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Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita

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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   09 Mar 2020, 19:26
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shabuzen102
Would someone please explain why question 2's answer is not B:
"It was less than it had been between 1873 and 1973 because labor productivity grew less between 1973 and 1997 than it had between 1873 and 1973."

It is true that it was 1.5% slower than it had been between 1873 and 1973.
Careful with your reading here! The passage states that "real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent more slowly" — that's just under 0.5%, not 1.5%.

Quote:
It is also true that it was because the slow growth rate of labor productivity. Without such slow growth rate of labor productivity, the growth rate of real GDP would have surpassed that between 1873 and 1973:

"However, because labor productivity grew by only one percent in 1997, real GDP per capita grew more slowly in 1997 than it had on average between 1873 and 1973."

We also know that the 24 years preceding it, the rate had been the same:
"One point these journalists overlooked is that in 1997, as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it...."

Thank you!
Again, be careful as you read. The passage tells us that the average growth rate in real GDP per capita was the same in 1997 as it was during the 24 years immediately before 1997.

However, this rate is a completely different measurement than "labor productivity." Labor productivity is defined here as "output per hour of goods and services" — in other words, GDP per hour worked, which is NOT equal to GDP per capita. The same goes for average growth rates in productivity; they are not the same as average growth rates in GDP per capita.

The passage only mentions labor productivity measured during 1997 and from 1873-1973. We know nothing about labor productivity from 1973-1997. We also have no idea if completely different factors (e.g. international competition, lack of consumer confidence, or anything else besides labor productivity) could have contributed to a lower growth rate in real GDP per capita during this time period.

The information just isn't available for us to infer the cause of the average growth rate in GDP per capita being lower from 1973-1997 than it was from 1873-1973. That's why we eliminate choice (B).

(D) remains the only choice that can wholly be inferred from the passage itself.

I hope that helps!
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   13 Jun 2020, 21:12
Could anyone please explain why Q3 answer (A) is incorrect?

3. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is the reason that the author faults the journalists referred to in highlight text?

(A) They believe that the real GDP per capita in 1997 was higher than the real GDP per capita had ever been before.
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   22 Jun 2020, 12:49
Agree with WoundedTiger. Thanks for your explanation

WoundedTiger

1. The passage is primarily concerned with
A. comparing various measures used to assess the performance of the United States economy in 1997
B. providing evidence that the performance of the United States economy in 1997 was similar to its performance between 1873 and 1973
C. evaluating an argument concerning the performance of the United States economy in1997
D. examining the consequences of a popular misconception about the performance of the United States economy in 1997
E. supporting an assertion made by journalists about the performance of the United States economy in 1997

The is Opinonated passage...It basically talks about why Journalist feeling that Economy did well is not correct because it the economy was doing really well then the economy should have grown faster than it did in the period from 1873-1973...

A,B,E are ruled out by Initially reading..
There is no examining of misconception...the passage just talks why the economy had to do really well because of better prevailing conditions than in given period

Ans C
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   03 Jul 2020, 19:54
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Question 3


Kai10
Could anyone please explain why Q3 answer (A) is incorrect?

3. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is the reason that the author faults the journalists referred to in highlight text?

(A) They believe that the real GDP per capita in 1997 was higher than the real GDP per capita had ever been before.
Before we take a look at why (A) is not the correct answer to this question, have a look at this post and this post for breakdowns of the passage that are relevant to this question.

Now take a look at (A) for question 3:
Quote:
(A) They believe that the real GDP per capita in 1997 was higher than the real GDP per capita had ever been before.
The author doesn't FAULT the journalists for saying this, he/she actually AGREES with them, as you can see by this bit of the passage:

    ...the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before; it falls only during recessions.

What the author does is disagree with the conclusions the journalists take from this fact -- this is what is in the rest of the passage.

Since the author does not criticize the journalists for stating that the real GDP per capita in 1997 was higher than the real GDP per capita had ever been before, (A) cannot be the correct answer.

Compare this to (E):
Quote:
(E) They fail to consider the real GDP per capita in 1997 within an appropriate historical context.
As explained in the posts linked above, the key thing to notice in this passage is just because the real GDP was higher in 1997 than ever before does NOT necessarily mean that the economy performed better than it ever has. The journalists are criticized because they didn't look at the entire picture (i.e. historical context). They looked at one piece of data and jumped to a conclusion -- this is why (E) is the correct answer.

I hope that helps!
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   28 Aug 2020, 08:18
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Confusing passage struggled with it. Any strategies?
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   28 Aug 2020, 09:37
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riyaagarwal
Confusing passage struggled with it. Any strategies?

The links given below might help you

https://gmatclub.com/forum/topic300886.html

https://gmatclub.com/forum/topic301219.html

https://gmatclub.com/forum/topic302904.html

Good Luck
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   27 Feb 2022, 19:51
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sunny91
Can someone kindly explain the answer of the 4th question.
Quote:
4. The author of the passage asserts that "the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before" (see highlighted text) most probably in order to
A. show that a fact cited in support of a claim is inaccurate
B. show that a fact cited in support of a claim actually contradicts the claim
C. show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim
D. explain why a fact cited in support of a claim is relevant to the claim
E. explain how the proponent of a claim selected a fact cited in support of the claim
Quote:
Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before, some journalists have argued that the United States economy performed ideally in 1997. However, the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before; it falls only during recessions.
Some journalists have argued that the US economy performed ideally in 1997. Those journalists base their argument on the fact that real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before. The author does not dispute this fact. The author does, however, dispute the conclusion drawn by the journalists based on that fact.

The author of the passage responds to the journalists' argument by stating that real GDP is almost ALWAYS higher than ever before. In other words, unless there is a recession, the real GDP continues to grow. This growth does not necessarily mean that the economy is getting better. Thus, just because real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before does NOT necessarily mean that the economy performed better than it ever has.

This fits with choice (C): "The author of the passage asserts that 'the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before' most probably in order to (C) show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim."

The fact cited is that real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before, and the claim is that the US economy performed ideally in 1997.

I hope this helps!

Hi GMATNinja

I picked C for this question, but was tempted by Choice B as well during the test. My ultimate reason for choosing C over B was that the author's comment about the increase in Real GDP does not CONTRADICT the claims of the journalist. Rather it just explains how the impact is muted given that the Real GDP almost always increases. Am I on the right track with my thinking here? Thank you
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   16 Mar 2022, 09:34
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Question 4


UserMaple5
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sunny91
Can someone kindly explain the answer of the 4th question.
Quote:
4. The author of the passage asserts that "the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before" (see highlighted text) most probably in order to
A. show that a fact cited in support of a claim is inaccurate
B. show that a fact cited in support of a claim actually contradicts the claim
C. show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim
D. explain why a fact cited in support of a claim is relevant to the claim
E. explain how the proponent of a claim selected a fact cited in support of the claim
Quote:
Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before, some journalists have argued that the United States economy performed ideally in 1997. However, the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before; it falls only during recessions.
Some journalists have argued that the US economy performed ideally in 1997. Those journalists base their argument on the fact that real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before. The author does not dispute this fact. The author does, however, dispute the conclusion drawn by the journalists based on that fact.

The author of the passage responds to the journalists' argument by stating that real GDP is almost ALWAYS higher than ever before. In other words, unless there is a recession, the real GDP continues to grow. This growth does not necessarily mean that the economy is getting better. Thus, just because real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before does NOT necessarily mean that the economy performed better than it ever has.

This fits with choice (C): "The author of the passage asserts that 'the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before' most probably in order to (C) show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim."

The fact cited is that real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before, and the claim is that the US economy performed ideally in 1997.

I hope this helps!

Hi GMATNinja

I picked C for this question, but was tempted by Choice B as well during the test. My ultimate reason for choosing C over B was that the author's comment about the increase in Real GDP does not CONTRADICT the claims of the journalist. Rather it just explains how the impact is muted given that the Real GDP almost always increases. Am I on the right track with my thinking here? Thank you
Yes, you're on the right track!

The journalists use the fact about the higher-than-ever GDP to conclude that the US economy "performed ideally" in 1997.

The author attacks this chain of logic, saying that the GDP is almost ALWAYS higher than ever. He/she's essentially saying, "So what? There's nothing special about 1997, because that fact is true in most other years as well."

It's entirely possible that, to say that the economy is "ideal," you DO need the GDP to be higher than ever -- the author just thinks that this one fact isn't a particularly high bar to meet. So, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the author think the fact contradicts the journalists' conclusion.

(C) is a much better fit -- the author's point is that the GDP fact doesn't do much to prove that 1997 was an "ideal" year.

You can eliminate (B), and (C) is the correct answer to question 4.

I hope that helps!
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink] Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita   21 May 2024, 09:01
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Re: Citing the fact that the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [#permalink]
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