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705-805 (Hard)|   Inference|      
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Carcass
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 20 Jun 2019, 06:00
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C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

75% (hard)

Question Stats:

57% (02:24) correct 43% (02:35) wrong based on 344 sessions

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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large enough to allow reasonably accurate projections, found that in 1984 there had been a dramatic reversal of a twenty-year tendency toward migration of United States residents older than sixty to small towns and rural regions, both within and across state boundaries. This finding turns out to have been in error. The problem was that people who had moved to the United States from abroad were accidentally counted as part of interstate migration that year.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage above?

(A) In 1984 the majority of people coming to the United States from abroad were over the age of sixty.
(B) In 1984 fewer United States residents over the age of sixty changed residence than in any of the twenty years prior to 1984.
(C) People over· the age of sixty who in 1984 came to the United States from abroad did not settle predominantly in small towns and rural regions.
(D) The microdata sample for 1984 that was used in the demographic study cited was too small to allow any meaningful projections.
(E) The twenty-year trend mentioned in the passage was due chiefly to moves over relatively short distances, mostly within the same state.
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C
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 21 Jun 2019, 09:18
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carcass
A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large enough to allow reasonably accurate projections, found that in 1984 there had been a dramatic reversal of a twenty-year tendency toward migration of United States residents older than sixty to small towns and rural regions, both within and across state boundaries. This finding turns out to have been in error. The problem was that people who had moved to the United States from abroad were accidentally counted as part of interstate migration that year.

The population study showed that there has been a reversal of a twenty year migration tendency of the US residents. The tendency was that US residents above the age of 60 years used to move to the smaller towns and rural regions. But since there has been a reversal to this tendency so the aforementioned migration of US residents has decreased significantly (or there is none). But, this finding of the study is faulty, since it has covered the migrants as well(who traveled in 1984 to the US) in its study of original US residents.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage above?

(A) In 1984 the majority of people coming to the United States from abroad were over the age of sixty.
This cannot be inferred as nowhere it is mentioned that the majority migrants were over 60.

(B) In 1984 fewer United States residents over the age of sixty changed residence than in any of the twenty years prior to 1984.
We are talking about moving to smaller towns and rural regions and not changing residence. These old folks could have changed residence within the big city but, we don't know that for sure.

(C) People over· the age of sixty who in 1984 came to the United States from abroad did not settle predominantly in small towns and rural regions.
Now this talks about the point, we were looking for which can be correctly inferred. Since, migrants were also included in the study along with the original US residents who are over 60 so this fact clearly tells us that because migrants who were over 60 did not settle (or move) to the smaller towns, and they were counted in the study so this might explain the reversal tendency error.

(D) The microdata sample for 1984 that was used in the demographic study cited was too small to allow any meaningful projections.
First line of the prompt disagrees with this point.

(E) The twenty-year trend mentioned in the passage was due chiefly to moves over relatively short distances, mostly within the same state.
Nowhere it is mentioned about the distance length. Moreover, it is mentioned these old folks moving to both within and across state boundaries.
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 21 Jun 2019, 19:42
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Because non-residents were added in the microdata sample, the sample now doesn't have enough valid data. When you look at just the residents in the sample the number for "just enough to project" has shrunk. Option C could also be the answer as the microdata sample is too small(after the non-residents have been added to make it just enough to be used).

Option C could also be true.
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 23 Jun 2019, 06:57
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So, what happened?

  • There's a trend that US residents over 60 years old migrate to small towns and rural areas.
  • But a population study shows that there's actually the opposite - people migrate from rural to urban areas.
  • However, there's another plot twist. The study is erroneous because the researchers counted immigrants from abroad as residents that migrated to cities/urban areas.

Prethinking: If people from abroad inflated the number of people that move to cities, a significant part of those immigrants must have settled down in cities/urban areas (which contributed to the reversal of the trend).

Quote:
(A) In 1984 the majority of people coming to the United States from abroad were over the age of sixty.
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We know that people from abroad in general were counted as intra-US migrants, but we can't infer how old they were. We just know, that the researchers made an error counting this group as intracountry migrants.

Quote:
(B) In 1984 fewer United States residents over the age of sixty changed residence than in any of the twenty years prior to 1984.
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The reversal of trend was because of counting immigrants as US intracountry migrants and we know nothing about changes among US residents in 1984 (let alone changes in each year prior to 1984).

Quote:
(C) People over the age of sixty who in 1984 came to the United States from abroad did not settle predominantly in small towns and rural regions.
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If those people did not settle predominantly in small towns and rural regions, they must have settled in urban areas. That's what've prethought. Keep it.

Quote:
(D) The microdata sample for 1984 that was used in the demographic study cited was too small to allow any meaningful projections.
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The passage refutes that by stating: "microdata sample;' a sample just large enough to allow reasonably accurate projections". Eliminate (D).

Quote:
(E) The twenty-year trend mentioned in the passage was due chiefly to moves over relatively short distances, mostly within the same state.
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I don't see how it's possible to infer anything about distances and about differences between intrastate and interstate migration. Cross it off.

(C) is the answer. :thumbup:

PS Shouldn't there be a colon instead of semicolon after "microdata sample"? And isn't adverb "chiefly" slightly misplaced in answer choice (E)?
carcass please correct me if I'm wrong.
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 24 Jun 2019, 09:34
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I think you mean the semicolon in D. However, no. The answer is good as it is written.

And no also to the second question. It is fine.

Considering that this is also an official question.

For the rest so far so good.

Regards
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 24 Jun 2019, 09:57
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I meant the semicolon in the passage, not in the answer choice (D). But I see now that it's an official GRE question and they probably know better. ;)

Thanks for response.
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A population study based on a "microdata sample;' a sample just large 12 Sep 2025, 07:39
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