Compared to regulations in other countries, those of the United States

First things first - let's start reading the questions before we even read the text. Some questions it will be possible to answer by reading just one small portion.
Let's do it:

Question 1

It can be inferred that, compared to the United States, Japan spent less on:

This question should send us looking for a place in the text in which both the US and Japan are mentioned. We'll find it in the third paragraph:
For example, one study of a multinational firm with operations in the United States and Japan found that pollution levels in both countries were similar, despite generally higher pollution abatement expenditures in the United States
OK, so we know that the US spend more on "pollution abatement expenditures" - but what does that actually mean? Since the question tells us to infer, we're going to have to look for more clues. Let's read the next sentence:
The higher costs observed in the United States thus were due in large part, not to more stringent standards, but to the higher regulatory transaction costs.
There we have it: the US had higher regulatory transaction costs. Looking at the answer choices, it is clear this refers to (C) regulating firms.

Question 2

The author of the passage would disagree with which of the following?

This question sends requires us to actually read the entire passage, since it doesn't refer to any specific part.
After doing so, we'll review the answers, and ask ourselves - which of these does not fit?

A Some nations are likely to put more focus on regulating industry than allowing industry a measure of autonomy. Sure, the US for example. Not our answer!
B Varying levels of regulation can lead to similar levels of pollution. yes: the entire passage describes the different regulatory attitudes of different countries, while the final sentence explicitly says they end up with similar pollution levels. Not our answer!
C There is a complete lack of transparency in the different standards used by countries. Nowhere is this stated, and the final sentence says the opposite: different countries share information. Looks like our answer! We'll keep looking though, in order to be sure.
D The United States tends to regulate only a few aspects of the overall production process. Yup, this is said explicitly in the third sentence - some aspects are regulated, others ignored. Not our answer!
E Analogies can aptly summarize the primary differences between the environmental practices of two countries. We know of at least one case in which the author thinks this is true: the hare and tortoise analogy described in the third paragraph. Not our answer!

Questions 3

The author implies that a country described as a "tortoise" is more likely to favor:

This question sends us looking at the place where "tortoise" is mentioned, the third paragraph:
Sweden (the tortoise) used a more collaborative process that stressed results but worked with industry in deciding how to achieve them
Since it asks us what is implied, we must think logically about what this means, and not expect to find an answer which is stated precisely. If the process is collaborative and works with industry, it follows that Sweden would favor some measure which brings the industry into the process of building policy. This is exactly what (C) tells us: a process of decision-making that includes industry.

Question 4

Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that the author believes that countries similar to the United States in terms of environmental policy

Since this questions is quite open-ended, let's review the answers:
A have poorer air quality than countries in which industry plays a role in environmental decision making We're explicitly told countries with different approaches can have similar levels of pollution. No!
B will spend more on regulation instead of allowing firms to influence environmental policy This looks right - we are told that the US has higher regulatory costs than other countries, and that is less likely to allow firms to influence policy. We'd expect countries similar to the US to be the same.
C do not stress immediate results but prefer an approach that will yield long term success This is not stated: stressing immediate results appears to be true for both approaches, while focusing on the long term is not described or implied.
D are likely to have less pollution abatement expenditures than most other countries The opposite is true
E focus more on collaborative processes and less on sanctions Once again, the opposite is true

Question 5

According to the passage, as a result of stringent regulation of specific aspects of the production process other aspects of the production process are

Well, since this question is about "according to the passage", we'll take the Precise approach and find the specific place in the passage referred to:
Regulation in the United States tends to isolate specific aspects of production processes and attempts to control them stringently, which means that some aspects of business are regulated tightly, although sometimes not cost-effectively, while others are ignored.
There we have it - other aspects are ignored. Looking at the answers, this is clearly (E) virtually overlooked

Question 6

The primary purpose of the passage is to

This is a question which requires us to have read the the entire passage, and once we have done that, to think about what we think it's goal is. Well, the first paragraph is a comparison of the US's environmental policy practices with other countries', the second is a continuation of this comparison, and the third is an illustration of the comparison. So, it's clear the goal is to describe the way environmental policy is carried out in the US and compare it with other countries. Looking at the answers, it is clear this is (D) discuss the scope of environmental regulation in the United States and how it compares to that of other countries .

Another approach to solving this question would be to review the answers, and ask ourselves for each: if this were the primary concern, what type of passage would we expect to see? Is ths similar to the existing passage?

A contrast the environmental practices of the United States across a period of time This would be a description of changes in the US policy over time. No!

B advocate for an overhaul in the way in which environmental regulation is carried out in the United States This would mean that it should be clear which side of the comparison is preferable. But the bottom line here is that similar pollution levels are achieved across the different countries. No!

C compare the environmental and industry practices of two countries This should be a detailed comparison of two countries only - but the US is compared to LOTS of countries - nope!

D discuss the scope of environmental regulation in the United States and how it compares to that of other countries We'd expect a passage with this concern to describe in detail how environmental regulation is carried out in the US, and then describe how other countries are different. Yup, that's exactly what we have!

E describe prevalent theories in environmental policy and which one is best for the United States a passage with this description would be quite theoretical, and would also have a clear assertion as to which theory is best for the US. this is not what we have at all

narayandutta I hope my above answer can be helpful to you. The short answer is: don't read the whole passage more than once, and don't even read all of it until you have to. In other words, start from the questions and read only the parts they refer to. Sooner or later, there will be a question which makes you read the whole passage, but you will know what you are looking for, which can help you be more focused.
Also, don't read all of the answers, as this wastes lots of time. For each question, start by reading the question only, and ask yourself if you can formulate a near-answer before reading the answers. That way, when you do read the answers, you'll be able to skim and eliminate most of them quickly.

Hi DAVEexamPAL,

I could solve the questions(all correct) in around 9:30 mins. Out of which, I took around 5:30 mins to create a map. I found the passage fairly easy. My question to you would be that,under normal circumstances, how much time should we spend on creating maps ? I generally like the detailed map approach as, I struggle with inference questions [it improves my factual understanding somehow!]. If I read more quickly (which I can), I tend to miss out on inference questions (They take me longer to solve around 2:30 mins). Main idea & structure questions come naturally to me, so not an issue.



Thanks,

Hey srinjoy1990, I'm not entirely familiar with the term "map", but I assume you mean reading carefully and summarising the passage. I actually advocate the approach displayed in my above answer: starting from the questions, and working through the text from there.
That being said, if you do choose to go the map route, the times you are describing seem fine: given that we have 2 minutes on average per verbal question, 9:30 minutes for these 5 questions is very good, and if spending more time on the map means you can solve the questions themselves in 1 minute on average, it seems worth it.

Dont feel stressed too much because
first, not all questions are counted towards your final grades.
second, verbal questions do not look familiar with patterns of questions from Manhattan, OG, gmatclub. So, there is no way to know how much you will spend on the reading comprehension.

Took 9 mins 40 seconds in total, including 4 mins 20 seconds to read. All correct

1/ It can be inferred that, compared to the United States, Japan spent less on

The higher costs observed in the United States thus were due in large part, not to more stringent standards, but to the higher regulatory transaction costs
C regulating firms

2/ The author of the passage would disagree with which of the following?
A Some nations are likely to put more focus on regulating industry than allowing industry a measure of autonomy.-- Incorrect
B Varying levels of regulation can lead to similar levels of pollution.-- Incorrect -- US and Japan
C There is a complete lack of transparency in the different standards used by countries. - Correct
D The United States tends to regulate only a few aspects of the overall production process. - some aspects of business are regulated tightly, although sometimes not cost-effectively, while others are ignored.
E Analogies can aptly summarize the primary differences between the environmental practices of two countries. --These contrasts are illustrated nicely in a 1974 book that used a hare and tortoise analogy

3/ The author implies that a country described as a "tortoise" is more likely to favor
C a process of decision-making that includes industry -- Sweden (the tortoise) used a more collaborative process that stressed results but worked with industry in deciding how to achieve them. In the end air quality results were about the same.

4/ Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that the author believes that countries similar to the United States in terms of environmental policy
B will spend more on regulation instead of allowing firms to influence environmental policy - Correct

5/ According to the passage, as a result of stringent regulation of specific aspects of the production process other aspects of the production process are
Regulation in the United States tends to isolate specific aspects of production processes and attempts to control them stringently, which means that some aspects of business are regulated tightly, although sometimes not cost-effectively, while others are ignored.
E virtually overlooked

6/ The primary purpose of the passage is to
D discuss the scope of environmental regulation in the United States and how it compares to that of other countries -- Correct
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I have been learning to avoid words that come off as extreme. Does "Virtually overlooked" come off as extreme like it did to me for Q5? I had a big hunch towards that answer but played devil's advocate and answered A instead.

You're 100% right in ignoring extreme statements in GMAT R.C. answer choices but you have to look at the question as a whole in this example AND take a look at the relevant parts in the passage too. When a question asks "According to the passage..." it means the answer choice has to be directly in the passage.

The passage says:

"Regulation in the United States tends to isolate specific aspects of production processes and attempts to control them stringently, which means that some aspects of business are regulated tightly, although sometimes not cost-effectively, while others are ignored...." {1st paragraph}

So aspects of the business are
- Regulated tightly
- Not Cost effectively
- Or ignored

Answer choice wise:

A regulated slightly less - not relevant because they were regulated tightly, not less.

B adversely affected - n/a

C given undue consideration - n/a

D provided greater autonomy - n/a

E virtually overlooked - Correct. Why? Because the meaning of ignored is that something is as if it never existed. So virtually overlooked is correct in this context and not an extreme.

official explanation for Q2

(A) is incorrect because it is consistent with the main idea of the passage: the U.S. spends more on regulation than most countries. Again, the question is asking us to find an answer that DISAGREES with the author’s main point. The passage implies that the high costs of regulation are a result that the U.S. grants firms little to no discretion over environmental regulation. This meaning is most consistent with (A).

(B) is incorrect because the author does not provide enough information in the passage for us to know if he would agree or disagree. He provides one case in which increased regulation leads to the same level of pollution. Would he agree that whenever there is more regulation, regardless of the country, there is the similar pollution as in countries that spend less on regulation? If the passage was a clear yes to this question, then we could say the author would disagree with (B).

(C) is clearly backed up by the passage, “because agencies in different countries share information.” This indicates that the author believes that there IS transparency regarding different standards used by countries. Therefore, he would disagree that there is a complete lack of transparency.

(D) is contradicted by the first paragraph.

(E) is wrong because the author uses the tortoise and hare analogies to compare countries. Therefore, he would not disagree with (E).

official explanation for Q1

According to the passage, the U.S. had “higher regulatory transaction costs” than did Japan. Therefore, we can infer that Japan spent less on (C).

(A) is wrong. While the passage stresses the U.S. focus on strict standards, in relation to Japan, nothing is mentioned on this issue.

(B) is wrong because pollution awareness is not mentioned in the passage.

(D)is wrong because research and development are not mentioned.

(E)environmental cleanup is too broad. Higher pollution abatement costs is not the same as higher environmental cleanup costs.

official explanation for Q4

In the last paragraph, the author mentions how the U.S. spends more than other countries (such as Japan) in terms of regulation. The passage also notes, in the second paragraph, that firms are given little discretion. Combining these two points, we can infer that a country similar to the U.S. in terms of environmental policy will (B).

(A) is wrong. The last paragraph says that the U.S. has similar air quality to countries, such as Sweden, in which industry plays a larger role. Therefore, countries similar to the U.S. will not have poorer air quality than countries like Sweden.

(C) is incorrect because nowhere in the passage does it say that the U.S. favors long term success.

(D) is wrong because the last paragraph says that the U.S. has high pollution abatement expenditures.

(E) is wrong because the passage states that the U.S. does not focus more on collaborative processes than other countries.

official explanation for Q3

The “tortoise” is mentioned in the context of “used a more collaborative process…but worked with industry…” The safest answer is (C). Decision-making refers to the collaborative process.

(A) is tempting because of “collaboration.” But the passage does not say that “tortoise” countries favor results over collaboration.

(B) is not supported by the passage.

(D) is the opposite of what the passage says, since America, which is not a “tortoise” country, has a more narrow approach.

(E) is wrong. And don’t be lured by “slower” just because the passage mentions “tortoise.” The passage says that Sweden (“tortoise” country) favored results.

1) It can be inferred that, compared to the United States, Japan spent less on?

Relevant text: For example, one study of a multinational firm with operations in the United States and Japan found that pollution levels in both countries were similar, despite generally higher pollution abatement expenditures in the United States. The higher costs observed in the United States thus were due in large part, not to more stringent standards, but to the higher regulatory transaction costs.

Answer choices:
A ensuring strict standards
B minimizing pollution - why can't we infer this? "abatement" = reduction?
C regulating firms
D research and development
E environmental cleanup

Could anyone help me understand that, please?

I do have the same question. Someone please help here.

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