Arboria is floundering in the global marketplace, incurring devastati

Would this be 600-650 level question? or below 600?

In my opinion the difficulty level is as such

Question #1: 550
Question #2: 600
Question #3: 500
Question #4: 600
Question #5: 600
Question #6: 550
Question #7: 600
Question #8: 550

Overall: 550-600 (Easy)

7.30 Minutes to read and take notes and 5.30 minutes to answer all 8 questions. Got 7 out of 8 correct. Got the 2nd question wrong.

Can someone help me with this? I usually find lost and cannot capture much information when encountering long passages, especially in passages that contain many difficult words like this. But the second time I read to review the passage, although I still don't understand all the words but I found it's much easier to capture the main idea. Can you suggest how to deal with hard passage? I work pretty well with short passages but not for the long ones.

I believe question number 4 (497 ) has to be revived.
the passge clearly says World trade is no longer dominated by the free-trade economies;

if that is the case then in the mid 1940s free trade economies were dominating international markets . so D cannot be the right answer .

497.  The author mentions all of the following as characteristic of world trade in the mid-1940s EXCEPT:

A. Arboria played a major role in the global marketplace.- NO
B. Whorfland played a major role in the global marketplace.-NO
C. Tariffs were the main obstacle to trade.- CRT
D. Fair-trade economies dominated international trade.NOCurrently World trade is no longer dominated by the free-trade economies;so it was in 1940s
E. Arborian manufacturers were unsurpassed in most industries.-NO

Great question! Long passages with difficult vocab can be intimidating, but they don't really demand a different approach than any other type of RC passage.

The best way to deal with these is to have a consistent approach which you can apply to any passage. As you finish each paragraph, pause to ask yourself the following questions:

1) What was the author's purpose?
2) How does this paragraph connect to the previous paragraph?

Check out our RC guide or this RC video (and maybe its sequels) for more on this approach.

I hope that helps a bit!

Can someone help me to figure out the meaning of "first" in choice B of test of 494. I was stuck by this word and chose A instead.

About the question - “the author is primarily concerned with”

What if option A were something like this —

“Explaining then erosion of Arboria’s position in the world marketplace” , isn’t this better than option C?

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question 6:
499. ???The author asserts which of the following about Arboria's trade policy?

A. A dramatic revision of Arboria's trade policy will be necessary unless Arborian manufacturers improve the quality of their goods.
B. The most crucial issue facing Arborian trade policymakers is that of free trade versus protectionism.
C. Arboria's current trade policy was essentially developed during the 1940s and has changed little since that time.
D. Arboria's trade policy is widely emulated throughout the world, to the extent that most international commerce is modeled on Arboria's principles.
E. Arboria's trade policy has evolved gradually over the last eighty years, constantly readjusting itself in response to shifts in global commerce.

OA is C. Passage states that Arobia's policy had not changed to new policies. How can a little changed is correct?

Hi Santosh,

What the passage says: Arboria has not made any real changes to its trade policies, which have been in use since the 1940s.

What option C says: Arboria's current trade policy was essentially developed during the 1940s and has changed little since that time.

What option C means: Arboria's current trade policy came into existence in the 1940s and has not really changed from then.


Your confusion arises from a common misunderstanding of the meaning of option C. Let me explain with an example.


Sentence: A few players can be compared to Sachin Tendulkar.
Meaning: There are some players (a small but non-negligible number) who can be compared to Sachin.

Sentence: Few players can be compared to Sachin Tendulkar.
Meaning: There are pretty much no players who can be compared to Sachin. The number of such players is so small that it is negligible. In other words, the intended meaning is that practically no player can be compared to Sachin.

Small words like "a" can tilt the intended meaning of the sentence by 180 degrees. We need to be extra careful.

Look at this example.

Sentence: John's attitude towards life has changed a little since he served in the army

vs.

Sentence: John's attitude towards life has changed little since he served in the army

The first sentence means: John's attitude has changed
The second sentence means: John's attitude has not changed.


In option C:
Arboria's trade policy has not changed in all these years.


This is a very important learning!

Hope this helps!
Warm Regards
Harsha

Question 1

Notice that answer choice (B) defines the meaning of fair trade. In the context of the sentence, the word “first” could be replaced with the word “other,” and it would have the same meaning.

Put another way: according to fair trade theory, when a nation erects trade barriers against some other nation, that other nation will respond by restricting commerce. The answer choice refers to this other nation (which restricts commerce) as the “first” nation, to differentiate it from the nation that erects trade barriers.

I hope that helps!

Question 6

Here are the key lines from the passage:


The second sentence is saying that Arborian trade policy has not shifted radically. Notice this is different than saying it has not shifted at all. So answer choice (C) is perfectly consistent with this statement. In other words, the idea that trade policy has not “shifted radically” supports the statement that it has “changed little.”

Question 7

It's usually not helpful to imagine alternate answer choices, because your job is to assess whether each option answers the question exactly as written. In this case, changing "illustrating" to "explaining" wouldn't make a huge difference -- neither would capture the author's primary purpose for writing the passage.

See our previous post for an explanation of answer choice (A).

I hope that helps!

Question 1

Which of the following best states the difference between free trade and fair trade, as explained in the passage?

A. Free trade requires no trade tariffs whatsoever, whereas fair trade assumes multilateral agreement on tariffs for goods of equal worth. “…assumes multilateral agreement on tariffs for goods of equal worth” not mentioned anywhere.

B. Free trade is based on the unrestricted movement of goods across all national boundaries, whereas fair trade is based on a nation's restriction of commerce with each nation that erects trade barriers to the first nation's exports. This difference is stated in the third paragraph

C. The trade policies of countries like Arboria are based on the principles of free trade, whereas the trade policies of other types of world economies are based on fair trade. Not mentioned anywhere

D. Free-trade nations negotiate individual trade agreements with each of their trading partners, whereas fair-trade nations conduct multilateral trade negotiations. Such a comparison has not mentioned anywhere

E. Free trade assumes a constant level of global commerce, whereas fair trade promotes a steady expansion of international trade. Not mentioned anywhere


Question 2

It can be inferred that the author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements about multilateral trade negotiations?

A. They are the most effective way to resolve trade problems. The exact opposite of what can be inferred

B. They are most effective in dealing with fair-trade issues between nations. Cannot infer this

C. They have only recently begun to make an impact on world trade. Nothing in the passage to help us infer this

D. Arborian reliance on multilateral trade negotiations, while appropriate in the past, is inadequate for today's global marketplace. We can infer this from this statement: “Forging a multilateral trade policy consensus among so many diverse economic systems has become virtually impossible” and the statement that leads to this statement.

E. The principles of multilateral trade negotiations are incompatible with current Arborian foreign trade policy. We cannot infer anything about the principles of multilateral trade negotiations


Question 3

Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's opinion of “free traders” and “fair traders”?

A. The free and the fair traders' continuing debate provides a healthy and effective forum for examining Arborian trade policy. This is not the author’s opinion

B. The proponents of fair trade are essentially correct, while those who advocate free trade are not. The author feels that both the positions are wrong.

C. The proponents of free trade are better able to deal with current economic problems than are the fair traders. No such comparison has been made.

D. Neither the free nor the fair traders can come up with a workable trade policy because neither takes multilateral negotiations into account. The passage says that both sides say that multilateral negotiations are the most effective way to resolve pressing trade issues

E. The proponents of both free and fair trade have based their positions on out-of-date premises that do not reflect current economic conditions. This line: But both sides base their positions on the same two outdated premises


Question 4

The author mentions all of the following as characteristic of world trade in the mid1940s EXCEPT:

A. Arboria played a major role in the global marketplace “…Arboria and Whorfland dominated the global economy”

B. Whorfland played a major role in the global marketplace “…Arboria and Whorfland dominated the global economy”

C. Tariffs were the main obstacle to trade. “…tariffs were the principal obstacle to trade”

D. Fair-trade economies dominated international trade. Not mentioned

E. Arborian manufacturers were unsurpassed in most industries. “..Arborian supremacy was uncontested in virtually all industries”



Question 5

In presenting the argument in the passage, the author uses all of the following EXCEPT:

A. statistical information about global commerce “The 40-year-old GATT now covers less than 7 percent of global commerce.”

B. definitions of terms concerning world trade "The fair traders assert that access to Arborian markets should be restricted..."

C. generalizations about Arboria's economic system "Arboria faces the prospect of continuing economic loss until Arborian business and political leaders recognize the fundamental differences between Arborian and foreign economic systems"

D. historical background of Arborian trade policy Arboria is operating with an obsolete trade policy, an artifact of the mid-1940s when Arboria

E. an example of an economic system whose principles differ from those of Arboria Not mentioned


Question 6

The author asserts which of the following about Arboria's trade policy?

A. A dramatic revision of Arboria's trade policy will be necessary unless Arborian manufacturers improve the quality of their goods. No talk of improving the quality of goods

B. The most crucial issue facing Arborian trade policymakers is that of free trade versus protectionism. The problem is free trade and fair trade

C. Arboria's current trade policy was essentially developed during the 1940s and has changed little since that time. “Arboria is operating with an obsolete trade policy, an artifact of the mid1940s…economic circumstances have shifted radically. Arborian trade policy has not.”

D. Arboria's trade policy is widely emulated throughout the world, to the extent that most international commerce is modeled on Arboria's principles. The author does not assert this

E. Arboria's trade policy has evolved gradually over the last eighty years, constantly readjusting itself in response to shifts in global commerce. The author clearly states that Arborian trade policy has not shifted


Question 7

The passage is primarily concerned with

A. illustrating the erosion of Arboria's position in the world marketplace This is a small portion of what has been mentioned

B. examining the differences between “free” and “fair” traders This is a small portion of what has been mentioned

C. advocating a reassessment of Arboria's trade policy The passage talks about Arboria, its outdated policies that haven't changed overtime and how Arboria should re-evaluate and change their policies as the old principles are no longer valid

D. criticizing the terms of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) This is a small portion of what has been mentioned

E. comparing the different economic circumstances of Arboria's trade partners This has not been done


Question 8

The author implies that the main obstacle to a truly effective Arborian trade policy is the

A. weak position that Arboria currently holds in the global marketplace That is not the obstacle

B. inability of Arborian leaders to recognize that foreign economic systems are based on principles fundamentally different from their own “Today the key trade issue is not free trade versus protectionism but diminishing trade versus expanding trade.”

C. dominance of the supporters of free trade in the conflict between free-trade and fair-trade advocates Not been mentioned

D. apparent inability of Arborian industries to produce goods that are competitive in the world market Not been mentioned

E. protectionism that characterizes the foreign trade policies of so many of Arboria's trade partners Not been mentioned

- Nitha Jay

GMATNinja Sajjad1994 CrackverbalGMAT KarishmaB egmat Magoosh
Can you help me understand why Option B is incorrect in Que 6.

Que - The author asserts which of the following about Arboria's trade policy?

Option B - The most crucial issue facing Arborian trade policymakers is that of free trade versus protectionism.

Here protectionism refers to fair trade. The most crucial issue faced by them is that of free trade vs fair trade. Please me on this.

Question 6

The author spends a good amount of time discussing free trade and fair trade, but he/she would not agree that this is a "crucial issue." Instead, the author thinks that the free trade vs. fair trade argument completely misses the actual issues with Arboria's economy. This is a pretty important piece of the author's argument, and you really want to wrap your head around this kind of thing before you dive into the weeds of the particular questions.

To pick up on the key components of the author's argument, consider why he/she write each paragraph, and how those paragraphs fits together. As an example, here's a breakdown of this passage:

Paragraph 1: the author introduces a problem, rules out one aspect of that problem, and focuses on another aspect of the problem.

• The problem: "Arboria's trade policy."
• Something that's NOT an important piece of the problem: "free trade versus protectionism."
• Something that IS an important piece of the problem: "diminishing trade versus expanding trade."

Paragraph 2: The author states that Arboria's trade policy is obsolete.

Paragraph 3: The author outlines the argument between free trade and fair trade, and lists 2 assumptions on which BOTH sides rely.

Paragraph 4: The author explains that the assumptions from Paragraph 3 are incorrect, and thus demonstrates why the free vs. fair trade discussion isn't relevant.

From the above analysis, you can see that the author doesn't think that the free vs. fair trade argument is that important at all -- he/she thinks that both sides of that debate rely on incorrect assumptions. Instead of that debate, the author thinks that Arborian trade policy should focus on expansion.

Eliminate (B) for question 6.

I hope that helps!

Ideally, how much time should this passage take to solve considering its EASY level but has 8 questions? Any expert's reply would be really helpful.