nikitathegreat wrote:
GMATNinja @veritasKarishma
Can you please explain Q3? What does real means here?
To understand what the word "real" means in line 36, let's start by considering the author's purpose in this passage.
Overall, the author's purpose is to point out an error made by certain researchers. What error? Well, the researchers have "overlooked the economic impact of
rural development projects." Why have they made this error? Because they "tend to view
nontechnological development as an obstacle to progress." In fact, the mistaken scholars think the only kind of development that matters is "modern
technological development."
In the last sentence, the author continues to criticize these mistaken researchers. More specifically, he or she points out how the researchers mistakenly believe that rural development projects "retard 'real' economic development."
So what kind of economic development does the word "real" refer to here? Well, the author isn't giving his or her own point of view at this point, but summarizing the wrong views of the mistaken researchers. In other words, the world "real" is used to express the mistaken researchers' point of view that "modern
technological development" is the only important kind. So the word "real" must be referring to
technological development.
From another angle: we know the author doesn't actually think that rural, nontechnological development "retards" economic development. That's what the researchers think, and they are dead wrong (according to the author). When the mistaken researchers refer to "real" economic development, therefore, they are thinking specifically of "modern technological development."
Let's now take a look at answer choice (A):
Quote:
3. It can be inferred from the passage that the term “real” in line 36 most likely refers to economic development that is
A.based on a technological development strategy
Since (A) correctly says that "real" refers to technological development, it's correct.
I hope that helps!