RC Practice Questions - 5 | GMAT Mock Test Series 2025 PDF Download

Passage

While acknowledging that there are greater employment opportunities for Latin American women in cities than in the countryside, social science theorists have continued to argue that urban migration has unequivocally hurt women’s status. However, the effects of migration are more complex than these theorists presume. For example, effects can vary depending on women’s financial condition and social class. Brazilian women in the lowest socioeconomic class have relatively greater job opportunities and job security in cities than do men of the same class, although there is no compelling evidence that for these women the move to the city is a move out of poverty. Thus, these women may improve their status in relation to men but at the same time may experience no improvement in their economic standing.
In addition, working outside the home, which is more common in urban than in rural areas, helps women in the lowest socioeconomic class make contacts to extend exchange networks-the flow of gifts, loans, or child care from those who currently have access to resources to those who do not. Moreover, poor women working in urban areas actively seek to cultivate long-term employer-employee relations. When an emergency arises that requires greater resources than an exchange network can provide, these women often appeal for and receive aid from their wealthy employers. However, the structure of many poor women’s work-often a labor force of one in an employer’s home-makes it difficult for them to organize to improve their economic conditions in general.
Not surprisingly, then, Latin American women in the lowest socioeconomic class differ in their opinions about the effects of urban migration on their lives. Some find urban living, with access to electricity and running water, an improvement and would never return to the countryside. Others, disliking the overcrowding and crime, would return to the countryside if there were work opportunities for them there. Thus, urban life has had both negative and positive impacts on women’s lives. In general, urban migration has not provided economic prosperity or upward mobility for women in the lowest socioeconomic class, despite their intelligent and energetic utilization of the resources available to them.

Q1: In the first paragraph, the author refers to the experiences of Brazilian women most probably in order to
(A) support an earlier assertion made by social science theorists about the effects of urban migration
(B) provide an example of one area in which urban migration has failed to improve Latin American women’s lives
(C) substantiate the claim that the effects of urban migration cannot be easily characterized
(D) illustrate the effect that urban migration has had on the economic status of Latin American women
(E) compare the effect that urban migration has had on the economic status of Latin American women with its effect on the economic status of Latin American men

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Ans: (C)
Inference
The effects of migration are more complex than these theorists presume” -- an example of the type of complexity is given "for example, effects vary..." and then a specific culture is referenced in support of this complexity - Brazil.
A- is incorrect because the theorists simply think migration is overall negative, but we know it’s a little bit more "complex" meaning there are likely some positives
B- No. The example is provided in support of the statements and the statements don’t mention anything about failure to improve.
C- Correct. The examples are given to further explain the complexity
D- No. The overall para discusses one effect and the examples are only given in support of earlier statements
E- No comparison is made.

Q2: Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?
(A) Although Latin American women disagree about the effects urban migration has had on their lives, they agree that migration has provided them with greater opportunities for stable employment outside the home.
(B) Although urban migration has improved the quality of life for Latin American women, it has weakened the social support systems that these women enjoyed in rural communities.
(C) The effects that urban migration has had on Latin American women’s lives are complex and are best evaluated in light of a range of issues concerning Latin American women’s overall quality of life.
(D) The effects of urban migration in Latin America are different for men than they are for women because of the relatively greater job opportunities and job security enjoyed by women in urban areas.
(E) Urban migration has led to an increasing disparity between the economic prosperity of Latin American women in the lowest socioeconomic classes and that of women in the higher socioeconomic classes.

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Ans: (C)
Main Idea
A- No way this is the main idea. The opinions of women aren’t even taken in the passage.
B- It hasn’t weakened the support systems, they just haven’t had as much of the support. Trigger word here is "weaken"
C- Yes. There are a lot of negatives, but some positives to urban migration. P1 mentions this, P2 explains the caveats, P3 argues the overall negativity of migration.
D- We don’t know about the relatively greater job ops of women in relation to Men
E- We don’t know how much better off if at all the higher socio-eco women are in relation to lower. Incorrect

Q3: The author mentions which of the following as a disadvantage of urban employment for Latin American women in the lowest socioeconomic group?
(A) It is difficult for these women to obtain reliable, long-term employment.
(B) It is difficult for these women to organize effectively in order to obtain better wages.
(C) It is difficult for these women to find employers who are supportive when emergencies arise.
(D) The structure of their jobs makes it difficult for these women to participate in exchange networks.
(E) Working in urban areas makes these women more vulnerable to health problems than they would be in rural areas.

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Ans: (B)
Detail
A- Incorrect because the only thing mentioned about LT employment is that LA women actively seek for greater support. No mention of the difficulty.
B- Correct. Last sentence of P2 mentions that it is difficult "for them to organize to improve their economic conditions” - economic conditions are improved by earning more money i.e. "better wages"
C- Similar to A - no mention of the difficulty of actually finding the more supportive employers
D- Incorrect as we aren’t able to substantiate the affects of the structure of women’s jobs.
E- Incorrect - not supported at all by the passage.

Q4: The author of the passage would most likely agree that the opinions of the Latin American women discussed in the third paragraph (Highlighted) are influenced by the
(A) fact that urban life has provided them with greater opportunities for upward mobility than did rural life
(B) relative importance they place on the benefits of urban exchange networks in comparison to those of rural networks.
(C) relative importance they place on the conveniences and drawbacks of urban life in comparison to those of rural life
(D) difference in the effects of urban migration on women of higher and lower socioeconomic classes
(E) difference in the effects of urban migration on men and women of the same social and economic class

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Ans: (C)
Detail Inference
The author’s opinion is given in the last para (P3).
A- is incorrect as it is the opposite of the opinion. "urban migration has not provided economic prosperity or upward mobility for women..."
B- This isn’t supported. All we know is LA women value their networks, but we don’t know how much LA women’s opinions are influenced by such networks.
C- This is correct. The author concludes that "urban migration has not provided economic prosperity or upward mobility for women..." overall, but before he does this he mentions some enjoy positives - access to electricity, water - and OTHERS can’t stand the negatives - overcrowding/crime so it’s clear that the importance placed on each positive/negative varies depending on the LA women’s circumstances, leading us to conclude that the LA women place differing levels of importance on positives/negatives otherwise there would be a general consensus on whether to stay/leave.
D- incorrect, we don’t really know much about the migration of higher socioeconomic classes
E- incorrect, similar to D we don’t know a lot about the migration of men.

Q5: The author of the passage would most likely react to a claim that Latin American women have not made good use of the resources available to them by
(A) expressing strong disagreement
(B) offering cautious dissent because of specific case studies
(C) withholding judgment because of insufficient evidence
(D) offering tentative support because of some circumstantial evidence
(E) concurring fully with the claim

View Answer  

Ans: (A)
Detail Inference
Refer to the last sentence of P3
“urban migration has not provided economic prosperity or upward mobility for women in the lowest socioeconomic class, despite their intelligent and energetic utilization of the resources available to them”
So he would disagree with the statement in the stem, clearly.
A- correct
B- He would disagree, but there are no specific case studies. The passage describes overall trends.
C- No. He would disagree
D- No. He would disagree
E- Worse than D. He would disagree.

Q6: It can be inferred that the theorists mentioned in the first paragraph of the passage believe which of the following about the status of Latin American women who migrate from rural to urban areas?
(A) Women enjoyed a higher status in the countryside than they do in the city.
(B) Urban migration will most likely increase women's status because there are greater employment opportunities in urban than in rural areas.
(C) Although urban migration weakens extended-family exchange networks, women's overall status is not greatly affected by migration.
(D) Urban migration increases women's status in comparison to that of men of the same class.
(E) Women's status in urban areas depends primarily on how marketable their job skills are.

View Answer  

Ans: (A)
Detail Inference
P1 clearly state: "social science theorists have continued to argue that urban migration has unequivocally hurt women’s status"
A- This is correct as it essentially repeats what is stated.
B- is incorrect because it is the opposite of what is stated
C- Women’s status IS affected. Wrong
D- No. We just know that women’s status is decreased. We only know that the effects of migration vary in relation to men
E- We know nothing of the marketability of women’s job skills. Incorrect.