On the eve of New Year, almost every Japanese cleans his or her house.

Question

On the eve of New Year, almost every Japanese cleans his or her house. However, this year, the government is giving itself a  special dusting  down. Japan’s civil service is enduring its most thorough reform since the Americans occupied the country. Beneath a cloud of paper in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo’s bureaucratic district, whole ministries are vanishing, merging, or at the very least getting new names. In the current month, nearly $400m will be spent shifting 33,000 bureaucrats and their files. The result, say officials, will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule. Yet opinion polls suggest just one in five Japanese believes them.

The government is undeniably about to get smaller. Mergers will cut the number of ministries and agencies from 22 to 12. The politicians, meanwhile, get new jobs inside each ministry that are meant to give them more say in policymaking. Most important are new powers for the prime minister, who gets a strengthened Cabinet Office.

However, in practice, not all of these changes are likely to work exactly according to plan. For example, the Cabinet Office was supposed to secure a measure of independence by recruiting many of its staff from outside the civil service. But Japan’s rigid hiring practices have made this difficult. So almost all the important posts have been filled by the usual career bureaucrats.

Reforms to the bureaucracy, meanwhile, look a mixed bag at best. Having already lost its authority to regulate banks, the once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground. Under the Cabinet Office, a new body will now draft the outline of the national budget. The Finance Ministry looks like a softer target than the big spending ministries, with their well-organized networks of friendly politicians.

Other changes seem to run counter to the desired direction. For example, under the politicians’ original plan, drawn up in 1997, the power of the public-works bureaucracy was to be weakened by splitting the Construction Ministry in two. But, perversely, it has instead got bigger, merging with the Transport Ministry, the National Land Agency, and the Hokkaido Development Agency to create a monster that will control nearly 80% of public-works spending.    1 
 1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.
B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.
C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.
D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.
E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.

2 
 2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” ( Highlighted ) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms
B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan
C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan
D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.
E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.

3 
 3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.
D. practically the government will not get smaller
E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.

4 
 4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government
II. better and stronger political leadership
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

A. I only
B. I and II only 
C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

5 
 5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms 
B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved
C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms
D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms
E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned

6 
 6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?

A. the Finance Ministry
B. the Construction Ministry
C. the Cabinet Office
D. the Transport Ministry
E. the National Land Agency

7 
 7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.
B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.
C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.
D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.
E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.

avinashiitp · Answer

The answer for passage

1.D,
2.E,
3.E,
4.B,
5.A,
6.C,
7.C

Archit3110 · Answer

1 d
2 e
3 a
4 a
5 a
6 b
7 a

1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings. 
 B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan. 
 C. the government is winding up all of the ministries. 
 D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.  Kasumigaseki, Tokyo’s bureaucratic district
 E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.

2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” ( Highlighted ) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms 
 B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan 
 C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan 
 D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened. 
 E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? 
passage states that Yet opinion polls suggest just one in five Japanese believes them. which is ~ 20 % option A is correct on this basis
 A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented. 
 B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented. 
 C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms. 
 D. practically the government will not get smaller 
 E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.

4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms 
passage states : will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule 
only option I is valid and correct 
I. smaller government
II. better and stronger political leadership
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

A. I only 
B. I and II only 
C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT 
passage states that once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground ; option A is correct

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms  
B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved
C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms
D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms
E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned

6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms? 
passage states : the power of the public-works bureaucracy was to be weakened by splitting the Construction Ministry in two. But, perversely, it has instead got bigger,
A. the Finance Ministry
 B. the Construction Ministry 
C. the Cabinet Office
D. the Transport Ministry
E. the National Land Agency

7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan. 
B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.
C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.
D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.
E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level

av1901 · Answer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 PASSAGE 2
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1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.

Dusting down is not implied in the message in the literal sense, it is mentioned as a metaphor for optimizing and reforming the government structure

B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.

Not true, the passage says that such a significant reform had not taken place since the American occupation of Japan, not since the start of the history of Japan

C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.

The government plans to reduce the number of its ministries by merging them and winding up some of them possibly but nowhere has it been mentioned that the government intends to wind up all of its ministries

D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.

CORRECT. Yes, the passage mentions that Kasumigaseki is Tokyo's bureaucratic district and thus implied that it is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan since Tokyo is the capital of Japan

E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.

Although the plan includes merging of minitries to reduce their number but its not clearly mentioned which type of industries will be merged, some larger industries could be merged like the Construction ministry mentioned in the last paragraph or it is also possible that small industries get merged but overall, it is not clear

==================================================================================

2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms

Its neither mentioned in the passage nor practical to assume citizens taking part in important governmental reform decisions

B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan

They had happened, just not since the American occupation of the country

C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan

Its not mentioned anywhere that these are going to be the perfect reforms. The aim is to have them to be successful enough to result in what will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule. No mention about these reforms proving to be the perfect reforms for Japan

D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.

The word refers to reforming the entire government, not just the prime minister and his office

E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.

CORRECT. Its clearly mentioned in the passage (Excerpt: 'Japan’s civil service is enduring its most thorough reform since the Americans occupied the country.') that such thorough reforms had not taken place in the country since the Americans occupied the country

==================================================================================

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.

CORRECT. Passage mentions that one in five believes the reforms so that results in 20 percent which is lower than 25%

B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.

Passage mentions that one in five believes the reforms so that results in 20 percent but more than 15% can be any number greater than 15, which means that it could even be greater than 20, which is not possible as per the passage

C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.

Although the passage mentions (Excerpt: 'Mergers will cut the number of ministries and agencies from 22 to 12.') that mergers will reduce ministries and agencies from 22 to 12 (which is approximately a 45% reduction), it mentions agencies as well along with ministries so we cannot know for sure how many minstries and agencies are part of the 22 which will get converted to 12, thus will have an impact on the percentage

D. practically the government will not get smaller

This is opposite to the claims of the passage, the government is going to get smaller and that is one of the main points of performing the reforms

E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.

Not mentioned or even implied anywhere in the passage

==================================================================================

4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

Passage Excerpt: 'The result, say officials, will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule.'

I. smaller government

YES, as per the excerpt above, it is clear that the reforms aim to result in a smaller government

II. better and stronger political leadership

YES, again as per the excerpt above, it is clearly mentioned that the reforms aim to build a better and stronger political leadership

III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

NO, the intended result, as per the government is a bureaucracy ready to serve, NOT RULE

Hence, statements I and II are correct, hence Answer - B

A. I only
 B. I and II only (CORRECT) 
C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

==================================================================================

5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms

CORRECT. The passage mentions that the Finance Ministry, which had already lost its bank regulating power before the reforms, will lose the power to present the budget as well and that it is a soft target with other ministries holding strong connections with friendly politicians. This implies that there is no way that the Finance Ministry will do anything related to bigger financial project post the reforms

B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved

It is clearly mentioned in the last paragraph that plans were to split the Construction ministry in two

C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms

It is mentioned in the second to last paragraph that 'Having already lost its authority to regulate banks, the once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground', implying that the Finance Ministry had already lost its power to regulate banks before the reforms

D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms

Mentioned in the same paragraph as specified in point C ('Under the Cabinet Office, a new body will now draft the outline of the national budget')

E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned

This has been mentioned on multiple occasions throughout the passage in reference to cabinet office having same people, Finance Ministry taking a hit, and Construction Ministry merging instead of splitting

==================================================================================

6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?

A. the Finance Ministry

Finance Ministry will lose its power to outline to budget thus changing a lot from its pre-reforms status

B. the Construction Ministry

Construction Ministry will be merged with three other industries, thus indicating a big change from its pre-reforms status

C. the Cabinet Office

CORRECT
As per the following excerpt from the passage:

'the Cabinet Office was supposed to secure a measure of independence by recruiting many of its staff from outside the civil service. But Japan’s rigid hiring practices have made this difficult. So almost all the important posts have been filled by the usual career bureaucrats.'

It is clearly implied that the Cabinet Office will have similar and usual people that used to be there pre-reforms, thus indicating the least amount of change to its pre-reforms status

D. the Transport Ministry

Transport Ministry will be merged with three other industries, thus indicating a big change from its pre-reforms status

E. the National Land Agency

National Land Agency will be merged with three other industrues, thus indicating a big change from its pre-reforms status

==================================================================================

7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.

Although the passage is introducing the reforms, this is not the main purpose of the passage because the passage discusses so much more about the effects that will have as opposed to the what the government thought would happen

B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.

The passage discusses the reforms and compares the actual v/s the intended results of the same, so there is more to the passage than suggested in this point

C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.

Passage discusses reforms and how they were intended and how they turned out, primary focus was to illustrate all of this, not just them not being favorable

D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.

CORRECT. The passage introduced the reforms at the beginning and then details the expectations that the government had with these reforms and how and why those expectations were not met

E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.

Passage talks about the difficulties in results being as expected for the reforms as planned, not about there being difficulties in implementing the reforms

happypuppy · Answer

1. D 
2. E
3. C
4. B 
5. A
6. A
7. D

1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.
- Wrong - Not literely but more about the systems
B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.
- Wrong - Nothing discussed about "before the American occupation"
C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.
- Wrong - "all" is wrong
 D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.
- Correct. Given "Beneath a cloud of paper in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo’s bureaucratic district, whole ministries are vanishing, merging, or at the very least getting new names." 
E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.
- Wrong - Not mentioned

Question 2
2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms
- Wrong - "every" is wrong and this is not the reason
B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan
- Wrong - Can't say about "never happened in the history"
C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan
- Wrong - Not the mentinoed reason
D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.
- Wrong - Might be but not mentioned
 E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.
- Correct - The next line gives the reason. "Japan’s civil service is enduring its most thorough reform since the Americans occupied the country."

Question 3
3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
- Wrong - "result oriented" is wrong also poll says "opinion polls suggest just one in five Japanese believes them." might not true for all Japanese 
B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
- Wrong - "result oriented" is wrong also poll says "opinion polls suggest just one in five Japanese believes them." might not true for all Japanese
 C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.
- Correct - 10/22 = ~45% "Mergers will cut the number of ministries and agencies from 22 to 12." 
D. practically the government will not get smaller
- Wrong - Not mentioned
E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.
- Wrong - Nowhere in passage it is said exactly.

Question 4
4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government
- Correct - "The government is undeniably about to get smaller."
II. better and stronger political leadership
- Correct - "The result, say officials, will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule. "
 
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule
- Wrong - "The result, say officials, will be a smaller government, stronger political leadership, and a bureaucracy ready to serve, not rule. "

A. I only
- Wrong - 
 B. I and II only
- Correct - Based on above explanation! 
C. I and III only
- Wrong - 
D. II and III only
- Wrong - 
E. I, II, and III
- Wrong -

Question 5
5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms
- Correct - No where it is mentioned for 'after reforms'. Lines: "Having already lost its authority to regulate banks, the once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground."" 
B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved
- Wrong - Given - "For example, under the politicians’ original plan, drawn up in 1997, the power of the public-works bureaucracy was to be weakened by splitting the Construction Ministry in two.""
C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms
- Wrong - Given
D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms
- Wrong - Given " Under the Cabinet Office, a new body will now draft the outline of the national budget. "
E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned
- Wrong - That the authors take

Question 6
6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?
 
A. the Finance Ministry
- Correct - "Having already lost its authority to regulate banks, the once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground."  
B. the Construction Ministry
- Wrong - "... Construction Ministry in two. But, perversely, it has instead got bigger... "
C. the Cabinet Office
- Wrong - "Under the Cabinet Office, a new body will now draft the outline of the national budget. "
D. the Transport Ministry
- Wrong - "But, perversely, it has instead got bigger, merging with the Transport Ministry, the National Land Agency, and the Hokkaido Development Agency to create a monster that will control nearly 80% of public-works spending."
E. the National Land Agency
- Wrong - "But, perversely, it has instead got bigger, merging with the Transport Ministry, the National Land Agency, and the Hokkaido Development Agency to create a monster that will control nearly 80% of public-works spending."

Question 7
7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.
- Wrong - Just one part (limited in scope)
B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.
- Wrong - Opposite
C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.
- Wrong - Limited in scope and 'national level' is unnecessary
 D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.
- Correct - Passage introduces and reasons out why plans won't meet expectations.  
E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.
- Wrong - Limited in scope

Snehaaaaa · Answer

Question 1
1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?
A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.- The government is not dusting the offices and buildings
B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.- Nothing is talked about before the American occupation
C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.- 'all' is an issue here
 D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.- This is stated in the passage. This is the correct answer 
E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.- not true for all

Question 2
2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because
A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms- not stated in the passage
B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan- this option talks about history of Japan while the passage talks about 'since the American occupation'
C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan- This cannot be said
D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.- This is not the author's intent
 E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.- This is the author's intent. This is the correct answer

Question 3
3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.- this statement will not hold true in all instances
B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.- this statement will not hold true in all instances
 C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.- this can be inferred as the passage states that 'Mergers will cut the number of ministries and agencies from 22 to 12'. This is the correct answer 
D. practically the government will not get smaller- This cannot be inferred
E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.- cannot be inferred

Question 4
4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms
I. smaller government- intended result of reform
II. better and stronger political leadership- intented result of reform
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule-  the passage states that the bureaucracy will not rule 
A. I only
 B. I and II only- This is the correct answer 
C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

Question 5
5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT
 A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms- Since this cannot be inferred from the passage, this is the correct answer 
B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved- can be inferred
C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms- stated in passage
D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms- stated in passage
E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned- this is the author's opinion

Question 6
6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?
 A. the Finance Ministry- This is the correct answer 
B. the Construction Ministry- this will be merged with the Construction Ministry and National Land Agency, big change
C. the Cabinet Office- new committee will be formed here, big change
D. the Transport Ministry- this will be merged with the Construction Ministry and National Land Agency, big change
E. the National Land Agency- this will be merged with the Construction Ministry and National Land Agency, big change

Question 7
7. The primary purpose of the passage is:
A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.- limited in scope
B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.- limited in scope
C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.- limited in scope
 D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.- This is the correct answer 
E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.- not mentioned

zyt · Answer

1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.
No, special dusting metaphorically relates to cleaning of bureaucratic structure in the first para 
 
B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.
No, after the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened at this scale.

C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.
No, not all ministries, its reducing from 22 to 12.

D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.
CORRECT, this fact is stated in the first paragraph

E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.
The number of ministries will decrease is mentioned but whether smaller will merge into larger is not mentioned.

2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms
Not mentioned that every Japanese will take part in civil reforms, but every Japanese cleans their house on new year

B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan
Civil reforms of such a level had not happened after the American occupation, but could have happened before that.

C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan
Not this is not the intended meaning
 
 D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.
This is mentioned in the next paragraph but it does not imply special dusting  
 
E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.
CORRECT:Yes, this is clearly mentioned in the next line

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
CORRECT: its mention that 1 in 5 approx. 20% only believe that reforms are result oriented

B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
1 in 5 or 1 in 2 can be more than 15%, so this is incorrect

C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.
22 ministries and agencies will merge to 12 so we do not exactly know what percent of ministries will merge

D. practically the government will not get smaller
first line of second para says that practically the government will get smaller

E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.
Incorrect the new powers to prime minister will make the cabinet office stronger

4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government- clearly mentioned in last line of first para
II. better and stronger political leadership- clearly mentioned in last line of first para 
 III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule- NO it mentioned that bureaucracy is ready to serve NOT rule

A. I only 
 B. I and II only 
 C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms
CORRECT: it is mentioned that finance ministry will weaken not take bigger projects

B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved
Yes, there were plans to divide it into two. 
 
C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms
Yes, and the Finance ministry lost this authority after the reforms

D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms
Yes, its mentioned in para 4
 
 E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned
Yes, this is clearly mentioned in para 3

6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?

A. the Finance Ministry
it will weaken

B. the Construction Ministry
it will become bigger merging with Transport, National Land and Hokkaido development

C. the Cabinet Office
CORRECT it will remain almost same as the type of bureaucrats selected will be the usual career bureaucrats due to rigid hiring practices

D. the Transport Ministry
 merging with construction, National Land and Hokkaido development ministries

E. the National Land Agency
 merging with Transport, construction and Hokkaido development ministries

7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.
this is purpose of first two paragraphs only

B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.
This is not the goal of the passage

C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.
This is the purpose of last three paragraphs

D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.
CORRECT: this shows purpose of entire passage, the first two and the last three paragraphs

E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.
Implementation is not discussed in details

sanjitscorps18 · Answer

1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?
D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.
--> Clearly mentioned in the 1st paragraph

2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because
E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.
--> the special dusting refers to reforms after a long time

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.
--> 22 being merged into 12

4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government
II. better and stronger political leadership
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

B. I and II only
--> The "A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule". Its only serve and not rule

5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT
A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms
--> Correct as per the statement "the once-mighty Finance Ministry has ceded more ground."

6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?
A. the Finance Ministry
--> All other options undergo large changes

7. The primary purpose of the passage is:
A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.
--> Only an introduction has been presented

DECBAAA

pintukr · Answer

1st Paragraph : Planned bureaucratic reforms leading to reduction in size of the government
2nd Paragraph : characteristics of the new set-up
3rd Paragraph : certain reforms actually 'counter' to plans
4th Paragraph : Downsizing of Finance Ministry
5th Paragraph : Certain other examples counter to earlier plans

Overall : Reforms in the Japanese Govt, along with certain reasons as to why they may not achiecve the intended results as per earlier plans

1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings.
 'Literal' meaning not the intent

B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan.
 Reforms happened earlier too, but NOT so thorough

C. the government is winding up all of the ministries.
 It's just downsizing, NOT winding up

D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan.
 CORRECT statement, as per the passage 
E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries.

No such plans hinted at in the passage

2. In the first paragraph, the word “special dusting” (Highlighted) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms
 Role of Japanese citizens has not been explained..only their opinion has been written about

B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan
 most thorough reforms taken placesince American occupation, NOT the entire history of Japan

C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan
 May or may not be true..cannot be ascertained

D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened.
 It's only new powers..whether strengthened or not --> can't be ascertained

E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan.
 most thorough reforms since the American occupation..CORRECT answer

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
 about 1 in 5..can be inferred..CORRECT answer

B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented.
 about 1 in 5 is 20%..the prompt's hints also at 16% or 50%..may or may not be true as per the passage

C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms.
 No such claims made in the passage

D. practically the government will not get smaller
 Opposite of this is true as per the passage

E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively.
 No such claims made in the passage

4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government
II. better and stronger political leadership
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

Only I is true, 'better and stronger political leadership' and 'A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule' have not been claimed as prospective results of planned reforms
 
 A. I only..CORRECT answer 
 B. I and II only 
 C. I and III only 
 D. II and III only 
 E. I, II, and III

5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms
 In fact, the Finance ministry is downsized..hence this cannot be inferred

B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved
 True as per the passage

C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms
 True as per the passage

D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms
 Under the Cabinet Office, a new body will now draft the outline of the national budget. ..hence, True as per the passage

E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned
 The last two paragraphs of the passage hint at this aspect..therefore can be inferred

6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms?

Cabinet Office composition (career bureaucrats) will remain the same..hence it can be inferred that the Cabinet Office will practically be changed the least

A. the Finance Ministry 
 B. the Construction Ministry 
 C. the Cabinet Office..CORRECT answer 
 D. the Transport Ministry 
 E. the National Land Agency

7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan.
 Besides the reforms, the paragraph also hints at the limitations of the planned reforms considering the expectations

B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference.
 it's only the organisational structure reforms which have been discussed..NOT the impact at the people level

C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably.
 Too extreme..depending on the body/ministry, such a claim may or may not be true

D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations.
 Both the aspects as covered in the passage have been ciovered in this prompt..CORRECT answer

E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level.
 Difficulty level for Japan in implementing reforms is not the focus of the passage

vrsthe1 · Answer

P1  -->  most thorough  Govt. reform in japan. only few people (20%) believe in the reform.
 P2  --> Govt. undeniably getting smaller. politicians more into policy making. PM more power through cabinet office.
 P3  -->  However,  plan/vision is different from the practice./reality. almost all important posts are held by usual career bureaucrats (almost no change).
 P4  --> FM lost power, others retain power through diff. means.
 P5  --> eg., CM to split in 2 but made more bigger by merging others into CM.

Main Point  --> most through govt. reform since the American occupation. But the reality is very different from the plan/expectations/direction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q1. Which of the following about the government of Japan is true?

A. the government is dusting the civil services offices and buildings. 
 Not Correct  --> not in the real sense, hence wrong.

B. before the American occupation, the government reforms of civil services had never happened in the history of Japan. 
 Not Correct  --> passage says this is the most thorough but the only.

C. the government is winding up all of the ministries. 
 Not Correct  --> not winding but merging to get smaller.

D. Kasumigaseki is the bureaucratic district of the government of Japan. 
 Correct  --> AS mentioned in statement 4 of 1st paragraph.

E. Small ministries will be merged into larger ministries. 
 Not Correct  --> 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q2. In the first paragraph, the word  “special dusting”  (Highlighted) is written most probably because

A. every Japanese will take part in the process of civil services reforms 
 Not Correct  --> Nothing like that sort is mentioned. only every japanese will cleans their house.

B. civil services reforms of such a level had never happened in the history of Japan 
 Not Correct  --> Level is not the right word as answer choice  E  better words it as thorough.

C. the reforms are going to prove to be the perfect reforms for Japan 
 Not Correct  --> no conclusion or claim about the reforms being perfect.

D. new powers for the prime minister are going to be strengthened. 
 Not Correct  --> only the PM gets strengthened cabinet office, not new powers.

E. since the American occupation, such thorough reforms had never happened in Japan. 
 Correct  --> correct as per 3rd statement in 1st paragraph.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. less than 25% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented. 
 Correct  --> less than can be anything between 1 -24.

B. more than 15% of Japanese believe the reforms to be result oriented. 
 Not Correct  --> more than can be any number from 16 to 100..

C. about 45% of ministries will be merged during the reforms. 
 Correct  --> as mentioned in 2nd paragraph, cut by merging from 22 to 12,also better/more clear than other answer choices.

D. practically the government will not get smaller 
 Not Correct  --> as per 2nd paragraph 1st statement, the govt. will undeniably get smaller.

E. the new powers to the prime minister could affect reforms negatively. 
 Not Correct  --> out of scope, as no effects due to PMs new powers are mentioned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q4. According to the government, the following will be the intended results of reforms

I. smaller government
II. better and stronger political leadership
III. A bureaucracy ready to serve and rule

Clearly from the before last statement of 1st paragraph all the 3 options are proposed results of the reform.
which makes answer choice E the correct option.

A. I only 
 Not Correct

B. I and II only  
 Not Correct

C. I and III only 
 Not Correct

D. II and III only 
 Not Correct

E. I, II, and III 
 Correct  --> as mentioned in pre-thought.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q5. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. the Finance Ministry will deal with the bigger financial projects after the civil reforms  
 Correct  --> As per 4th paragraph, FM powers were reduced. so this cannot be inferred from the passage.

B. According to the initial plans, the powers of the public-works bureaucracy were to be halved 
 Not Correct  --> clear from 5th paragraph.

C. the Finance Ministry was regulating the banks before civil reforms 
 Not Correct  --> 2nd statement of 4th paragraph.

D. A new regulatory authority will draft the outline of the national budget after civil reforms 
 Not Correct  --> 3rd statement of 4th paragraph.

E. some of the changes intended for civil reforms may not work as planned 
 Not Correct  --> 1st statement of 3rd paragraph.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q6. According to the passage, which of the following ministry or body will practically be changed the least after civil reforms? 
Clearly from paragraph 3, most important posts are held by the usual career bureaucrats in Cabinet Office. Hence Answer choice C is correct.

A. the Finance Ministry 
 Not Correct

B. the Construction Ministry 
 Not Correct

C. the Cabinet Office 
 Correct  --> as mentioned in the pre-thought. according to 3rd paragraph.

D. the Transport Ministry 
 Not Correct

E. the National Land Agency 
 Not Correct  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Q7. The primary purpose of the passage is:

Main Point  --> most through govt. reform since the American occupation. But the reality is very different from the plan/expectations/direction.

A. to introduce reforms being made in the government of Japan. 
 Not Correct  --> Only concerns the 1st paragraph, not entire passage.

B. to explain how the reforms in the government of Japan will make a difference. 
 Not Correct  --> Opposite of what's mentioned in passage. Different from the arrived main point.

C. to show that reforms at the national level might not work favorably. 
 Not Correct  --> nothing about favorable or not. only that reality is different from expectations.

D. to introduce the Japanese government reforms and reason why they are not going to meet the expectations. 
 Correct  --> most close to the arrived main point.

E. to show how difficult it is for Japan to implement reforms at the national level. 
 Not Correct  --> Different from the arrived main point. Out of Scope.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello Everyone!

This is an easy passage, and the OAs are: DECBACD

Question number 3 and 6 are a little trickier.

Roy867  although you got question number 3 correct your explanation of the wrong answers to the same question is not up to the mark, see the explanation posted by  vrsthe1  it is 100% spot on. Otherwise, you alongside  av1901   vrsthe1  and  zyt  did a good job.  vrsthe1  Please post the explanation maximum until 8 am Pacific.

Passages for Day 3 are posted. Let me know if you have any questions.

Good Luck!

On the eve of New Year, almost every Japanese cleans his or her house.

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

On the eve of New Year, almost every Japanese cleans his or her house.

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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