RC Practice Questions - 4 | GMAT Mock Test Series 2025 PDF Download

Passage 1

The media's particular understanding of the ways of influence and decision-making in government colours the way they describe political reality. It also defines their responsibility in reporting that reality; contemporary reporters are in many ways the grandchildren of the Progressive muckrakers.
Few aspects of American politics reinforce this Progressive world-view as effectively as the American way of campaign finance. In assuming that public officials defer to contributors more easily than they do to their party, their own values, or their voting constituency, one has the perfect dramatic scenario for the triumph of wealthy special interests over the will of majorities and the public interest.
Much has been made recently about campaign finance reform. Various politicians and voters' rights groups have petitioned for a reworking of the campaign finance laws that govern how political candidates can solicit and spent money on their races for office.
"Bias" is a word with many meanings. It suggests a single explanation—one of conscious, even wilful preference—for a range of instances in which the message misinterprets or misconveys the reality. The media have been attacked as biased in a partisan direction by both Democrats and Republicans, and from both the left and the right. To be sure, media partisanship was apparent in earlier times, when the partisan press was little more than a propagandist for the party it favoured.
But that overtly biased style seems to have given way in the 20^th century to a media more concerned with gaining audience than political proselytes, and an electronic media fearful of government regulation if it strays into political controversy. Few objective observers of, for instance, the reporting of campaign finance would argue that conventional biases are operating here. Rather one has to look to more intrinsic and ingrained forms, to the structural biases of American newspapers and the political assumptions of their reporters, editors, and headline-writers. Structural biases are rooted in the very nature of journalism—in its professional norms, in marketplace imperatives, in the demands of communicating information to an unsophisticated audience.
Stories need identifiable actors, understandable activity, and elements of conflict, threat or menace. They cannot be long, and must avoid complexity—must focus on the horserace rather than on the substance of a campaign; on controversy, personalities and negative statistics rather than on concepts. These define the "good" story. Systematic bias and political assumption, finally, meet in an analytical conundrum. A systematic bias dictates that newspapers print stories that will be read. But does the press publish the story because readers have been conditioned by newspapers to accept and believe such accounts, or does it publish the story because of its conviction that it represents political truth? Is there really any difference? Ultimately, the Progressive view of reality becomes a part of the imperatives of publishing a newspaper.

Q1:  In the course of presenting his arguments, the author suggests that structural biases in American journalism result primarily—but not necessarily exclusively—from:
(A) problems intrinsic to the publishing and marketing of newspapers.
(B) suppositions of journalists about the integrity of public officials.
(C) reporters' cynicism about the public's level of intelligence.
(D) growing competition among newspapers for a shrinking audience.
(E)  increasing influence of foreign nations

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Ans: (A)
(A) problems intrinsic to the publishing and marketing of newspapers. - "Rather than look to more intrinsic and ingrained forms, to the structural biases of American newspapers and the political assumptions of their reporters, editors, and headline-writers" given in para 6
(B) suppositions of journalists about the integrity of public officials. - out of scope
(C) reporters’ cynicism about the public’s level of intelligence. - out of scope
(D) growing competition among newspapers for a shrinking audience. - out of scope
(E) increasing influence of foreign nations - out of scope

Q2: According to the passage, which of the following would indicate structural biases inherent in journalists‘ work?
(A) An article that adheres loyally to Progressivist dictates
(B) An article that successfully masks its biased opinions
(C) An article that is informed by political sophistication
(D) An article that is entertaining and easy to comprehend
(E) An article that criticises the current government

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Ans: (D)
(A) An article that adheres loyally to Progressivist dictates - opposite
(B) An article that successfully masks its biased opinions - opposite
(C) An article that is informed by political sophistication - opposite
(D) An article that is entertaining and easy to comprehend - last line of para 6 says about the "communicating information" and that is the good story given in 7th para
(E)  An article that criticises the current government - Inconsistent

Q3: Which of the following best describes the "analytical conundrum" referred to in the sentence, "Systematic bias and political assumption, finally, meet in an analytical conundrum," in the last paragraph?
(A) Newspapers promote Progressive ideas in which they do not believe.
(B) Since systematic biases and political assumptions have similar effects, it is difficult to differentiate their roles in journalistic publishing decisions.
(C) Systematic biases and political assumptions exert contradictory and conflicting pressures on newspaper publishers.
(D) Readers' preferences for dramatic news accounts reflecting Progressive ideas, rather than journalists‘ objective understanding of the political system, determine what is published.
(E) the confusion over what types of articles to publish in newspapers

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Ans: (B)
(A) Newspapers promote Progressive ideas in which they do not believe. - Inconsistent
(B) Since systematic biases and political assumptions have similar effects, it is difficult to differentiate their roles in journalistic publishing decisions - that is the same which is asked by the author
(C) Systematic biases and political assumptions exert contradictory and conflicting pressures on newspaper publishers. - out of scope
(D) Readers’ preferences for dramatic news accounts reflecting Progressive ideas, rather than journalists’ objective understanding of the political system, determine what is published. - Inconsistent
(E) the confusion over what types of articles to publish in newspapers - Inconsistent

Passage 2

The undervaluation of work that has traditionally been done by women, such as jobs in the retail clothing industry, could be addressed in a number of different ways. One method is for women to organize into unions, and then collectively bargain with—or exert pressure on management to force it to commit to increases in wage levels. (Evidence that this method is effective exists: women in unions earn one-third more than do non union women.) Another is to lobby legislatures for a change in the differing pay scales that persist between predominantly female industries and those, such as auto manufacturing, that are made up largely of males.
The collective actions described above are sometimes difficult to engender. The majority of women in the workforce are employed in industries—catering and domestic and home-based workers, to name a few—in which it is often difficult to organize. Indeed, women's access to employment itself is impeded by factors such as child care and unequal access to education and training. Once employed, women face discrimination and poor access to economic resources, including land, credit, and technology. But today's inequities and challenges notwithstanding, women workers should try to reshape or otherwise influence their work situations themselves rather than simply hoping that laws and other external means will remedy the problem for them.

Q1: According to the author, which of the following may be achieved through the processes of unionization and collective bargaining?
(A) Overcoming market pressures that keep wages in some industries lower than in others
(B) Encouraging worker flexibility in adjusting a new pay scale to economic conditions
(C) Helping workers to apply group pressure on their employers
(D) Aiding in determining the degree to which women are being underpaid
(E) Changing the pay relationship between unionized and non-unionized workers within a single industry

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Ans: (C)
Analyze the Question Stem:
The words "according to the author" signal that this is a Detail question. The correct answer will be something explicitly stated by the author.
Research the Relevant Text:
Always use the information given in the question stem to identify the relevant portion of the passage to research. This question asks about unionization and collective bargaining, concepts whose aims are discussed in the second sentence of the first paragraph.
Make a Prediction:
In the relevant sentence, the author states that organizing and collective bargaining can help women "exert pressure on...management to force it to commit to increases in wage levels." The correct answer will be the choice that most closely matches this quotation.
Evaluate the Answer Choices:
(C) matches the prediction perfectly and is correct.
(A) might sound reasonable, but it is simply not mentioned in the passage.
(B) is wrong because there is nothing in the passage about adjusting pay scales to economic conditions.
(D) incorrectly links unionization to figuring out just how underpaid women are. The passage simply starts with the fact that women are underpaid, and focuses on ways to find a solution. There is no discussion about determining the exact degree to which women are underpaid.
(E) is wrong for those who noticed the parenthetical sentence in paragraph one that says women in unions earn one-third more than do non-union women. But this fact is offered solely as evidence that unionization is effective, not as part of a discussion about how the differential might be changed.
TAKEAWAY: The answer to a Detail question will stick closely to the wording in the passage. Always research these; don’t try to answer from memory.

Q2:  Based on the information given in the passage, the author would be most likely to agree that
(A) pay inequity for women exists because of the lack of unionization in traditionally female occupations
(B) government regulation of industry to achieve pay equity for women is unnecessary “because management has the power to effectively determine wages
(C) unionization would solve all industry problems relating to the valuation of women's work
(D) government regulation may play a role in achieving pay equity for women in industries in which collective bargaining has not been successful in doing so
(E) poor access to economic resources hampers the collective actions of not only women workers but men also

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Ans: (D)
Analyze the Question Stem:
Questions that ask which statement the author would agree with are Inference questions. The correct answer to an Inference question must follow directly from the information contained in the passage.
Research the Relevant Text:
The question stem does not give any clue as to which portion of the passage will be most relevant. Refer back to details in the passage as needed when evaluating each answer choice.
Make a Prediction:
Making predictions on open-ended Inference questions is difficult. It’s better to move straight to the answer choices.
Evaluate the Answer Choices:
(A) looks tempting, but the use of "because" in the choice is the red flag. Though the author thinks that unionization might help address the issue, there is no reason to believe that he thinks it’s the cause of the problem in the first place.
(B) contrasts the passage. Paragraph one lists government regulation as one possible way of addressing the problem of undervaluation, as an alternative to unionization. Unionization isn’t always possible, the author notes in paragraph two, because it may be difficult for the women to organize. Thus the author is implying that at least under some circumstances, government regulation may indeed help.
(C) is extreme. The passage claims only that unionization may remedy the problem of the undervaluation of women’s work, not that it "would solve all industry problems" relating to undervaluation.
(D) is noted by the passage, and is the correct answer. The author states in the first paragraph that one way to address the problem of undervaluation is through collective bargaining, but also lists government regulation (for instance changes to labor laws) as another way. So government regulation may indeed play a role in achieving pay equity for women.
(E) is simply not dealt with in the passage. There is nothing about the author’s opinion of men’s access to economic resources, so nothing can be inferred about it.
TAKEAWAY: The answer to an Inference question must have direct support in the passage.

Q3: The author of this passage is primarily concerned with
(A) criticizing the under-valuation of work traditionally done by women
(B) providing evidence of effective organization methods for women in the workforce
(C) arguing for the collective actions of women as a means of addressing wage inequity
(D) illustrating examples representative of the male-female wage differential
(E) emphasizing that women entering the workforce face challenges such as unequal access to education and training

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Ans: (C)
Analyze the Question Stem:
This is a Global question, as it asks about the passage as a whole. The wording of this question stem is simply another way of asking about the author's Purpose.
Research the Relevant Text:
There is no need to refer back to the passage on a Global question - the passage map is all that is needed.
Make a Prediction:
Using the passage map, the answer can be predicted to say something like, "to argue that the solution for remedying the wage differential is for women to organize."
Evaluate the Answer Choices:
(C) best reflects this prediction, and it describes the author's intention throughout the entire passage.
(A) is the author's starting point, but not the Purpose of the entire passage. The author clearly disapproves of the undervaluation of the work done by women, but this passage focuses on ways to remedy that undervaluation.
(B) and (D) are too narrow in scope; although evidence of proven organization methods is provided in the passage, it is not the primary purpose of the passage, nor is providing examples of the wage differential.
(E) is too narrow. It presents a detail from the second paragraph.
TAKEAWAY: Evaluate a Global question as a whole.