Can someone explain number 2? My answer was C, because the second paragraph mentions the exaggeration the Glathaar makes which could be interpreted as a generalization, since the author mentions in the end that phrase with Chauvism.

As it stands, the OA only refers to the first paragraph, and not the whole passage.

Can someone please elaborate for me?

Need help with question 4 please.

Time Taken - 16 mins

Got 5/8 correct. The last few questions were confusing and hence got them wrong.
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Can anyone please give me detail explaination of Q7?
I can locate the relevant information - the "exaggerate" part but still don't know the meaning of option D in Q7. Though I could choose it by eliminating the other options

Thank you a lot GMATNinja. Totally clear and concise

I assume you are referring to the first question...


There are many clues from which we can infer that this is a scholarly study. For example, in the first sentence, the author refers to Glatthaar's work as an "excellent study of Black soldiers and their White officers in the Civil War." Later in the first paragraph the author says that, "Glatthaar’s title expresses his thesis" (a "thesis" could surely be the topic of a scholarly study).

We are also told that Glatthaar's work "concentrates more intensely on Black-White relations in Black regiments than do any of its predecessors." So while the passage never explicitly refers to the work as a "scholarly study", it is clear that the work examines race relations in the Civil War era. This certainly sounds like a scholarly (or "academic") study.

More importantly, choice (A) is better than any of the other choices, which you should try to eliminate using POE.

I hope that helps!
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Hi GMATNinja


4. The passage mentions which of the following as an important theme that receives special emphasis in Glatthaar's book?

(A) The attitudes of abolitionist officers in Black units
(B) The struggle of black units to get combat assignments
(C) The consequences of the poor medical care received by Black soldiers
(D) The motives of officers serving in Black units
(E) The discrimination that Black soldiers faced when trying for promotions

can you please explain why choice A is incorrect? I know why B is correct but I can't find enough grounds to eliminate A. After all, there is a whole parg dedicated to it.

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Hello surat,

Why A is not the answer to question number 8?

Hi GMATNinja,

I was wondering could you please explain why Q5 OA is C? From the passage I was able to infer that Black units' disease mortality rates were high based on the following sentence from the passage "Thus, while their combat death rate was only one-third that of White units, their mortality rate from disease, a major killer in this war, was twice as great". My question is how can we infer the bold part in the following sentence: "Black units' disease mortality rates were especially high because of the nature of these units' usual duty assignments.. I was confused on this latter part and ended up picking the wrong option because I was not able to infer that their mortality rates were high because of the nature of their duty assignments. Could you please help in regards to this? Would greatly appreciate it!

Sorry for the delay on these questions! Feel free to use the request verbal experts' reply button so that we're a little bit more likely to see your question.


Choice (A) is tempting, but take a second look at the last two sentences in paragraph #2. A White officer is quoted, but these sentences are discussing the attitudes of White soldiers, not abolitionist officers. Then, to demonstrate this "attitudinal change..., Glatthaar seems to exaggerate the prewar racism of the White men who became officers in Black regiments."

Yes, Glatthaar mentions the attitudes of abolitionist officers in Black units but only to make a broader point about the shift in attitudes. In doing so, Glatthaar "misrepresents the attitudes of the many abolitionists who became officers in Black regiments." So the point of the 3rd paragraph is not that Glatthaar gives special emphasis to the attitudes of abolitionist officers. Instead, the point is that Glatthaar's description of their attitudes (i.e. 'virtually all of them held powerful racial prejudices') is misleading.

Although Glatthaar certainly mentions the attitudes of these officers, were are not told that Glatthaar gives special emphasis to those attitudes. We are specifically told that Glatthaar appropriately emphasizes "the campaign by Black soldiers and their officers to get the opportunity to fight", so (B) is a much better answer.



The author tells us that most Black units were kept serving "in rear-echelon assignments and working in labor battalions. Thus, while their combat death rate was only one-third that of White units, their mortality rate from disease, a major killer in this war, was twice as great."

The use of the word "Thus" allows us to infer that because Black units were kept in rear-echelon assignments and NOT given as many opportunities to fight (i.e. in the front), their combat death rate was lower. Furthermore, because Black units were kept in rear-echelon assignments and working in labor battalions, their mortality rate from disease was twice as great.

Even though we don't know what specifically caused the higher disease rates in those jobs, we can infer that something about working in rear-echelon assignments and in labor battalions increased mortality rates from disease. In other words, we can infer that being assigned to these duties increased your chances of catching fatal diseases.

We don't know why that is true, but we can infer that something about those duties (i.e. something inherent to those duties... the nature of those duties) made units assigned to those duties more likely to contract fatal diseases. Thus, the passage suggests (though it does not prove) that the disease mortality rates of Black units during the Civil War were especially high because of the nature of these units' usual duty assignments.

Choice (C) is the best answer.
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