Q1. The primary purpose of the passage is to encourage readers to
My answer is A).
A) take better control of their business endeavors.
Yes. Either you are pursuing the entrepreneurial route, in which case you need to assess the 4 aspects as described in paragraph 1, or you recognize your entrepreneurial shortcomings and pursue the franchising route, in which case you need to assess the contractual elements as described in paragraph 2, the entire passage is about taking better control of the business endeavors.
B) consider the advantages of operating a franchise if they personally have limited business experience.
This is only a minor detail used at the end of paragraph 1 to transition between "self-entrepreneurship" to the franchising pursuit.
C) enter contractual agreements with caution.
Although this is certainly true for paragraph 2, the statement is too broad and not specific enough in terms of the business context. It also ignores paragraph 1 completely.
D) evaluate their own abilities and notions of entrepreneurial success before purchasing a franchise.
Again, see B) above. This is an argument used in transition from paragraph 1 to 2.
E) evaluate the motives of a potential franchisor who may take advantage of them.
First off, this is too negative in tone, suggesting that potential franchisors may take advantage of franchisees when the tone in paragraph 2 is more neutral and objective. Secondly, this statement is narrowly focused on paragraph 2 and completely ignores paragraph 1.
Q2. The passage implies which of the following about the franchise arrangement?
My answer is C). This is a detail question, the answer to which you can find in paragraph 2.
A) It creates an illusion of success.
"Illusion of success" is never mentioned.
B) It puts the owners of established franchises at a disadvantage.
While this might be true in some franchising arrangement, to state it in so much assertiveness is a faulty generalization. While paragraph 2 cautions potential franchisees, if a franchising arrangement is always to the detriment of franchisees, then the purpose of paragraph 2 is moot.
C) It may be a viable strategy for those with entrepreneurial shortcomings.
Correct. See the last sentence in paragraph 1: "Many prospective business owners who have shortcomings in these areas have turned to franchising as a way to reduce their risk of failure."
D) It impedes entrepreneurial goals.
Again, faulty generalization similar to B).
E) It should be viewed by franchisees as a partnership.
"Viewed by franchisees as a partnership" is never mentioned.
Q3. The author most likely refers to a franchisor's fees in order to
My answer is B). First step is to pinpoint exactly where the reference was made in the passage. In paragraph 2: "Fees charged by the franchisor may become a source of conflict as the franchisee becomes more successful." So the reference to fees is intended to pinpoint a potential aspect that might give future conflicts between franchisors and franchisees down the road.
A) intimate they may increase in direct proportion to revenues.
We do not have details on the exact formula of such fees. They may be directly proportional to revenues, or they may be more of a hockey-stick pattern.
B) cite them as a potential eventual cause of antipathy.
Correct. See our analysis above.
C) imply they may seem lopsided with respect to the franchisee's profits.
See A) above. We do not have enough details to assess this.
D) caution that they may be unjustified in certain scenarios.
The fees may amount to a lot of money in the situation of a successful operation, but we do not know whether they are justified.
E) buttress the insinuation that there exists no autonomy in franchising.
The fees have nothing to do with autonomy. It is more of a financial arrangement rather than an operational one.