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12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition with Lots of Fun

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀An essential part of economic freedom is freedom
⠀⠀⠀ to choose how to use our income: how much to spend
⠀⠀⠀ on ourselves and on what items; how much to save
⠀⠀⠀ and in what form; how much to give away and to
(5) whom. Currently, more than 40 percent of our
⠀⠀⠀ income is disposed of on our behalf by government at
⠀⠀⠀ federal, state, and local levels combined. One of us
⠀⠀⠀ once suggested a new national holiday, ‘Personal
⠀⠀⠀ Independence Day—that day in the year when we
(10) stop working to pay the expenses of government...
⠀⠀⠀ and start working to pay for the items we severally
⠀⠀⠀ and individually choose in light of our own needs and
⠀⠀⠀ desires.’ In 1929, that holiday would have come on
⠀⠀⠀ Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, February 12; today it
(15) would come about May 30; if present trends were to
⠀⠀⠀ continue, it would coincide with the other
⠀⠀⠀ Independence Day, July 4, around 1988.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Of course, we have something to say about how
⠀⠀⠀ much of our income is spent on our behalf by
(20) government. We participate in the political process
⠀⠀⠀ that has resulted in government’s spending an
⠀⠀⠀ amount equal to more than 40 percent of our income.
⠀⠀⠀ Majority rule is a necessary and desirable expedient.
⠀⠀⠀ It is, however, very different from the kind of
(25) freedom you have when you shop at a supermarket.
⠀⠀⠀ When you enter the voting booth once a year, you
⠀⠀⠀ almost always vote for a package rather than for
⠀⠀⠀ specific items. If you are in the majority, you will at
⠀⠀⠀ best get both the items you favored and the ones you
(30) opposed but regarded as on balance less important.
⠀⠀⠀ Generally, you end up with something different from
⠀⠀⠀ what you thought you voted for. If you are in the
⠀⠀⠀ minority, you must conform to the majority vote and
⠀⠀⠀ wait for your turn to come. When you vote daily in
(35) the supermarket, you get precisely what you voted
⠀⠀⠀ for, and so does everyone else. The ballot box
⠀⠀⠀ produces conformity without unanimity; the
⠀⠀⠀ marketplace, unanimity without conformity. That is
⠀⠀⠀ why it is desirable to use the ballot box, so far as
(40) possible, only for those decisions where conformity is
⠀⠀⠀ essential.



1. The authors of the passage repeat “40 percent” (line 5 and line 22) most likely in order to

(A) support a claim they believe many people will doubt.
(B) emphasize a number they believe is too large.
(C) correct a perception they believe is incorrect.
(D) ensure the reader understands how they arrived at their calculations.
(E) provide the reader raw data from which to draw a conclusion.




2. It can be inferred from the passage that, over time, Personal Indepence Day would occur later in the year because

(A) people are unaware of how much of their income goes to taxes each year.
(B) people’s incomes are not growing as rapidly as they were in the past.
(C) people are spending a greater percentage of their income each year on taxes.
(D) people misunderstand the underlying desires that motivate their spending.
(E) people in the minority have to wait for the next opportunity to vote.




3. According to the passage, one result of the current political process for determining government spending is that

(A) the government has more funds than it needs to operate efficiently.
(B) the government is unable to secure the public’s confidence.
(C) voters who are in the majority tend to be highly satisfied.
(D) voters rarely get exactly what they want.
(E) non-voters must conform to the majority vote.




4. The authors’ remark in lines 36-38 (“The ballot... conformity”) most likely serves which purpose?

(A) To suggest that conformity is more desirable thanunanimity.
(B) To caution that unanimity and conformity are incompatible aims.
(C) To point out that two activities have similar flaws.
(D) To emphasize a sharp contrast between two familiar activities.
(E) To persuade the reader to vote only in certain situations.





Official Explanation from AndrewN is HERE.
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1. The authors of the passage repeat “40 percent” (line 5 and line 22) most likely in order to

(A) support a claim they believe many people will doubt.
(B) emphasize a number they believe is too large.
The way I deduced the answer was to read the lines before/after sentence where "40 per cent" was mentioned - helped me understand the context.
(C) correct a perception they believe is incorrect.
(D) ensure the reader understands how they arrived at their calculations.
(E) provide the reader raw data from which to draw a conclusion.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that, over time, Personal Indepence Day would occur later in the year because

(A) people are unaware of how much of their income goes to taxes each year.
(B) people’s incomes are not growing as rapidly as they were in the past.
(C) people are spending a greater percentage of their income each year on taxes.
" if present trends were to
⠀⠀⠀ continue, it would coincide with the other
⠀⠀⠀ Independence Day, July 4, around 1988."

(D) people misunderstand the underlying desires that motivate their spending.
(E) people in the minority have to wait for the next opportunity to vote.


3. According to the passage, one result of the current political process for determining government spending is that

(A) the government has more funds than it needs to operate efficiently.
(B) the government is unable to secure the public’s confidence.
(C) voters who are in the majority tend to be highly satisfied.
(D) voters rarely get exactly what they want.
"Generally, you end up with something different from
⠀⠀⠀ what you thought you voted for. If you are in the
⠀⠀⠀ minority, you must conform to the majority vote and
⠀⠀⠀ wait for your turn to come"

(E) non-voters must conform to the majority vote.

4. The authors’ remark in lines 36-38 (“The ballot... conformity”) most likely serves which purpose?

(A) To suggest that conformity is more desirable thanunanimity.
(B) To caution that unanimity and conformity are incompatible aims.
(C) To point out that two activities have similar flaws.
(D) To emphasize a sharp contrast between two familiar activities.
The way I deduced the answer was to read the lines before/after sentence.
(E) To persuade the reader to vote only in certain situations.
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