Acting on the recommendation of a British government committee investi

Hi, sanjoo,

Let me take a shot on it.

My strategy on verbal is to use process of elimination (POE) and use splits (usually the answer choices almost always boil down to a 3-2 split). So here we go.

Oh by the way, here is when note taking is very essential. You should note the differences among WIDC, SPEV and WTUL.

84. The passage suggests that WIDC differed from WTUL in which of the following ways?

(A) WIDC believed that the existing safety regulations were adequate to protect women's health, whereas WTUL believed that such regulations needed to be strengthened.

This is wrong. WTUL says that there are already regulations. They don't need to be strengthened. Factories should just implement them in order to make the workplace safer. So this is wrong.

(B) WI DC believed that unions could not succeed in pressuring employers to comply with such regulations, whereas WTUL believed that unions could succeed in doing so.

Again, the effectiveness of unions wasn't discussed in the passage. So this is automatic.

(C) WIDC believed that lead poisoning in white lead factories could be avoided by controlling conditions there, whereas WTUL believed that lead poisoning in such factories could not be avoided no matter how stringently safety regulations were enforced.

See, WTUL believed that leas poisoning in such factories COULD BE AVOIDED if and only if safety regulations were enforced. So eliminate this.

(D) At the time that the legislation concerning white lead factories was proposed, WIDC was primarily concerned with addressing health conditions in white lead factories, whereas WTUL was concerned with improving working conditions in all types of factories.

Again, if you check the passage, there wasn't any discussion with regards to WTUL's concern with improving working conditions in ALL TYPES OF FACTORIES. This is out of scope. Automatic elimination.


(E) At the time that WIDC was opposing legislative attempts to restrict women's labor, WTUL had already ceased to do so.

Of course I can't say that since 4 choices have already been eliminated then we should choose this. That is not learning. We have to prove that this answer choice is true. Now, this answer choice all boils down to chronology. WTUL ceased in 1880 whereas WIDC was founded in 1892. Isn't this the answer choice?

How about some Kudos Puhhhhlease? :D

The problem with (E) is that the author does not evaluate the arguments of the various groups. The author simply explains those arguments and the reasoning behind them, without assessing (or "evaluating") their validity.

The author contrasts the reasoning behind those arguments by comparing them and explaining their differences. Thus, choice (B) is the best answer.
_________________

I was stuck on the same question and after re-reading the answer choices I concur that B is correct.

The passage mainly deals with the stance that each group, namely SPEW, WIDC and WTUL, has taken regarding the proposed legislation. However, even though all three groups contend that the unsafe conditions in the factories cause White lead poisoning, as to why each of these groups oppose the proposal varies. For example, WIDC is opposing the aforementioned proposal because it aims to restrict employment for women, SPEW is opposing it from their stance that the factories cause the lead poisoning and finally, WTUL's approach is that unions aren't strong enough at the Lead factories in order to pressure the factories from maintaining safe standards. Therefore, all three organizations approach the same problem but from different angles.

Hope this made sense...

84. The passage suggests that WIDC differed from WTUL in which of the following ways?

(A) WIDC believed that regulations were inadequate. False.
(B) WIDC is concerned about pressuring factories to improve regulations not unions. False.
(C) WTUL believed in improving conditions which is opposite the passage. False.
(D) This is just about white lead factories. False.
(E) Correct.

85. Which of the following, if true, would most clearly support the contention attributed to SPEW in lines 17-20(bold)?

SPEW believed in improving work conditions through regulations.

(A) Correct.
(B) We need something's about having or not having regulations.
(C) outside of scope.
(D) if the factories were already more stringent, this tends to weaken the claim.
(E) This shows the need for regulations but not support regulations could decrease illness incidents.

86. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) motives were not tackled....
(B) the passage simply described reasoning . correct.
(C) process of enactment not tackled....
(D) their view were discussed but not tactics....
(E) arguments were mentioned but not evaluated

OG13- 84-86. Time taken 8 mins.
Q3 Why not A?
(A) presenting various groups' views of the motives of those proposing certain legislation.
>> Involved parties are not sharing their views on the proposed legislation but not on the motives of the HS.
(B) contrasting the reasoning of various groups concerning their positions on certain proposed legislation
>> Yes All the 2 views of the involved parties WIDC and SPEW, and WTUL are compared in the argument.

BTW, even i selected A in rush but when i reread A and B , i found my mistake.A is only partly true not completely. Its pure game of words in A which i missed ,while answering the Q in rush.

Done within 7:10, all correct (´ε｀ )♡
It is my first time posting explanation. Hope this explanation helps.

84. The passage suggests that WIDC differed from WTUL in which of the following ways?

(A) WIDC believed that the existing safety regulations were adequate to protect women's health, whereas WTUL believed that such regulations needed to be strengthened.- Not mentioned.
(B) WI DC believed that unions could not succeed in pressuring employers to comply with such regulations, whereas WTUL believed that unions could succeed in doing so.-Not mentioned.
(C) WIDC believed that lead poisoning in white lead factories could be avoided by controlling conditions there, whereas WTUL believed that lead poisoning in such factories could not be avoided no matter how stringently safety regulations were enforced. SPEW believed that lead poisoning in white lead factories could be avoided.
(D) At the time that the legislation concerning white lead factories was proposed, WIDC was primarily concerned with addressing health conditions in white lead factories, whereas WTUL was concerned with improving working conditions in all types of factories. -Not mentioned about improving working conditions.
(E) Correct At the time that WIDC was opposing legislative attempts to restrict women's labor, WTUL had already ceased to do so.

If we look into the passage again, it says that: " which attempted to challenge it by investigating the causes of illness in white lead factories. SPEW contended, and WIDC concurred, that controllable conditions in such factories were responsible for the development of lead poisoning. However, the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), which had ceased in the late 1880s to oppose restrictions on women's labor, supported the eventually enacted proposal, in part because safety regulations were generally not being enforced in white lead factories, where there were no unions (and little prospect of any) to pressure employers to comply with safety regulations. - Means WIDC was still taking an action opposing legislative attempts to restrict women's labor while WTUL stopped/ceased to do so.

85. Which of the following, if true, would most clearly support the contention attributed to SPEW in lines 17-20(bold)?

(A) Correct. Those white lead factories that most strongly enforced regulations concerning worker safety and hygiene had the lowest incidences of lead poisoning among employees.
Passage: "SPEW provided convincing evidence that lead poisoning could be avoided if workers were careful and clean and if already extant workplace safety regulations were stringently enforced."- They provided evidence to contend against legislation attempt.
(B) The incidence of lead poisoning was much higher among women who worked in white lead factories than among women who worked in other types of factories.
(C) There were many household sources of lead that could have contributed to the incidence of lead poisoning among women who also worked outside the home in the late nineteenth century.
(D) White lead factories were more stringent than were certain other types of factories in their enforcement of workplace safety regulations.
(E) Even brief exposure to the conditions typically found in white lead factories could cause lead poisoning among factory workers.

86. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) presenting various groups' views of the motives of those proposing certain legislation
(B) Correct. contrasting the reasoning of various groups concerning their positions on certain proposed legislation
(C) tracing the process whereby certain proposed legislation was eventually enacted
(D) assessing the success of tactics adopted by various groups with respect to certain proposed legislation
(E) evaluating the arguments of various groups concerning certain proposed legislation

Hi Gmatninja, Gmatninja2,
I have a query regarding understanding of words - contend and concur in this passage.
Contend means to argue and concur means to be in harmony with.
My query is regarding part in bold, if SPEW opposes initial proposal of home secretary that women should be stopped from working in lead factories due to high chance of illness,
How can concur we place another contrasting word concur so adjacent to WIDC which in fact also opposes home secretary's proposal?
_________________

In this context, "concur" means to "agree" and "content" means to "argue" or "assert" (as in, to assert something as a position in an argument).

For example, Mike contends that going to the gym is a waste of time, and Charles concurs. In other words, Mike argues that going to the gym is a waste of time, and Charles agrees with Mike (i.e. Charles would also contend that going to the gym is a waste of time).

Referring to the part in bold, SPEW argues that controllable conditions were responsible for the development of lead poisoning, and WIDC agrees with SPEW (i.e. WIDC would also contend that controllable conditions were responsible).

I hope that helps!
_________________

Regarding Q3 (Book #86), I was also stuck between B and D, but eventually chose B.
Here is my reasoning:
In E, when you say "evaluate," you present the positive and negative points of a certain topic.
However, the article did not present the positive and negative points of the arguments of each of the 3 groups.
Only WIDC's argument was evaluated (the article stated a negative point: it did not discount the white lead trade's potential health dangers), not the arguments of the 2 or more groups.
Thus, the correct answer is B.

Hi GMATNinja,

Why is B better than E for Q3. Can you please provide your explanation?

What's the meaning of contrast here?

84) E is correct
eliminated all ABCD
85) A is correct
If more strictly following regulations => lowest evidences => SPEW contention was accurate
86) B is correct
A) grps not proposing motives
C) no tracing involved
D) no tactics were accessed
E) No arguments were evaluated rather reasoning were given by groups for their position ( judgement/ belief) on proposed legislation.

Passage: White Lead

Question: Main Idea

The Simple Story

Lead poisoning was once common among the mostly-female workforce of white lead factories. In 1895, the Home Secretary proposed banning women from working in these factories. The passage focuses on the ways in which three groups reacted to the proposal: WIDC and SPEW opposed the ban, while WTUL supported it. The passage also details the reasons for these groups’ reactions.

Sample Passage Map

Here is one way to map this passage. (Note: abbreviate as desired!)

P1:

WL factories → illness for women

Home Sec: ban women

WIDC: no, this limits women’s work opps

P2:

SPEW: also oppose Home Sec; illness can be controlled with regs

WTUL: supported Home Sec b/c of no safety regs

Step 1: Identify the Question

The phrasing primarily concerned with indicates that this is a Primary Purpose, or main idea, question.

Step 2: Find the Support

The support for a main idea question comes from your understanding of the passage as a whole; main idea answers will focus on the point of the entire passage, rather than any specific detail.

Step 3: Predict an Answer

The passage can be divided into four sections. The first section introduces background information: a proposal was made for certain reasons. Each of the next three sections describes the reaction of a particular group to this proposal. The passage does not argue in favor of or against any of these groups. Instead, it limits itself to describing their reactions and their reasoning, including how and why they differed. The right answer will probably refer to describing or contrasting the reactions of the three groups.

Step 4: Eliminate and Find a Match

(A) The three groups are described as being concerned with why the lead poisoning occurred, not with why the proposal about poisoning was made.

(B) CORRECT. The three groups supported or opposed the proposal for different reasons. For instance, WTUL supported the proposal due to concerns about enforcement. The majority of the passage is dedicated to explaining these reasons.

(C) At the end of the passage, it is briefly mentioned that the proposal was enacted. However, the passage does not specify how the groups influenced the legislative process, or how that process proceeded. It is possible that WTUL’s support helped the proposal become enacted, but the passage does not specifically state this.

(D) Since the proposal was enacted, WIDC’s and SPEW’s opposition to the proposal was presumably less successful than WTUL’s support. However, the passage does not state this and does not specifically describe any of the groups as successful or unsuccessful. Also, the groups’ tactics are not described, only their positions and reasoning.

(E) The passage does not evaluate the arguments of the groups. Instead, it just describes these arguments, without judging their merits.
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Dear Ninja,
I am facing issue with the Official answer options. I got 3/4 wrong. Though the answer to question 3 is the same as yours. Please clarify the solution.
My take is BABC, while OA is BECA.
Thanks.

I believe there's an error in the way that the OA's are listed?

Shouldn't the correct answers be:

1. The passage suggests that WIDC differed from WTUL in which of the following ways?

(E) At the time that WIDC was opposing legislative attempts to restrict women's labor, WTUL had already ceased to do so.
NOT
(B) WI DC believed that unions could not succeed in pressuring employers to comply with such regulations, whereas WTUL believed that unions could succeed in doing so.


2. Which of the following, if true, would most clearly support the contention attributed to SPEW in lines 17-20(bold)?

(A) Those white lead factories that most strongly enforced regulations concerning worker safety and hygiene had the lowest incidences of lead poisoning among employees.
NOT
(E) Even brief exposure to the conditions typically found in white lead factories could cause lead poisoning among factory workers.

3. The passage is primarily concerned with

(B) contrasting the reasoning of various groups concerning their positions on certain proposed legislation
NOT
(C) tracing the process whereby certain proposed legislation was eventually enacted

4. According to the passage, the WIDC believed that the proposed legislation resembled earlier legislation concerning women’s labor in that it

(C) limited women’s occupational opportunities
NOT
(A) caused divisiveness among women’s organizations

Did I completely miss on this whole passage?

Main point - 3 organization, want to do same but for diff reasons.

1. The passage suggests that WIDC differed from WTUL in which of the following ways?
which had ceased in the late 1880s to oppose restrictions on women's labor,

(E) At the time that WIDC was opposing legislative attempts to restrict women's labor, WTUL had already ceased to do so.
----------------------------------------------

2. Which of the following, if true, would most clearly support the contention attributed to SPEW in highlighted text?

that controllable conditions in such factories were responsible for the development of lead poisoning.

(A) Those white lead factories that most strongly enforced regulations concerning worker safety and hygiene had the lowest incidences of lead poisoning among employees.

----------------------------------------------

3. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) presenting various groups' views of the motives of those proposing certain legislation - presenting various groups' views - true, views of the motives of those proposing certain legislation - no, people who make the legislation, their views. - no
(B) contrasting the reasoning of various groups concerning their positions on certain proposed legislation - i dont like the word 'contrasting' here. but i can easily eliminate rest 4 choices. apart from this word rest is good with this choice.
(C) tracing the process whereby certain proposed legislation was eventually enacted - no
(D) assessing the success of tactics adopted by various groups with respect to certain proposed legislation - no
(E) evaluating the arguments of various groups concerning certain proposed legislation - no +/- side of this. cant be the choice.

--------------------------------------

4. According to the passage, the WIDC believed that the proposed legislation resembled earlier legislation concerning women’s labor in that it

instance of limiting women's work opportunities.
(C) limited women’s occupational opportunities

Given that the passage only has one paragraph, taking three minutes to read the passage is one place where you could have cut down on time.

This is crucial as we know that a minute saved on the GMAT can be utilized to solve another SC question.

To save that one minute, or to read any passage effectively, it is important to identify what is to be read and what is not to be read.

Please watch this Youtube video to learn more about our reading principles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVUpZ-bZto

Hope that helps.

All the best.

Thanks,

Saikiran Dudyala
Byju's GMAT Verbal Expert

Can u point out the differences between option B and option E, and specifically why option E is incorrect

Just got Q#3 incorrect because I was thrown off by "contrasting" as most of the groups generally agreed that women's rights were being limited and that 2 of the 3 groups concurred with each other, but taking a step back and examining the passage "why" as a whole helps me realise the author's intention.

(B) contrasting the reasoning of various groups concerning their positions on certain proposed legislation


I initially selected 3(C) as the structure of the passage follows the timeline up to enacting; however, I now see that the argument didn't really "trace" the process of enacting the legislation but instead discussed the history at the time of proposing the legislation and then stated that the legislation was enacted.

(C) tracing the process whereby certain proposed legislation was eventually enacted

The keyword that makes option E incorrect is EVALUATE. The author of the passage did not EVALUATE the different arguments. He/she just stated them as facts. Hence B.