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

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

According to the passage, which of the following is true of the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew in the twenty-four years immediately before 1997?
A. It was less than it had been between 1873 and 1973 because only forty percent of the population worked for wages between 1873 and 1973.
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.
C. It was less than it had been between 1873 and 1973 as a result of an increase in the percentage of the population earning wages during these years.
D. It was less than the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew between 1873 and 1973.
E. It was less than the rate at which real GDP per capita grew in 1997.


According to the passage means something stated very clearly in the passage...We just need to go back to the passage and see where the subject of Average rate of GDP is discussed

Clear answer is D

A ruled out because the passage says avg. growth rate should have been more because of more% population was working for wages
B.Wrong period of 1973 to 1997 is looked at
C. No....Avg. rate should have been more and not less
E. The economy grew as it always does barring recession...There is no mention of the avg rate at which the economy grew from 1873 to 1997...But we do know that Economy grew 1.5% slowly in 1997 then it grew at Avg rate of 1873 to 1973...

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

A...Because the Journalists say that Real GDP is higher so Economy did well..Wheres as Author feels this is always the case barring recession so this is no proof that Economy did well...

My 2 cents..
Regards.
Time taken 8 mins.
1. The passage is primarily concerned with
C. evaluating an argument concerning the performance of the United States economy in1997
First the main point of argument is introduced and then the rest of the para explains that with historical data.
"However, the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before; it falls only during recessions. One point these journalists overlooked is that in 1997 ,as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew"

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew in the twenty-four years immediately before 1997?
D. It was less than the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew between 1873 and 1973.
"in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent a year more slowly than it had on average between 1873 and 1973"

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?
E. They fail to consider the real GDP per capita in 1997 within an appropriate historical context.
"One point these journalists overlooked is that in 1997 ,as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew"

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
C. show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim

[box_out][box_in]

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


2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew in the twenty-four years immediately before 1997?
A. It was less than it had been between 1873 and 1973 because only forty percent of the population worked for wages between 1873 and 1973.
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.
C. It was less than it had been between 1873 and 1973 as a result of an increase in the percentage of the population earning wages during these years.
D. It was less than the average rate at which real GDP per capita grew between 1873 and 1973.
E. It was less than the rate at which real GDP per capita grew in 1997.



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.
B. They argue that the rate at which real GDP per capita grew in 1997 was faster than the average rate at which it had grown between 1873 and 1973.
C. They overestimate the effect of labor productivity on the real GDP per capita in 1997.
D. They overestimate the amount by which real GDP per capita in 1997 surpassed real GDP per capita in earlier years.
E. They fail to consider the real GDP per capita in 1997 within an appropriate historical context.


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

Total time is 8 mins 50 seconds , including 2 mins 10 seconds to read the passage .
-The author presents a claim made by some journalists about the GDP of the United States in 1997
- The author then evaluates whether the claim is a valid claim or not

1 . evaluating an argument concerning the performance of the United States economy in 1997
Answer C

2. “the real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent a year more slowly than it had on average between 1873 and 1973"
The above excerpt exactly matches option (D) and is hence correct.

3.
“ However, the real GDP is almost always higher than ever before; it falls only during recessions. One point these journalists overlooked is that in 1997, as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent a year more slowly than it had on average between 1873 and 1973"

The above shows that the journalists failed to consider the real GDP per capita in 1997 within a historical context. Hence option (E) is the right answer choice.

4. C. show that a fact cited in support of a claim does not prove the claim

9 min 27 sec all correct. can anyone suggest me a way to increase my speed am taking 4 min to understand the passage. thank you

Well I m no pro at this; but looking for a RC Strategy is like a hunt in the wild. There are soo many tactics which work for various people; not all could work for you. What you could do is to engage into the passage from the getgo. Thats the strategy I use. I try to do one thorough read trying to grasp as much as I could while noting important aspects such author tone, author point of views, contrasting words used to define or counter an opinion, etc. After this read I should be comfortable with central idea of the passage and handful of important info which are critical from Author's perspective. For the later, even if you can point out in the passage where these critical aspects are mentioned, you are good to go. Rest is POE and reading carefully. Once obviously has to revisit the passage for specifics.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot. i normally do the same i think i need more practice as i hardly did 20-30 Passages, I was in a wrong conception that my method of approach was wrong. Thanks for filling it up . .

Hi Skywalker,
WRT to the passage, can you kindly explain the answer of the 4th question. I marked option A and failed to understand what's exactly option c is trying to convey
https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmatprep-cha ... 76223.html

Can someone kindly explain the answer of the 4th question.

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,
Please explain the solution for Q3 and Q4. On what basis have we concluded it. ?
Thanks in advance.

These two questions are related, so first please review this post explaining question 4. This explanation is applicable to question 3 as well. The journalists have argued that the US economy performed ideally in 1997. Why did they make that argument? Because the real GDP per capita was higher in 1997 than ever before. As explained in the post below, 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.

In order to fully analyze the data, we need to look at other factors such as the growth rate of real GDP per capita, growth rate of labor productivity, and the percentage of the population working for wages. One needs to look at all of these factors and compare the 1997 numbers to the historical data (i.e. 1873 - 1973). Doing so would allow you to consider the 1997 real GDP per capita within the appropriate historical context. The journalists failed to do so. Instead, they simply said, "The real GDP was highest in 1997, so the economy must have performed ideally that year!" The journalists didn't look at the entire picture (i.e. historical context). They looked at one piece of data and jumped to a conclusion.

See if that helps! To post additional questions not already addressed in this thread, please use the request verbal experts' reply button.

GMATNinja Can you help me out with question 2? Why A and E are wrong? Many tks!

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.
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!

Question 2

And here's where the passage mentions the average growth rate of real GDP per capita between 1973-1997:

"One point these journalists overlooked is that in 1997, as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent a year more slowly than it had on average between 1873 and 1973."

In other words:

• Rate during 1997 < rate during 1873-1973
• Rate during 1973-1997 < rate during 1873-1973

This is a spot-on match for choice (D):


Now, what's up with choices (A) and (E)?


The first half of choice (A) replicates what was correct about choice (D). But the second half of this choice misrepresents the passage. Here's what the passage says:

"Were the 1997 economy as robust as claimed, the growth rate of real GDP per capita in 1997 would have surpassed the average growth rate of real GDP per capita between 1873 and 1973 because over fifty percent of the population worked for wages in 1997 whereas only forty percent worked for wages between 1873 and 1973."

Here, the author is NOT telling us that the lower growth rate was caused by the fact that 40% of the population working for wages during 1873-1973. The author is presenting what a robust economy would have looked like — and references the % of population working for wages to support that hypothetical scenario of a "robust" economy (NOT the observed growth rate in real GDP per capita).

That's why we eliminate (A). Now, let's take one more look at (E):


Again, here's what the passage tells us:

"...in 1997, as in the twenty-four years immediately preceding it, the real GDP per capita grew nearly one-half percent a year more slowly than it had on average between 1873 and 1973."

First, the author never tells us that the rate during 1973-1997 < rate during 1997. Second, the author implies here that the 1997 growth rate was the same as it was during 1973-1997. This actually contradicts choice (E)! For these reasons, we should eliminate that choice as well.

Choice (D) is the only one that accurately reflects the passage. I hope this helps!