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# Preposition 13

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07 Sep 2010, 03:37
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OA is potential candidate but can someone explain why other choices fail???

With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for $75,000, your property tax would be approximately$914 a year (1 percent of $75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for$200,000 this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of$200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000).
Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above?
(A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value.
(B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes.
(C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes.
(D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates.
(E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA
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07 Sep 2010, 04:32
Since home owners who bought it 11 back and new home owners will start paying $6000 per year as tax, there is substantial increase in amount from$1000 - $2000 to$3000.
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07 Sep 2010, 04:50
What is the source of this question?
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07 Sep 2010, 09:22
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amitjash wrote:
OA is potential candidate but can someone explain why other choices fail???

With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for $75,000, your property tax would be approximately$914 a year (1 percent of $75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for$200,000 this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of$200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000).
Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above?
(A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value.
(B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes.
(C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes.
(D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates.
(E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.

B is not a good answer here - where is the OA from?

The passage draws two comparisons: it compares the tax on two identical houses under Prop 13, and it compares the tax on these homes with Prop 13 and without Prop 13. If these comparisons are leading to some kind of conclusion, that conclusion needs to relate to both comparisons; otherwise half the passage is simply irrelevant.

A is out of scope, since it mentions constitutionality, and there is no clue that the argument is about what might be constitutional.

B is not the likely conclusion here; B says that every homeowner will see an increase in taxes. The passage only compares two identical houses, nothing more - the passage certainly doesn't provide enough evidence to support the conclusion that every homeowner's tax will increase.

C is irrelevant, since the passage doesn't support any conclusion about inflation.

D is perfect. It takes into account both comparisons - the comparison between identical houses, and the comparison between tax paid with and without Prop 13 - and is a perfectly logical conclusion to the passage.

E might be true, but it doesn't follow from the specific detail provided in the passage, so isn't a likely conclusion to the argument.
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07 Sep 2010, 20:04
amitjash wrote:
OA is potential candidate but can someone explain why other choices fail???

With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for $75,000, your property tax would be approximately$914 a year (1 percent of $75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for$200,000 this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of$200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000).
Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above?
(A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value.
(B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes.
(C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes.
(D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates.
(E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.

B is right. The tone of the statement itself shows that with prop 13, one person pays $914 and another pays$2,000. HOWEVER, without prop 13, both will pay $6,000. Basically, if prop 13 is repealed, both will SUFFER. _________________ All things are possible to those who believe. Senior Manager Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 333 Location: USA WE 1: Engineering Followers: 1 Kudos [?]: 71 [0], given: 0 Re: Preposition 13 [#permalink] ### Show Tags 07 Sep 2010, 20:07 IanStewart wrote: amitjash wrote: OA is potential candidate but can someone explain why other choices fail??? With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for$75,000, your property tax would be approximately $914 a year (1 percent of$75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for $200,000 this year, his tax would be$2,000 (1 percent of $200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay$6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of $200,000). Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above? (A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value. (B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes. (C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes. (D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates. (E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others. B is not a good answer here - where is the OA from? The passage draws two comparisons: it compares the tax on two identical houses under Prop 13, and it compares the tax on these homes with Prop 13 and without Prop 13. If these comparisons are leading to some kind of conclusion, that conclusion needs to relate to both comparisons; otherwise half the passage is simply irrelevant. A is out of scope, since it mentions constitutionality, and there is no clue that the argument is about what might be constitutional. B is not the likely conclusion here; B says that every homeowner will see an increase in taxes. The passage only compares two identical houses, nothing more - the passage certainly doesn't provide enough evidence to support the conclusion that every homeowner's tax will increase. C is irrelevant, since the passage doesn't support any conclusion about inflation. D is perfect. It takes into account both comparisons - the comparison between identical houses, and the comparison between tax paid with and without Prop 13 - and is a perfectly logical conclusion to the passage. E might be true, but it doesn't follow from the specific detail provided in the passage, so isn't a likely conclusion to the argument. Just my view, D is not really a "conclusion" that the author is trying to argue for. It is more of a fact that has been stated. _________________ All things are possible to those who believe. Manager Joined: 11 May 2010 Posts: 224 Followers: 4 Kudos [?]: 107 [0], given: 11 Re: Preposition 13 [#permalink] ### Show Tags 07 Sep 2010, 21:43 B it is. I also think that you need take into account the tone of the author as well. He is in favor of adopting Prop 13, thus B is correct here. Senior Manager Status: Time to step up the tempo Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Posts: 408 Location: Milky way Schools: ISB, Tepper - CMU, Chicago Booth, LSB Followers: 8 Kudos [?]: 189 [0], given: 50 Re: Preposition 13 [#permalink] ### Show Tags 07 Sep 2010, 22:03 amitjash wrote: OA is potential candidate but can someone explain why other choices fail??? With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for$75,000, your property tax would be approximately $914 a year (1 percent of$75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for $200,000 this year, his tax would be$2,000 (1 percent of $200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay$6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of $200,000). Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above? (A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value. (B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes. (C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes. (D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates. (E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others. I have a very basic question here. The question asks for conclusion that the author is most likely arguing. But the given stimulus seems to be worded in a very neutral sense. There are no strong words which could indicate the author's tone or intention. Given this, how could be really choose between choices B, D and E. I could not rule out the following options because of the below mentioned reasons. Kindly let me know your thoughts on the same. B - Reason present in the stimulus -- [highlight]Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay$6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of $200,000)[/highlight] D - Reason present in the stimulus -- [highlight]if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for$200,000 this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of$200,000)[/highlight]

E - Reason present in the stimulus -- [highlight]your property tax would be approximately $914 a year[/highlight] and [highlight]his tax would be$2,000[/highlight]
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08 Sep 2010, 13:43
ezhilkumarank wrote:
I have a very basic question here. The question asks for conclusion that the author is most likely arguing. But the given stimulus seems to be worded in a very neutral sense. There are no strong words which could indicate the author's tone or intention. Given this, how could be really choose between choices B, D and E.

There is no indication of any opinion in the passage, so I don't understand the comments above about the 'tone'. A lot of people seem to favour answer B here, so I might elaborate a bit about why it is not the right answer (I don't know where the OA is from, but the answer is certainly not B).

One useful question to ask here is: if I was arguing that (as answer B says) 'If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes', what examples would I use to prove my case? Would I use the example of two identical houses? Of course not - people would, justifiably, object: 'what about very expensive houses? And what about very cheap houses?' By using two identical houses, I could not make any kind of compelling argument that every house will see its taxes increase if Prop 13 is repealed.

On the other hand, answer D is a perfectly logical conclusion to the argument, particularly since it takes into account the fact that the passage draws a comparison between identical houses.
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08 Sep 2010, 14:09
IanStewart wrote:
ezhilkumarank wrote:
I have a very basic question here. The question asks for conclusion that the author is most likely arguing. But the given stimulus seems to be worded in a very neutral sense. There are no strong words which could indicate the author's tone or intention. Given this, how could be really choose between choices B, D and E.

There is no indication of any opinion in the passage, so I don't understand the comments above about the 'tone'. A lot of people seem to favour answer B here, so I might elaborate a bit about why it is not the right answer (I don't know where the OA is from, but the answer is certainly not B).

One useful question to ask here is: if I was arguing that (as answer B says) 'If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes', what examples would I use to prove my case? Would I use the example of two identical houses? Of course not - people would, justifiably, object: 'what about very expensive houses? And what about very cheap houses?' By using two identical houses, I could not make any kind of compelling argument that every house will see its taxes increase if Prop 13 is repealed.

On the other hand, answer D is a perfectly logical conclusion to the argument, particularly since it takes into account the fact that the passage draws a comparison between identical houses.

The fact that the statement goes on to say - "Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000)." clearly shows that the author is pointing to something more than just choice D. Choice D is only pointing to the first half of the statement.

Also, "every" was followed by "likely". Hence, neutralizing the impact of "every". It does not mean every homeowner will, but likely.

We all agree that the choices boil down to B & D. I personally think that B might not be the nail in the head, but definitely concludes more than D.
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08 Sep 2010, 14:23
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The fact that the statement goes on to say - "Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000)." clearly shows that the author is pointing to something more than just choice D. Choice D is only pointing to the first half of the statement.

But that's the whole point: the identical houses are taxed identically without Prop 13, and differently with Prop 13. Only D takes into account both that the stem compares identical houses, and that the stem compares taxation under Prop 13 and not under Prop 13.

Also, "every" was followed by "likely". Hence, neutralizing the impact of "every". It does not mean every homeowner will, but likely.

From one example of two identical houses, it's an absolutely enormous stretch to conclude anything about what is likely to occur for 'every' homeowner. Words like 'all' and 'every' are buzzwords in CR - they are very rarely found in correct answers, since they are overly general.
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08 Sep 2010, 14:34
IanStewart wrote:
The fact that the statement goes on to say - "Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3 percent of$200,000)." clearly shows that the author is pointing to something more than just choice D. Choice D is only pointing to the first half of the statement.

But that's the whole point: the identical houses are taxed identically without Prop 13, and differently with Prop 13. Only D takes into account both that the stem compares identical houses, and that the stem compares taxation under Prop 13 and not under Prop 13.

Also, "every" was followed by "likely". Hence, neutralizing the impact of "every". It does not mean every homeowner will, but likely.

From one example of two identical houses, it's an absolutely enormous stretch to conclude anything about what is likely to occur for 'every' homeowner. Words like 'all' and 'every' are buzzwords in CR - they are very rarely found in correct answers, since they are overly general.

Agree with you on the fact that "all" and "every" are buzzwords................

Selecting B or D can also be looked in a different perspective.

With B, author does not want prop 13 to be repealed.

With D, author wants prop 13 to be repealed.

Therefore, putting aside the buzzwords, B & D point in two different directions.
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08 Sep 2010, 23:44
The question is from 1000 CR... OA is also from the same
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09 Sep 2010, 14:35
amitjash wrote:
The question is from 1000 CR... OA is also from the same

Yes, you shouldn't trust all the answers in that doc.
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09 Sep 2010, 14:42
D cannot be the answer....Just a thought triggering point here is :" How can a 11 yr old house and a new house be identical"?!?
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09 Sep 2010, 14:46
identical properties can be truely identical if they have the same Economical Worth...
if 2 brand new houses are bought worth 200,000$each. If preposition 13 is nullified, both the owners would be paying the same 6,000$...nothing different...so D is totally wrong!
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09 Sep 2010, 21:12
ahsanmalik12 wrote:
D cannot be the answer....Just a thought triggering point here is :" How can a 11 yr old house and a new house be identical"?!?

It doesn't say that one of the houses is 'new'.

ahsanmalik12 wrote:
identical properties can be truely identical if they have the same Economical Worth...
if 2 brand new houses are bought worth 200,000$each. If preposition 13 is nullified, both the owners would be paying the same 6,000$...nothing different...so D is totally wrong!

That's the point, precisely: the taxation is the same if Prop 13 is repealed, and different if it is not repealed, if the houses were bought at different times. That's why D is the right answer.
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09 Sep 2010, 23:50
IanStewart wrote:
ahsanmalik12 wrote:
D cannot be the answer....Just a thought triggering point here is :" How can a 11 yr old house and a new house be identical"?!?

It doesn't say that one of the houses is 'new'.

ahsanmalik12 wrote:
identical properties can be truely identical if they have the same Economical Worth...
if 2 brand new houses are bought worth 200,000$each. If preposition 13 is nullified, both the owners would be paying the same 6,000$...nothing different...so D is totally wrong!

That's the point, precisely: the taxation is the same if Prop 13 is repealed, and different if it is not repealed, if the houses were bought at different times. That's why D is the right answer.

I appreciate the effort that you have put in .I picked up E . ( betwee D and E )
(D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates.
sicne we donot have any other information about Prop. 13 I eliminated this answer choice .

(E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.
Since we have facts in the question to establish this I picked this one ..

thanx so much I have understood cheers !!
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10 Sep 2010, 02:54
D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates.

Identical properties will not be taxed different...They'll be taxed only if the economical status is not balanced. Please go through the passage. The two houses it refers to are not equivalent in value. One of them is 11 yrs old...
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10 Sep 2010, 05:57
ahsanmalik12 wrote:
Identical properties will not be taxed different...They'll be taxed only if the economical status is not balanced. Please go through the passage. The two houses it refers to are not equivalent in value. One of them is 11 yrs old...

The passage tells us the houses are identical. The passage can't be wrong on this point. Nowhere do we learn how old the houses are - they might both be 200 years old for all we know. We only know that one was bought 11 years ago, not that it was built 11 years ago.
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Re: Preposition 13   [#permalink] 10 Sep 2010, 05:57

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