1.The passage is most probably an excerpt from
(A) an economic history of Japan
(B) the memoirs of a samurai warrior
(C) a modern novel about eighteenth-century Japan
(D) an essay contrasting Japanese feudalism with its Western counterpart
(E) an introduction to a collection of Japanese folktales
The best answer is A. This question requires you to make two judgments: what is the general nature of the style and content of the passage and in what kind of publication would a passage of that nature appear? The passage is a somewhat technical discussion of the economic situation of a certain class of eighteenth-century Japanese, focusing on an analysis of then-prevalent economic practices and trends. Thus, an economic history of Japan (choice A) is certainly a probable source for such material. Although any of the works in the
other choices could conceivably contain such material, it is not probable, and there is no internal evidence to suggest that this excerpt could be appropriately placed in the types of works listed in choices B, C, D, or E.
2. Which of the following financial situations is most analogous to the financial situation in which Japan’s Tokugawa shoguns found themselves in the eighteenth century?
(A) A small business borrows heavily to invest in new equipment, but is able to pay off its debt early when it is awarded a lucrative government contract.
(B) Fire destroys a small business, but insurance covers the cost of rebuilding.
(C) A small business is turned down for a loan at a local bank because the owners have no credit history.
(D) A small business has to struggle to meet operating expenses when its profits decrease.
(E) A small business is able to cut back sharply on spending through greater commercial efficiency and thereby compensate for a loss of revenue.
The best answer is D. In order to answer this question you must first determine what were the essential elements of the shoguns' financial situation and then decide which of the choices presents a situation with the same basic elements. Lines 16-18 indicate that the overlords' income failed to keep pace with their expenses. Lines 19-26 describe some of the reasons expenses rose while income declined. Choice D is the only choice that contains these two critical elements. With the exception of E, the other choices describe situations in which one of the elements is analogous to critical elements in the shoguns' situation, but the other is not. Choice E is not
analogous in either of its elements.
3. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author toward the samurai discussed in lines 11-16?
(A) Warmly approving
(B) Mildly sympathetic
(C) Bitterly disappointed
(D) Harshly disdainful
(E) Profoundly shocked
The best answer is B. This question asks about the attitude of the author toward a particular group as that attitude is revealed in the language of the passage. To answer this question, you should first re-examine the lines cited. The samurai are described as idle and given to expensive pursuits. The author, however, does not dismiss them; rather, it is implied that their idleness is not totally a matter of choice: they were "reduced to idleness," (line 11) and their response seems to the author "not surprising." Thus, the author's attitude can
be described as "mildly sympathetic."
4. According to the passage, the major reason for the financial problems experienced by Japan’s feudal overlords in the eighteenth century was that
(A) spending had outdistanced income
(B) trade had fallen off
(C) profits from mining had declined
(D) the coinage had been sharply debased
(E) the samurai had concentrated in castle-towns
The best answer is A. This question requires you to identify the major reason stated in the passage for the problems of the feudal overlords. To answer the question, it is ne~essary to distinguish between the major reason and the factors that contributed to, but alone do not completely account for, the problem. Lines 16-18 state that the overlords' income "failed to keep pace with their expenses." The rest of the paragraph goes on to explain the various factors that contributed to the problem. Notice that choices C, D, and E are discussed in the passage as factors influencing the economic situation; they are not, however, the major reason for the problems of the overlords.
5. The passage implies that individual samurai did not find it easy to recover from debt for which of the following reasons?
(A) Agricultural production had increased.
(B) Taxes were irregular in timing and arbitrary in amount.
(C) The Japanese government had failed to adjust to the needs of a changing economy.
(D) The domains of samurai overlords were becoming smaller and poorer as government revenues increased.
(E) There was a limit to the amount in taxes that farmers could be made to pay.
The best answer is E. This question asks you to identify the reason that individual samurai, once they had become indebted, could not extricate themselves from debt. Lines
16-18 suggest that individual samurai d·rew their income from rice production among tenant farmers, and lines 30-32 indicate that this income could not be increased indefinitely. Thus, it can be concluded that the samurai could not raise enough money to recover from debt because they could not increase the income derived from tenant farms. Choice E
is a statement of this idea.
6. The passage suggests that, in eighteenth-century Japan, the office of tax collector
(A) was a source of personal profit to the officeholder
(B) was regarded with derision by many Japanese
(C) remained within families
(D) existed only in castle-towns
(E) took up most of the officeholder’s time
The best answer is C. This question asks for a specific supporting detail presented in the passage. To answer the question, it is necessary to locate the reference in the passage to the office of tax collector. Lines 21-22 contain a parenthetical reference to the office of tax collector. It is indicated there that the office of tax collector is hereditary. Choice C presents a paraphrase of this idea: the office "remained within families." There is no evidence to support any of the statements made in the other choices.
7. Which of the following could best be substituted for the word “This” in line 47 without changing the meaning of the passage?
(A) The search of Japan’s Tokugawa shoguns for solvency
(B) The importance of commerce in feudal Japan
(C) The unfairness of the tax structure in eighteenth-century Japan
(D) The difficulty of increasing government income by other means
(E) The difficulty experienced by both individual samurai and the shogun himself in extricating themselves from debt
The best answer is D. This question requires you to determine the referent of the pronoun " This" in line.47. You should first reread the paragraph containing the sentence, and decide what "This" refers to. The paragraph discusses ways in which the Tokugawa shogun and the government attempted to increase revenues and explains why each of the attempts fell short of solving the problem. The pronoun " This" in line 47 introduces a sentence that draws a conclusion based on the fact that most means of increasing government revenue had been exhausted; "This" can only refer to the difficulty they experienced. Choice D contains a phrase that conveys this idea and that can be substituted for the pronoun " This" with- out altering the meaning of the sentence.
8. The passage implies that which of the following was the primary reason why the Tokugawa shoguns turned to city merchants for help in financing the state?
(A) A series of costly wars had depleted the national treasury.
(B) Most of the country's wealth appeared to be in city merchants' hands.
(C) Japan had suffered a series of economic reversals due to natural disasters such as floods.
(D) The merchants were already heavily indebted to the shoguns.
(E) Further reclamation of land would not have been economically advantageous.
The best answer is B. This question requires you to identify the major reason why the Tokugawa shoguns began to require city merchants to contribute to the state revenues. The second paragraph indicates that the shoguns had exhausted most sources of revenue for the government. Lines 50-54 indicate that the shoguns believed that city merchants had acquired most of the country 's wealth. Because of that belief, they deemed it " reasonable" to turn to the city merchants. Thus, choice 8 is the best answer.
9. According to the passage, the actions of the Tokugawa shoguns in their search for solvency for the government were regrettable because those actions
(A) raised the cost of living by pushing up prices
(B) resulted in the exhaustion of the most easily worked deposits of silver and gold
(C) were far lower in yield than had originally been anticipated
(D) did not succeed in reducing government spending
(E) acted as a deterrent to trade
The best answer is A. To answer this question, you must determine why the author of the passage judges the actions of the shoguns as " regrettable," a judgment rendered in the conclusion of the passage. The passage indicates that the forced loans demanded of city merchants by the shoguns (lines 54-60) had the ultimate effect of driving up prices. The next sentence discusses the effects of the rise in prices on the cost of living, an effect that the author finds unfortunate ("Thus, regrettably," line 60). Therefore, choice A is the best answer.
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Updated on: 15 Aug 2019, 20:55
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