Last visit was: 18 Nov 2025, 19:56 It is currently 18 Nov 2025, 19:56
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
nsp007
Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Last visit: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 162
Own Kudos:
315
 [46]
Given Kudos: 44
Posts: 162
Kudos: 315
 [46]
11
Kudos
Add Kudos
35
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
Nikhil
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 22 May 2017
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 13,199
Own Kudos:
9,838
 [20]
Given Kudos: 3,295
Affiliations: GMATClub
GPA: 3.4
Products:
Posts: 13,199
Kudos: 9,838
 [20]
19
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
vedprakashchauhan
Joined: 26 Jul 2009
Last visit: 11 Oct 2015
Posts: 14
Own Kudos:
20
 [7]
Given Kudos: 4
Posts: 14
Kudos: 20
 [7]
7
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
General Discussion
User avatar
sleepynut
Joined: 29 Oct 2016
Last visit: 18 Jul 2017
Posts: 162
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 905
Concentration: Finance, Economics
GMAT 1: 620 Q50 V24
GRE 1: Q167 V147
GMAT 1: 620 Q50 V24
GRE 1: Q167 V147
Posts: 162
Kudos: 92
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi expert,
I couldn't find any clue to the answer of question#3
In my 2 cents,
Options C,D,and E could be eliminate since the excerpt in lines 11-16 emanates the sense of moderation,not so negative as presented in those options.However,I couldn't sense any sympathy from the author,but plain acknowledge of the samurais' situation from "it is not surprising".

Please advise
In fact,I am having difficulty with this type of question.Any tips would be great :-)
Thanks
User avatar
sayantanc2k
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 09 Dec 2022
Posts: 2,393
Own Kudos:
15,523
 [1]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Expert
Expert reply
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
Posts: 2,393
Kudos: 15,523
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sleepynut
Hi expert,
I couldn't find any clue to the answer of question#3
In my 2 cents,
Options C,D,and E could be eliminate since the excerpt in lines 11-16 emanates the sense of moderation,not so negative as presented in those options.However,I couldn't sense any sympathy from the author,but plain acknowledge of the samurais' situation from "it is not surprising".

Please advise
In fact,I am having difficulty with this type of question.Any tips would be great :-)
Thanks

I agree with you. Nothing in line 11-16 indicates the author's sympathy. You were absolutely on the right track, identifying that "it is not surprising" could lead to the right answer. This question does not seem to be from an authentic source.
User avatar
mdacosta
Joined: 05 Dec 2015
Last visit: 22 Mar 2018
Posts: 82
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 982
Products:
Posts: 82
Kudos: 17
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
respectfully disagree, I think it is quite clear. the sentence says "Since most samurai had been reduced to idleness by years of peace, encouraged to engage in scholarship and martial exercises or to perform administrative tasks that took little time, it is (15) not surprising that their tastes and habits grew expensive.

The meaning is that they were encouraged to focus on boring things and thus understandably developed expensive habits.

hope that helps!

sayantanc2k
sleepynut
Hi expert,
I couldn't find any clue to the answer of question#3
In my 2 cents,
Options C,D,and E could be eliminate since the excerpt in lines 11-16 emanates the sense of moderation,not so negative as presented in those options.However,I couldn't sense any sympathy from the author,but plain acknowledge of the samurais' situation from "it is not surprising".

Please advise
In fact,I am having difficulty with this type of question.Any tips would be great :-)
Thanks

I agree with you. Nothing in line 11-16 indicates the author's sympathy. You were absolutely on the right track, identifying that "it is not surprising" could lead to the right answer. This question does not seem to be from an authentic source.
User avatar
gmatexam439
User avatar
Moderator
Joined: 28 Mar 2017
Last visit: 18 Oct 2024
Posts: 1,064
Own Kudos:
2,159
 [1]
Given Kudos: 200
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Technology
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V41
GPA: 4
Products:
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V41
Posts: 1,064
Kudos: 2,159
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello,

In question #7, why is A wrong?

My understanding:
Therefore, the Tokugawa shoguns began to look to other sources for revenue.

1. Cash profits from government-owned mines were already on the decline because the most easily worked deposits of silver and gold had been exhausted, although debasement of the coinage had compensated for the loss.

2. Opening up new farmland was a possibility, but most of what was suitable had already been exploited and further reclamation was technically unfeasible.

3. Direct taxation of the samurai themselves would be politically dangerous.

This left the shoguns only commerce as a potential source of government income


As per the above extract from passage we can see that the "search" was futile for them and as per the search results, the shoguns weren't left with any other choice than to depend on commerce.

Experts please throw some light !!

Regards
avatar
aki001
Joined: 10 Sep 2017
Last visit: 14 Jun 2019
Posts: 1
Given Kudos: 18
Posts: 1
Kudos: 0
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
This is in reference to question 3 - the tone is such that the author acknowledges that the current condition of shoguns is kind of justified due to their lifestyle which they had developed due to reasons which are mentioned and is hence justified .So the answer should be (a) warmly approving.
Plz explain ?
User avatar
LauraOrion
Joined: 19 Jul 2018
Last visit: 29 Apr 2019
Posts: 97
Own Kudos:
80
 [1]
Given Kudos: 9
Posts: 97
Kudos: 80
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey aki001. You're on the right track in thinking about the fact that the author acknowledges that it's understandable that the samurais developed the way they did. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're approving. (If someone didn't show to a job interview because they had a flat tire, you'd say it was "understandable" why they didn't show, but you wouldn't necessarily approve of the fact that they didn't show.) Whenever you see a word like "approving" (especially with an intensifier like "warmly"), you should look for anything that actually proves that the author approves. And in this case, there just isn't any evidence.

(C), (D) and (E) are all without support in the passage because the passage just isn't that extreme. But take another look at (B). If you claim that something is "understandable", it still means that you sympathize with the situation (think about the job interview example above). But since (again) the passage doesn't take a strong stance, the "mildly" there helps tone down the answer, keeping in line with the author's tone.
User avatar
aragonn
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 23 Sep 2015
Last visit: 30 Sep 2019
Posts: 1,231
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 416
Products:
Posts: 1,231
Kudos: 5,890
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
P1 - samurai and the shogun - bad financial situation.
P2 - More on shogun - problems.
P3 - how all Japanese who lived on fixed stipends to make ends meet.

1.The passage is most probably an excerpt from

(A) an economic history of Japan --- Has to be this. others are out of the picture for sure.
------------------------------------------
2. Which of the following financial situations is most analogous to the financial situation in which Japan’s Tokugawa shoguns found themselves in the eighteenth century?

Shogun has nothing to do. all options were closed or on decline. Only D sounds like a struggle.

(D) A small business has to struggle to meet operating expenses when its profits decrease.
--------------------------------------------

3. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author toward the samurai discussed in the highlighted text?

Gmat always stay in neutral tone. remove all extreme tones. find one in left choice.

(B) Mildly sympathetic

--------------------------------------------

4. According to the passage, the major reason for the financial problems experienced by Japan’s feudal overlords in the eighteenth century was that

Concentration of the samurai in castle-towns had acted as a stimulus to trade. Commercial efficiency, in turn, had put temptations in the way of buyers. Since most samurai had been reduced to idleness by years of peace, encouraged to engage in scholarship and martial exercises or to perform administrative tasks that took little time, it is not surprising that their tastes and habits grew expensive. Overlords’ income, despite the increase in rice production among their tenant farmers, failed to keep pace with their expenses.

(A) spending had outdistanced income
(E) the samurai had concentrated in castle-towns

From above abstract, I hv selected A and E. Now what is major reason. samurai did focused on E, but it was not the major thing for problem. "failed to keep pace with their expenses" this text points to A. which makes more sense.
---------------------------------------------

5. The passage implies that individual samurai did not find it easy to recover from debt for which of the following reasons?

It was difficult for individual samurai overlords to increase their income because the amount of rice that farmers could be made to pay in taxes was not unlimited,

(E) There was a limit to the amount in taxes that farmers could be made to pay.

--------------------------------------------

6. The passage suggests that, in eighteenth-century Japan, the office of tax collector

tax collectors (the nearly inevitable outcome of hereditary office-holding)

(C) remained within families

---------------------------------------------
7. Which of the following could best be substituted for the highlighted word “This” without changing the meaning of the passage?

(D) The difficulty of increasing government income by other means
---------------------------------------------

8. The passage implies that which of the following was the primary reason why the Tokugawa shoguns turned to city merchants for help in financing the state?

Most of the country’s wealth, or so it seemed, was finding its way into the hands of city merchants.

(B) Most of the country's wealth appeared to be in city merchants' hands.

----------------------------------------------

9. According to the passage, the actions of the Tokugawa shoguns in their search for solvency for the government were regrettable because those actions

Unfortunately, they pushed up prices.

(A) raised the cost of living by pushing up prices
User avatar
azhrhasan
Joined: 13 Apr 2019
Last visit: 13 Sep 2024
Posts: 121
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 93
Location: Canada
Concentration: Marketing, Operations
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
GPA: 3.5
WE:General Management (Retail: E-commerce)
Products:
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
Posts: 121
Kudos: 165
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
nsp007
    In the eighteenth century, Japan's feudal
    overlords, from the shogun to the humblest
    samurai, found themselves under financial
    stress. In part, this stress can be attributed to
(5)
    the overlords' failure to adjust to a rapidly ex-
    panding economy, but the stress was also due to
    factors beyond the overlords' control. Concen-
    tration of the samurai in castle-towns had acted
    as a stimulus to trade. Commercial efficiency, in
(10)
    turn, had put temptations in the way of buyers.
    Since most samurai had been reduced to idleness
    by years of peace, encouraged to engage in
    scholarship and martial exercises or to perform
    administrative tasks that took little time, it is
(15)
    not surprising that their tastes and habits grew
    expensive. Overlords' income, despite the in-
    crease in rice production among their tenant
    farmers, failed to keep pace with their expenses.
    Although shortfalls in overlords' income re-
(20)
    sulted almost as much from laxity among their
    tax collectors (the nearly inevitable outcome of
    hereditary officeholding) as from their higher
    standards of living, a misfortune like a fire or
    flood, bringing an increase in expenses or a drop

(25)
    in revenue, could put a domain in debt to the
    city rice-brokers who handled its finances. Once
    in debt, neither the individual samurai nor the
    shogun himself found it easy to recover.
    It was difficult for individual samurai over-
(30)
    lords to increase their income because the
    amount of rice that farmers could be made to
    pay in taxes was not unlimited, and since the in-
    come of Japan's central government consisted in
    part of taxes collected by the shogun from his
(35)
    huge domain, the government too was con-
    strained. Therefore, the Tokugawa shoguns
    began to look to other sources for revenue.
    Cash profits from government-owned mines
    were already on the decline because the most
(40)
    easily worked deposits of silver and gold had
    been exhausted, although debasement of the
    coinage had compensated for the loss. Opening
    up new farmland was a possibility, but most of
    what was suitable had already been exploited
(45)
    and further reclamation was technically unfeasi-
    ble. Direct taxation of the samurai themselves
    would be politically dangerous. This left the
    shoguns only commerce as a potential source of
    government income.
(50)
    Most of the country's wealth, or so it seemed,
    was finding its way into the hands of city mer-
    chants. It appeared reasonable that they should
    contribute part of that revenue to ease the
    shogun's burden of financing the state. A means

(55)
    of obtaining such revenue was soon found by
    levying forced ioans, known as goyo-kin;
    although these were not taxes in the strict sense,
    since they were irregular in timing and arbitrary
    in amount, they were high in yield. Unfortunately,
(60)
    they pushed up prices. Thus, regrettably, the
    Tokugawa shoguns' search for solvency for the
    government made it increasingly difficult for
    individual Japanese who lived on fixed stipends
    to make ends meet.
1.The passage is most probably an excerpt from

(A) an economic history of Japan
(B) the memoirs of a samurai warrior
(C) a modern novel about eighteenth-century Japan
(D) an essay contrasting Japanese feudalism with its Western counterpart
(E) an introduction to a collection of Japanese folktales


2. Which of the following financial situations is most analogous to the financial situation in which Japan’s Tokugawa shoguns found themselves in the eighteenth century?

(A) A small business borrows heavily to invest in new equipment, but is able to pay off its debt early when it is awarded a lucrative government contract.
(B) Fire destroys a small business, but insurance covers the cost of rebuilding.
(C) A small business is turned down for a loan at a local bank because the owners have no credit history.
(D) A small business has to struggle to meet operating expenses when its profits decrease.
(E) A small business is able to cut back sharply on spending through greater commercial efficiency and thereby compensate for a loss of revenue.


3. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author toward the samurai discussed in lines 11-16?

(A) Warmly approving
(B) Mildly sympathetic
(C) Bitterly disappointed
(D) Harshly disdainful
(E) Profoundly shocked


4. According to the passage, the major reason for the financial problems experienced by Japan’s feudal overlords in the eighteenth century was that

(A) spending had outdistanced income
(B) trade had fallen off
(C) profits from mining had declined
(D) the coinage had been sharply debased
(E) the samurai had concentrated in castle-towns


5. The passage implies that individual samurai did not find it easy to recover from debt for which of the following reasons?

(A) Agricultural production had increased.
(B) Taxes were irregular in timing and arbitrary in amount.
(C) The Japanese government had failed to adjust to the needs of a changing economy.
(D) The domains of samurai overlords were becoming smaller and poorer as government revenues increased.
(E) There was a limit to the amount in taxes that farmers could be made to pay.


6. The passage suggests that, in eighteenth-century Japan, the office of tax collector

(A) was a source of personal profit to the officeholder
(B) was regarded with derision by many Japanese
(C) remained within families
(D) existed only in castle-towns
(E) took up most of the officeholder’s time


7. Which of the following could best be substituted for the word “This” in line 47 without changing the meaning of the passage?

(A) The search of Japan’s Tokugawa shoguns for solvency
(B) The importance of commerce in feudal Japan
(C) The unfairness of the tax structure in eighteenth-century Japan
(D) The difficulty of increasing government income by other means
(E) The difficulty experienced by both individual samurai and the shogun himself in extricating themselves from debt


8. The passage implies that which of the following was the primary reason why the Tokugawa shoguns turned to city merchants for help in financing the state?

(A) A series of costly wars had depleted the national treasury.
(B) Most of the country's wealth appeared to be in city merchants' hands.
(C) Japan had suffered a series of economic reversals due to natural disasters such as floods.
(D) The merchants were already heavily indebted to the shoguns.
(E) Further reclamation of land would not have been economically advantageous.


9. According to the passage, the actions of the Tokugawa shoguns in their search for solvency for the government were regrettable because those actions

(A) raised the cost of living by pushing up prices
(B) resulted in the exhaustion of the most easily worked deposits of silver and gold
(C) were far lower in yield than had originally been anticipated
(D) did not succeed in reducing government spending
(E) acted as a deterrent to trade



15 min 10 seconds: 8 correct 1 wrong
User avatar
woohoo921
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2023
Posts: 516
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 623
Posts: 516
Kudos: 142
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
For question 5, I initially chose C. I realize that E is more specific to the paragraph, but I was thinking more broadly to what was mentioned in the first paragraph: "the overlords??? failure to adjust to a rapidly expanding economy". Is C wrong because "expanding" does not necessarily equate to "changing"?

For question 6, I wanted to clarify my understanding on this part of the passage: "Although shortfalls in overlords??? income resulted almost as much from laxity among their tax collectors (the nearly inevitable outcome of hereditary office-holding)". If the tax collectors of the overlords are other family members and these tax collectors are not stringent in collecting the taxes, wouldn't the shoguns have greater income then because they are giving away less money?

For question 7, why is A precisely incorrect? I realize that D is more specific, but isn't A just a bit broader?

Thank you for your help.
User avatar
Taulark1
Joined: 06 Jan 2017
Last visit: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 128
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 750
Posts: 128
Kudos: 43
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Dear experts , why can't Q7 option A be the answer ?
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,836
Own Kudos:
Posts: 18,836
Kudos: 986
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7445 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
234 posts
GRE Forum Moderator
17289 posts
188 posts