about the public good. However, it doesn't directly address the need for them to base their decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations.

Option D: Public servants should base decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations.

• This statement aligns with the analogy presented in the initial argument. Just as a serious medical problem wouldn't rely on the average person for treatment, the argument suggests that good public servants, who have the interest of the public at heart, should base their decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations.

Option E: One is a good public servant if one is more knowledgeable about the public good than is the average person.

• This statement focuses on the knowledge of a good public servant compared to the average person. While it is relevant, it doesn't directly address the need for public servants to base their decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations.

Considering the alignment with the analogy and the main argument, option (D) is the most reasonable choice to complete the argument. Public servants should base their decisions on something other than the average person's recommendations, just as a serious medical problem wouldn't rely on the average person for treatment.

Here's an explanation of each option:

(A) Commanding a branch of the military requires greater knowledge than running a bank does.

• The columnist's argument does not directly address or compare the knowledge requirements of commanding a military branch and running a bank. It focuses on the government's ability to select senior management for a bank, not their knowledge of the banking industry. Therefore, this option is not addressed by the columnist's statements.

(B) Politicians do an adequate job of appointing the top military officials entrusted with defending the country.

• The columnist's argument makes a comparison between politicians appointing top military officials and politicians selecting senior management for a bank. The columnist argues that politicians, despite not being military professionals, have successfully appointed military officials who are entrusted with defending the country. Therefore, the columnist's statements support the idea that politicians can do an adequate job of appointing top military officials.

(C) Politicians are not capable of managing a bank's day-to-day operations.

• The columnist's argument explicitly states that the government would not need to manage a bank's day-to-day operations if it takes over a failing private-sector bank. Instead, the government would only need to select the bank's senior management. Therefore, the columnist's statements do not support the idea that politicians are not capable of managing a bank's day-to-day operations.

(D) Banks that are owned by the government cannot be well managed.

• The columnist's argument suggests that the government's lack of expertise in managing financial institutions should not prevent them from taking over failing private-sector banks. They argue that the government would primarily focus on selecting the bank's senior management rather than directly managing its operations. Therefore, the columnist's statements provide a reason to reject the idea that banks owned by the government cannot be well managed.

(E) The government should not take over private-sector banks that are financially sound.

• The columnist's argument does not address the issue of financially sound private-sector banks. Their statements focus on failing private-sector banks and argue that the government's lack of knowledge in managing financial institutions should not prevent them from taking over. Therefore, the columnist's statements do not provide a reason to reject the idea of the government taking over financially sound private-sector banks.

Therefore, the correct answer is (D) Banks that are owned by the government cannot be well managed.

The commentator's argument discusses the impact of advanced electronic technology on the stability of a nation's cultural identity in the new century. To identify the option that most logically completes the argument, let's analyze each answer choice:

A) Depend on a just distribution of electronic technology among all nations:

• This option introduces the concept of a fair distribution of electronic technology among nations.
• However, the argument does not focus on the distribution of technology, but rather on the impact of technology on cultural identity.
• Thus, this choice is not directly related to the commentator's argument.

B) Decrease if that nation comes to have a high level of economic wealth:

• This option suggests that the stability of a nation's cultural identity will decrease if the nation achieves a high level of economic wealth.
• The argument discusses how exposure to advanced electronic technology can lead people to question their own customs and traditions.
• Economic wealth can enable the adoption of advanced technology and exposure to other cultures, increasing the likelihood of questioning customs and traditions.
• Therefore, this option aligns with the commentator's argument and logically completes it.

C) Be ensured by laws that protect the customs and traditions of that culture:

• This option proposes that the stability of a nation's cultural identity can be ensured through laws protecting customs and traditions.
• While laws can play a role in preserving cultural identity, the argument primarily focuses on the influence of technology and exposure to other cultures.
• Therefore, this choice does not directly address the commentator's argument.

D) Be threatened only if the people of that culture fail to acquire the latest technical skills:

• This option suggests that the stability of a nation's cultural identity is threatened only if the people of that culture fail to acquire the latest technical skills.
• The argument focuses on the impact of exposure to advanced technology and images of other cultures, not solely on technical skills.
• Thus, this option is not the most logical completion of the argument.

E) Be best maintained by ensuring the gradual assimilation of new technical knowledge and skills:

• This option proposes that the cultural identity of a nation is best maintained by gradually assimilating new technical knowledge and skills.
• The argument discusses how exposure to technology and images of other cultures can lead to questioning of customs and traditions.
• Gradually assimilating new technical knowledge and skills may contribute to the erosion of cultural identity, as the argument implies.
• Therefore, this choice does not align with the commentator's argument.

Based on the analysis, the option that most logically completes the commentator's argument is (B) decrease if that nation comes to have a high level of economic wealth. This choice supports the argument's assertion that exposure to advanced electronic technology, facilitated by economic wealth, can lead to the dissolution of customs and traditions.