It will be good if you write the essence of each paragraph before dwelling into questions. It will help me in finding faults in my summary.


The Taft-Hartley Act, passed by the United States Congress in 1947, gave states the power to enact ┬б┬░right-to work┬б┬▒ legislation that prohibits union shop agreements. According to such an agreement, a labor union negotiates wages and working conditions for all workers in a business, and all workers are required to belong to the union. Since 1947, 20 states have adopted right-to-work laws. Much of the literature concerning right-to-work laws implies that such legislation has not actually had a significant impact. This point of view, however, has not gone uncriticized. Thomas V Carroll has proposed that the conclusions drawn by previous researchers are attributable to their myopic focus on the premise that, unless right-to-work laws significantly reduce union membership within a state, they have no effect. Carroll argues that the right-to-work laws ┬б┬░do matter┬б┬▒ in that such laws generate differences in real wages across states. Specifically, Carroll indicates that while right-to-work laws may not ┬б┬░destroy┬б┬▒ unions by reducing the absolute number of unionized workers, they do impede the spread of unions and thereby reduce wages within right-to-work states. Because the countervailing power of unions is weakened in right-to-work states, manufacturers and their suppliers can act cohesively in competitive labor markers, thus lowering wages in the affected industries.

Such a finding has important implications regarding the demographics of employment and wages in right-to-work states. Specifically, if right-to-work laws lower wages by weakening union power, minority workers can be expected to suffer a relatively greater economic disadvantage in right-to-work states than in union shop states. This is so because, contrary to what was once thought, on the economic position of minority workers, especially Black workers, relative to White workers. Most studies concerned with the impact of unionism on the Black worker┬б┬пs economic position relative to the White worker┬б┬пs have concentrated on the changes in Black wages due to union versus nonunion wage differentials within certain occupational groups. In a pioneering study, however, Ashenfelter finds that these studies overlook an important fact: although craft unionism increase the differential between the wages of White workers and Black workers due to the traditional exclusion of minority workers from unions in the craft sectors of the labor market, strong positive wage gains are made by Black workers within industrial unions. In fact, Ashenfelter estimates that industrial unionism decreases the differential between the wages of Black workers and White workers by about 3 percent. If state right-to-work laws weaken the economic power of unions to raise wages, Black workers will experience a disproportionate decline in their relative wage positions. Black workers in right-to-work states would therefore experience a decline in their relative economic positions unless there is strong economic growth in right-to-work states, creating labor shortages and thereby driving up wages.


1. The reasoning behind the ┬б┬░literature┬б┬▒(line 9), as that reasoning is presented in the passage, is most analogous to the reasoning behind which one of the following situations?

(A) A law is proposed that benefits many but disadvantages a few: those advocating passage of the law argue that the disadvantages to few are not so serious that the benefits should be denied to many.

(B) A new tax on certain categories of consumer items is proposed: those in favor of the tax argue that those affected by the tax are well able to pay it, since the items taxed are luxury items.

(C) A college sets strict course requirements that every student must complete before graduating; students already enrolled argue that it is unfair for the new requirements to apply to those enrolled before the change.

(D) The personnel office of a company designs a promotions become effective on January 1: the managers protest that such a policy means that they cannot respond fast enough to changes in staffing needs.

(E) A fare increase in a public transportation system does not significantly reduce the number of fares sold: the management of the public transportation system asserts, therefore, that the fare hike has had no negative effects.

2. According to the passage, which one of the following is true of Carroll┬б┬пs study?

(A) It implies that right-to-work laws have had a negligible effect on workers in right-to-work states.

(B) It demonstrates that right-to-work laws have significantly decreased union membership from what it once was in right-to-work states.

(C) It argues that right-to-work laws have affected wages in right-to-work states.

(D) It supports the findings of most earlier researchers.

(E) It explains the mechanisms by which collusion between manufacturers and suppliers is accomplished.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which one of following about craft unions?

(A) Craft unions have been successful in ensuring that the wages of their members remain higher than the wages of nonunion workers in the same occupational groups.

(B) The number of minority workers joining craft unions has increased sharply in states that have not adopted right-to-work legislation.

(C) Wages for workers belonging to craft unions have generally risen faster and more steadily than wages for workers belonging to industrial unions.

(D) The wages of workers belonging to craft unions have not been significantly affected by right-to-work legislation, although the wages of workers belonging to industrial unions have been negatively affected.

(E) The wages of workers belonging to craft unions are more likely to be driven up in the event of labor shortages than are the wages of workers belonging to industrial unions.

4. Which one of the following best describes the effect industrial unionism has had on the wages of Black workers relative to those of White workers, as that effect is presented in the passage?

(A) Prior to 1947, industrial unionism had little effect on the wages of Black workers relative to those of White workers: since 1947, it has had a slight positive effect.

(B) Prior to 1947, industrial unionism had a strong positive effect on the wages of Black workers relative to those of White workers: since 1947, it has had little effect.

(C) Prior to 1947, industrial unionism had a negative effect on the wages of Black workers relative to those of White workers: since 1947, it has had a significant positive effect.

(D) Industrial unionism has contributed moderately to an increase in the wage differential between Black workers and White workers.

(E) Industrial unionism has contributed strongly to a 3 percent decrease in the wage differential between Black workers and White workers.

5. According to the passage, which one of the following could counteract the effects of a decrease in unions┬б┬п economic power to raise wages in right-to-work states?

(A) a decease in the number of union shop agreements.

(B) Strong economic growth that crates labor shortages.

(C) A decrease in membership in craft unions.

(D) The merging of large industrial unions.

(E) A decline in the craft sectors of the labor market.

6. Which one of the following best describes the passage as a whole?

(A) an overview of a problem in research methodology and a recommended solution to that problem.

(B) A comparison of two competing theories and a suggestion for reconciling them.

(C) A critique of certain legislation and a proposal for modification of that legislation.

(D) A review of research that challenges the conclusions of earlier researchers.

(E) A presentation of a specific case that confirms the findings of an earlier study.

RC is my weakest area, and I wouldnt be surprised if my answers are wrong. But practice practice practice is my motto for now


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The more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing!
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that's right

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