Journalist: Every election year at this time the state government rele

Question

Journalist: Every election year at this time the state government releases the financial disclosures that potential candidates must make in order to be eligible to run for office. Among those making the required financial disclosure this year is prominent local businessman, Arnold Bergeron. There has often been talk in the past of Mr. Bergeron's running for governor, not least from Mr. Bergeron himself. This year it is likely he finally will, since those who have discounted the possibility of a Bergeron candidacy have always pointed to the necessity of making financial disclosure as the main obstacle to such a candidacy.

In the journalist's argument the boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

A. The first provides information without which the argument lacks force; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.

B. The first provides information without which the argument lacks force; the second states an intermediate conclusion that is used to support a further conclusion.

C. The first sites a practice that the journalist seeks to defend; the second sites a likely consequence of this practice.

D. The first states evidence bearing against the main conclusion of the argument; the second is that main conclusion.

E. Each provides evidence in support of an intermediate conclusion that supports a further conclusion stated in the argument.

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Official Answer

A

Archit3110 · Answer

IMO A stands out of other given options:

manishcmu · Answer

Journalist:  Every election year at this time the state government releases the financial disclosures that potential candidates must make in order to be eligible to run for office . Among those making the required financial disclosure this year is prominent local businessman, Arnold Bergeron. There has often been talk in the past of Mr. Bergeron's running for governor, not least from Mr. Bergeron himself.  This year it is likely he finally will , since those who have discounted the possibility of a Bergeron candidacy have always pointed to the necessity of making financial disclosure as the main obstacle to such a candidacy.

In the journalist's argument the boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

A. The first provides information without which the argument lacks force; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.  Correct. The first provides support for the main conclusion. The second sentence is the main conclusion

B. The first provides information without which the argument lacks force; the second states an intermediate conclusion that is used to support a further conclusion. The second is not the intermediate conclusion rather the main concllusion

C. The first sites a practice that the journalist seeks to defend; the second sites a likely consequence of this practice. The author is not defending the first statement, rather it is a fact.

D. The first states evidence bearing against the main conclusion of the argument; the second is that main conclusion. The first provides support to the main conclusion

E. Each provides evidence in support of an intermediate conclusion that supports a further conclusion stated in the argument. The second statement is the main conclusion.

nguen · Answer

The second statement is the main conclusion. The dude will run for office, so A

Posted from my mobile device

globaldesi · Answer

Second sentence definitely is a conclusion. One can identify it with a premise attached next to it "since ....". 
To look at first bold faced .
the first does not perform action of either of three it does not state "The first sites a practice that the journalist seeks to defend".. option C
 Is it not "The first states evidence bearing against the main conclusion of the argument"

Also it does not provide evidence in support of an intermediate conclusion that supports a further conclusion stated in the argument."
Hence only first part of options A and B matches out of which only A approves of both correct identification.
Hence A
I used elimination technique for this passage.

jawele · Answer

Hi  manishcmu

Could you please put down into words as to why you think that the first BF supports the conclusion?

Thanks

jabhatta2 · Answer

Hi  GMATNinja  - what does option A mean when option A says : ". The first provides information without which the argument lacks force"

Is option A, saying that bold face 1 is an assumption ? 
OR

Is option A, saying that bold face 1 is a premise ?

I could not understand what the first half of option A is even saying :  The first provides information without which the argument lacks force

GMATNinja · Answer

It’s tempting to try and reword the information given in (A) to fit a category (such as premise, assumption, etc.) that we’re accustomed to working with. But it’s probably a better practice to take what the answer choice says at face value and see whether it accurately describes the role of the two boldface.

“To have force” means “to have strength.” So, is the first boldface a statement needed for the argument, as currently written, to have strength? Well, the entire conclusion of the argument (that Bergeron likely will run for governor) is based on the idea that the financial disclosure is a  requirement  that Bergeron has not met before this year. The first boldface is what confirms that candidates MUST make those disclosures. So, without that confirmation, the argument would have no strength because Bergeron would not be making those financial disclosures in order to be eligible to run for office.

As it turns out, the first boldface is, in fact, a premise (an assumption typically wouldn’t be explicitly stated). But given the question and the answer choices, that’s not nearly as important as the fact that the argument lacks force without that boldface statement.

I hope that helps!

egmat · Answer

This is a classic boldface structure question where we need to identify the role each boldfaced portion plays in the journalist's argument. Let me break this down systematically.

Step 1: Identify the Main Conclusion 
The journalist's main conclusion is: "This year it is likely he   finally will  "
This is the author's prediction - what they're trying to convince us of. Notice this is exactly our second boldface portion.

Step 2: Map the Argument Flow

Background context: Financial disclosure is required for all candidates (Boldface 1) 
 Specific fact: Bergeron has filed his disclosure this year 
 Historical context: People have talked about him running before 
 Main conclusion: He'll likely run this year (Boldface 2) 
 Supporting reasoning: The disclosure requirement was seen as the main obstacle

Step 3: Analyze Each Boldface's Role 
 First Boldface:  "Every election year at this time the state government releases the financial disclosures..."

This establishes the crucial context - without knowing about this requirement, we can't understand why Bergeron's filing matters
It's not evidence per se, but essential background information that gives the argument its force

Second Boldface:  "This year it is likely he finally will"

This IS the main conclusion - the journalist's prediction about what will happen
Everything else either sets up or supports this claim

Step 4: Evaluate Answer Choices 
(A) states the first provides information without which the argument lacks force (✓) and the second is the main conclusion (✓). This matches our analysis perfectly.
(B) wrongly calls the second an intermediate conclusion - but there's no further conclusion beyond it.
(C) mischaracterizes the first as defending a practice and the second as a consequence of that practice.
(D) incorrectly claims the first works against the conclusion.
(E) treats both as evidence for some other conclusion, which isn't the structure here.

Answer: A 
The key insight is recognizing that background context (like the disclosure requirement) isn't the same as evidence, but it can still be essential for the argument to make sense.

Want to Master Boldface Questions Systematically? 
Check out the  complete solution on Neuron by e-GMAT  to learn the 4-step framework that works for all boldface questions, including how to quickly identify intermediate vs. main conclusions and avoid common trap patterns. You'll also see 2 alternative approaches and practice with similar official questions. Access detailed solutions for Official questions  here on Neuron  and build custom practice quizzes with detailed analytics.

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