Bio-fuels, blended with ordinary fuel, are beginning to bring these

Question

Bio-fuels, blended with ordinary fuel, are beginning to bring these green alternatives from obscurity. Brazil has, for many years, produced ethanol from sugar and used the high-octane alcohol as a substitute for gasoline. Vegetable oil derived from soya beans and rapeseed (called canola in the Americas) has been used to run tractors in many parts of the world. But these environmental alternatives to crude oil have until recently not been taken very seriously by the big consumer nations and their petro-corporations. But new laws requiring gasoline to contain 10 percent ethanol, and diesel to contain 6 percent vegetable oil by volume are changing all that. At the levels imposed, no new infrastructure is required in order to accommodate these changes as they can be dispensed at existing fuel stations and used to run existing cars, trucks and tractors. To go further, however, and, for example, run all cars exclusively on ethanol would require a new generation of engine and perhaps, more significantly, the scaling up of production of ethanol by a fantastic margin. A whole-scale switch to bio-diesel seems to carry fewer challenges. Its production is far less capital-intensive in the start-up phase. Most existing engines can burn the fuel or would be relatively easy to convert and farmers are very receptive to the idea of a new market (and better prices) for a product they already grow.    1 
 1. Which of the following sentences best expresses the key point made in the passage?

A. As oil prices rise, policy-makers are turning to alternatives.
B. New laws are beginning to lift bio-fuels from obscurity.
C. Blending bio-fuels with traditional oil products is bringing them into prominence.
D. Bio-fuels are about to take off.
E. At the level imposed, no new infrastructure is required to accommodate the emergence of bio-fuels.

2 
 2. Which of the following sentences would best conclude the passage?

A. Perhaps the greatest appeal of both bio-diesel and ethanol is the promise, for any country with the space to grow bio-fuel-producing crops, is independence from imported fuels and increased agricultural revenue.
B. Fear of global warming is partly driving this search for off-the-wall alternatives.
C. Skeptics argue that growing crops to produce ethanol will consume more gasoline than it will produce.
D. If bio-fuels do take off, environmentalists will raise as many concerns as they do currently.
E. Perhaps the greatest appeal of bio-fuels is the opportunity they represent for venture capitalists to break into the highly profitable but previously closed oil markets.

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that:

A. Most cars could run on a fuel blend made of up to 85 percent ethanol.
B. Government policy is lifting bio-fuels from obscurity.
C. Demand for bio-fuels will soon outstrip supply.
D. Cars can handle a 10 percent ethanol blend.
E. Bio-fuels are not the only alternative to the current dependence on imported crude products.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 32 Date: 20-Jan-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Source: How to pass the GMAT

100mitra · Accepted Answer

Paraphrasing:  {8 mins - 3/3 correct}

* Introduction to “bio-fuel”, such as ethanol and vegetable oil
* New law requiring gasoline to contain 10% ethanol & diesel 6% vegetable oil
* What if, max cars run on max utilization of ethanol? 
* Challenges:
- Less capital intensive in start-up phrase
- Can engines would be converted for utilization
- Farmer look ethanol as product

1. Which of the following sentences best expresses the key point made in the passage?  
A. As  oil prices rise , policy-makers are turning to alternatives.
  Wrong   – highlights more about oil price, passage tone is description of bio-fuel for consumption

B.  New laws  are beginning to lift  bio-fuels   from obscurity .
Correct: Bio-fuel > lift from obscurity > New laws > to contain 10% ethanol & diesel 6% vegetable oil > increase of bio-fuel

C. Blending bio-fuels with traditional oil products is bringing them  into prominence .
  Wrong    This is one of the way, to increase utilization of bio-fuel in consumption, which alternatively reduce traditional oil in ratio.

D. Bio-fuels are about  to take off .
  Wrong    No inference can be made from the information available in the passage

E. At the level imposed,  no new infrastructure  is required to accommodate the emergence of bio-fuels.
  Wrong    this is one of the challenges, bio-fuel is facing for getting alternative

2. Which of the following sentences would best conclude the passage?  
A. Perhaps the greatest appeal of both bio-diesel and ethanol  is the promise , 
for any country  with the space  to grow bio-fuel-producing crops, 
is  independence from imported fuels  and  increased agricultural  revenue.
  Correct: from the passage, it can be concluded

B.  Fear of global warming  is partly driving this search for off-the-wall alternatives.
  Wrong    Passage tone is in promotion of alternative fuel in addition into traditional fuel, not about global warming, diverts away from intended meaning of the passage.

C. Skeptics argue that growing crops to produce ethanol will  consume more gasoline  than it will produce
  Wrong    Irrelevant, as this information cannot be inferred from the passage.

D. If bio-fuels do take off,  environmentalists  will raise as many concerns as they do currently.
  Wrong    Out of scope, highlights more about environmentalist and their concern

E. Perhaps the greatest appeal of bio-fuels is the opportunity 
they represent for  venture capitalists  to break into the highly profitable 
but previously  closed oil markets 
  Wrong    Out of scope, this information cannot be derived from the

3. It can be inferred from the passage that:  
A. Most cars could run on a fuel blend made of up to 85 percent ethanol.
  Wrong    out of scope, cannot be inferred from the passage

B. Government policy is lifting bio-fuels from obscurity.
  Correct: as mentioned in the passage, we can infer from the both the sentence from the passage, 
 Sentence 1:  “Bio-fuels, blended with ordinary fuel, are beginning to bring these green alternatives from obscurity”
 Sentence 2:  “But new laws requiring gasoline to contain 10 percent ethanol, and diesel to contain 6 percent vegetable oil by volume are changing all that”

C.  Demand  for bio-fuels will soon outstrip supply.
  Wrong   Bio-fuel has challenges mentioned in the passage, 
unless those are surpassed or satisfied, this stem, cannot be consider, 
 Challenges :
- Less capital intensive in start-up phrase
- can engines would be converted for utilization
- farmer look ethanol as product

D. Cars can handle a  10 percent ethanol blend .
  Wrong    Trap! as mentioned in the passage, 
“But new laws requiring gasoline to contain 10 percent ethanol, and 
diesel to contain 6 percent vegetable oil by volume are changing all that”, 
as it is information, cannot be inferred from the passage

E. Bio-fuels are not the only alternative to the c urrent dependence on imported crude  products.
  Wrong    – out of scope, cannot be inferred from the passage

nsrivastav064 · Answer

Request you to help me understand how option E is incorrect for Q1

kntombat · Answer

nsrivastav064 , the passage clearly states that "At the levels imposed, no new infrastructure is required in order to accommodate these changes as they can be dispensed at existing fuel stations and used to run existing cars, trucks and tractors." which is a sub point supporting how bio fuels are coming into the limelight after years of being in the shadows.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following sentences best expresses the key point made in the passage?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

It is new laws that are requiring the blending of traditional fuels with bio-fuels and so  B  better expresses the key point of the passage.  C  describes the effect of this. The passage makes no reference to oil prices, so  A  is incorrect.

Answer: B

wippersnapper07 · Answer

From these two statements : 
 
I am still not convinced why option D cannot be the answer for question 3.
Can anyone please explain

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. It can be inferred from the passage that:

Explanation

It can be inferred that the new laws that have raised the profile of bio-fuels are the result of government policy ( D  is stated in the passage so is not inferred).

Answer: B

Apart from the OE, I would recommend reading the other available explanation as posted by  100mitra

Good luck!

VerbalBot · Answer

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Bio-fuels, blended with ordinary fuel, are beginning to bring these

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Bio-fuels, blended with ordinary fuel, are beginning to bring these

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