NEW HERE? LEARN MORE
closeclose
Last visit was: 04 May 2024, 07:36 It is currently 04 May 2024, 07:36
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
New posts
New comers' posts

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.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel

Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
 1   2   
Tags:
Find Similar Topics 
Show Tags
Hide Tags
User avatar
guerrero25
Manager
Manager
Joined: 10 Apr 2012
Posts: 244
Own Kudos [?]: 4435 [17]
Given Kudos: 325
Location: United States
Concentration: Technology, Other
GPA: 2.44
WE:Project Management (Telecommunications)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 21 Jul 2014, 23:02
3
Kudos
14
Bookmarks
00:00
A
B
C
D
E

Difficulty:

25% (medium)

Question Stats:

75% (01:45) correct 25% (01:58) wrong based on 1196 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics
Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds. This early academic focus will undermine the social, emotional, and mental development associated with a carefree early childhood. Furthermore, the economic burden on the state to fund such an ambitious undertaking will be overwhelming in both the short-term and long-term, since the state has no way to offset the program’s costs.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the idea that universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state?

(A) Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.

(B) Preschool educated children fare much better in kindergarten than do children without preschool.

(C) Part of the high cost of universal preschool stems from its requirement that preschool teachers must have a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential.

(D) The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

(E) Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

Show Spoiler
The argument posits that universal preschool is a poor idea for children and an overwhelming economic burden for the state. In order to weaken the idea that preschool is an economic burden, the answer choice must demonstrate that preschool somehow directly allows the state to save money in another capacity.

(A) This choice demonstrates an academic benefit of preschool, but not an economic benefit.

(B) Similar to answer choice A, this choice strictly refers to an academic benefit of preschool.

(C) This choice provides a partial explanation of why preschool is so expensive, but does not weaken the idea that preschool will be an economic burden on the state.

(D) This choice simply indicates that the funding for preschool can come from a variety of sources, but in no way undermines the economic burden that preschool imposes.

(E) CORRECT. This choice indicates that special education, an expensive public service, will be made less necessary by the introduction of universal preschool. Thus, spending money on preschool now will save money later.
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
E

Originally posted by guerrero25 on 21 Jul 2014, 18:28.
Last edited by guerrero25 on 21 Jul 2014, 23:02, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
mba1382
Manager
Manager
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
Posts: 138
Own Kudos [?]: 1191 [4]
Given Kudos: 172
GPA: 3.46
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   21 Jul 2014, 21:05
4
Kudos
Really good question. I feel E is best answer even though D was the contender but felt instead it strengthens the conclusion. I am no expert but here is my reasoning:

Conclusion: The economic burden on the state to fund such an ambitious undertaking will be overwhelming in both the short-term and long-term

Possible Assumption: Preschool because of its use of public funds will be a an economic burden without offsetting costs in any way.

We need to weaken this assumption i.e. find an answer that will justify preschool use of public funds offsetting the program costs in some way.

A)Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool. -- It doesn't really affect the program cost and public funds part and therefore doesn't affect the conclusion.

B) Preschool educated children fare much better in kindergarten than do children without preschool. --- Same as A

C)Part of the high cost of universal preschool stems from its requirement that preschool teachers must have a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential. -- Only part of the high cost explained but doesn't really weaken the conclusion in any way. Out

D)The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures. --This was a contender but we have no way of finding out whether sources, such as property taxes and bond measures, could also use public funds in some way. In other words, we will have to make some assumptions and therefore we will have to discard this option. Moreover, if the other sources make use of public funds , use of these other sources strengthens our conclusion slightly.

E)Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.--- Correct This one says that students not attending preschool will require special education, an expensive public service. Thus we see that the preschool indeed offsets the program cost indirectly by not requiring students to have special education and consequently preschool will not be an economic burden in short-term and long-term.


Please post the OA and OE.
User avatar
guerrero25
Manager
Manager
Joined: 10 Apr 2012
Posts: 244
Own Kudos [?]: 4435 [0]
Given Kudos: 325
Location: United States
Concentration: Technology, Other
GPA: 2.44
WE:Project Management (Telecommunications)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   21 Jul 2014, 23:04
Nice logic . I fell for for D in the test . Check the The OA & OE in case you want to review .
User avatar
mba1382
Manager
Manager
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
Posts: 138
Own Kudos [?]: 1191 [1]
Given Kudos: 172
GPA: 3.46
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   21 Jul 2014, 23:27
1
Kudos
Thanks. Indeed a good question and quite representative of real GMAT CR question. Keep posting such questions as it helps people improve :-)
guerrero25 wrote:
Nice logic . I fell for for D in the test . Check the The OA & OE in case you want to review .
avatar
B
Shalabh09
Intern
Intern
Joined: 30 Jun 2014
Posts: 18
Own Kudos [?]: 29 [0]
Given Kudos: 76
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   22 Jul 2014, 03:27
Hi,

If the main concern is the economic burden, wouldn't option D be helpful in solving that (that too both in short and long term), and thereby, in weakening the conclusion? Option E resolves the issue in long term.

@guerrero25 : Please post the OE.

Thank you.
avatar
veronicapratt
Intern
Intern
Joined: 04 Apr 2015
Posts: 1
Own Kudos [?]: 1 [1]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   05 Apr 2015, 23:54
1
Bookmarks
guerrero25 wrote:
Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds. This early academic focus will undermine the social, emotional, and mental development associated with a carefree early childhood. Furthermore, the economic burden on the state to fund such an ambitious undertaking will be overwhelming in both the short-term and long-term, since the state has no way to offset the program’s costs.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the idea that universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state?

A)Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.

B) Preschool educated children fare much better in kindergarten than do children without preschool.

C)Part of the high cost of universal preschool stems from its requirement that preschool teachers must have a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential.

D)The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

E)Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.



I think E could do as student who attend preschool don't need more special education, as they get lot to learn in their early ages at preschool.
User avatar
P
warriorguy
Retired Moderator
Joined: 04 Aug 2016
Posts: 391
Own Kudos [?]: 337 [0]
Given Kudos: 144
Location: India
Concentration: Leadership, Strategy
GPA: 4
WE:Engineering (Telecommunications)
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   08 Oct 2016, 14:48
Narrows down to Option D and Option E since we are looking for something to prove that Universal PS will not be an economic burden

D:
The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

What if even though the taxes collected will be enough to fund the universal PS but still remain as an economic burden to the state. Doesn't give enough fodder to go against the stem.

E:

Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

Option states that students attending preschool can avoid an expensive public service. Since the service is expensive and funded by govt. it destroys the conc.


However, I had a query - the option talks about preschool and we are talking about Universal PS. Is it ok to make a general statement?
User avatar
G
sayantanc2k
CR Moderator
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 2412
Own Kudos [?]: 15277 [0]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   09 Oct 2016, 12:13
Expert Reply
warriorguy wrote:
Narrows down to Option D and Option E since we are looking for something to prove that Universal PS will not be an economic burden

D:
The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

What if even though the taxes collected will be enough to fund the universal PS but still remain as an economic burden to the state. Doesn't give enough fodder to go against the stem.

E:

Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

Option states that students attending preschool can avoid an expensive public service. Since the service is expensive and funded by govt. it destroys the conc.


However, I had a query - the option talks about preschool and we are talking about Universal PS. Is it ok to make a general statement?


The link could be as follows:

If Universal preschools do not exist, then there are some who do not attend preschools at all. But when the concept of Universal preschools is implemented, then everyone will attend the preschool (hence the name Universal). This links your query with the question.
User avatar
P
warriorguy
Retired Moderator
Joined: 04 Aug 2016
Posts: 391
Own Kudos [?]: 337 [0]
Given Kudos: 144
Location: India
Concentration: Leadership, Strategy
GPA: 4
WE:Engineering (Telecommunications)
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   09 Oct 2016, 12:34
sayantanc2k wrote:
warriorguy wrote:
Narrows down to Option D and Option E since we are looking for something to prove that Universal PS will not be an economic burden

D:
The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

What if even though the taxes collected will be enough to fund the universal PS but still remain as an economic burden to the state. Doesn't give enough fodder to go against the stem.

E:

Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

Option states that students attending preschool can avoid an expensive public service. Since the service is expensive and funded by govt. it destroys the conc.


However, I had a query - the option talks about preschool and we are talking about Universal PS. Is it ok to make a general statement?


The link could be as follows:

If Universal preschools do not exist, then there are some who do not attend preschools at all. But when the concept of Universal preschools is implemented, then everyone will attend the preschool (hence the name Universal). This links your query with the question.



Thanks! Could there be more than one public preschool in that area? If yes, there is a chance that the other preschool's curriculum is not as ambitious as this one and hence not a burden to fund. Also, isn't Universal just a name? like the one where I studied was named Pune Institute - though it was in Mumbai :D
User avatar
G
sayantanc2k
CR Moderator
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 2412
Own Kudos [?]: 15277 [0]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   10 Oct 2016, 10:16
Expert Reply
warriorguy wrote:
sayantanc2k wrote:
warriorguy wrote:
Narrows down to Option D and Option E since we are looking for something to prove that Universal PS will not be an economic burden

D:
The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

What if even though the taxes collected will be enough to fund the universal PS but still remain as an economic burden to the state. Doesn't give enough fodder to go against the stem.

E:

Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

Option states that students attending preschool can avoid an expensive public service. Since the service is expensive and funded by govt. it destroys the conc.


However, I had a query - the option talks about preschool and we are talking about Universal PS. Is it ok to make a general statement?


The link could be as follows:

If Universal preschools do not exist, then there are some who do not attend preschools at all. But when the concept of Universal preschools is implemented, then everyone will attend the preschool (hence the name Universal). This links your query with the question.



Thanks! Could there be more than one public preschool in that area? If yes, there is a chance that the other preschool's curriculum is not as ambitious as this one and hence not a burden to fund. Also, isn't Universal just a name? like the one where I studied was named Pune Institute - though it was in Mumbai :D


Probably not. The first sentence indicates that it is a concept rather than a particular school.
User avatar
S
manhasnoname
Manager
Manager
Joined: 21 Apr 2016
Posts: 138
Own Kudos [?]: 66 [0]
Given Kudos: 79
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User Reviews Badge
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   11 Oct 2016, 15:52
The conclusion that needs to be weakened here is that the idea of universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state

"taxes" are more related than a student requiring a special education. How can one guess that a state is sponsoring special education?

And, let us assume a state is sponsoring special education. Let us also assume it costs for that state $100K a year. How do we know this same amount or less, without causing any economic burden on the state, is sufficient for the universal preschool?

Can someone argue?
User avatar
G
sayantanc2k
CR Moderator
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 2412
Own Kudos [?]: 15277 [0]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   13 Oct 2016, 10:45
Expert Reply
manhasnoname wrote:
The conclusion that needs to be weakened here is that the idea of universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state

"taxes" are more related than a student requiring a special education. How can one guess that a state is sponsoring special education?

And, let us assume a state is sponsoring special education. Let us also assume it costs for that state $100K a year. How do we know this same amount or less, without causing any economic burden on the state, is sufficient for the universal preschool?

Can someone argue?


The last line states: "special education, an expensive public service". This answers your first question.

As for your second question, it does not matter how much the state spends - this is not an assumption question. A must be true scenario is required only for assumption question. For strengthening and weakening just a could be true scenario would suffice.

Universal pre-school COULD offset the cost of special education: this "could" scenario is enough to weaken.
User avatar
G
sleepynut
Manager
Manager
Joined: 29 Oct 2016
Posts: 164
Own Kudos [?]: 85 [0]
Given Kudos: 905
Concentration: Finance, Economics
GMAT 1: 620 Q50 V24
GRE 1: Q167 V147
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   21 Jan 2017, 20:27
Hi expert,
Have some doubts with the correct option.
Conclusion : Univ preschool is a misguided use of public funds.
Prem1 : undermine some development associated with a carefree childhood
Prem2 : economic burden

Option E give us another piece of information that attending preschool make it less likely for students to require special education.Still,it is an economic burden to establish the univ preschool.Is it safe to assume that the money saved from not having to maintain special education will be used to offset the initial cost of univ preschool?
User avatar
G
sayantanc2k
CR Moderator
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 2412
Own Kudos [?]: 15277 [1]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   23 Jan 2017, 02:27
1
Kudos
Expert Reply
sleepynut wrote:
Hi expert,
Have some doubts with the correct option.
Conclusion : Univ preschool is a misguided use of public funds.
Prem1 : undermine some development associated with a carefree childhood
Prem2 : economic burden

Option E give us another piece of information that attending preschool make it less likely for students to require special education.Still,it is an economic burden to establish the univ preschool.Is it safe to assume that the money saved from not having to maintain special education will be used to offset the initial cost of univ preschool?


Yes, it is OK. For strengthening / weakening questions, a "must be true" scenario need not be satisfied - a "could be" scenario is sufficient to qualify an answer as correct. Option E presents a new fact that COULD make the conclusion wrong. Hence it is a valid weakening statement.
User avatar
P
chesstitans
VP
VP
Joined: 12 Dec 2016
Posts: 1030
Own Kudos [?]: 1781 [0]
Given Kudos: 2562
Location: United States
Schools: Stanford '19 Carroll '19 LBS '19
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V33
GPA: 3.64
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   28 Jun 2017, 00:22
the question is interesting. Because of "furthermore", the first sentences play no roles in find the answer for the question.

Let's look at the question and the main conclusion, the argument discusses how short-term and long-term benefits from the program will not "offset" the cost -> E is the answer.
User avatar
L
arvind910619
Director
Director
Joined: 20 Dec 2015
Status:Learning
Posts: 874
Own Kudos [?]: 567 [0]
Given Kudos: 755
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
GMAT 1: 670 Q48 V36
GRE 1: Q157 V157
GPA: 3.4
WE:Engineering (Manufacturing)
Send PM
Reviews Badge
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   28 Jun 2017, 09:50
Imo E
If children are not preschooled then they would have to be in special education which is very expensive , hence E is the answer .
avatar
seves10
Intern
Intern
Joined: 14 Jul 2017
Posts: 1
Own Kudos [?]: 0 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   14 Jul 2017, 02:49
Hello
I will definitely go with first on i.e Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.
User avatar
L
abhimahna
Board of Directors
Joined: 18 Jul 2015
Status:Emory Goizueta Alum
Posts: 3600
Own Kudos [?]: 5431 [0]
Given Kudos: 346
Send PM
Reviews Badge
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   14 Jul 2017, 04:20
Expert Reply
seves10 wrote:
Hello
I will definitely go with first on i.e Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.


Hello seves10 ,

Welcome to GMATClub :)

I can understand why you are saying so.

You are assuming that if they complete high school, they mat be beneficial to the economy. You are trying to link economy with high school completion.

This is wrong. We should not bring an outside assumptions to strengthen/weaken our point.

What happens if these students leaves the country? Shouldn't it be a loss?

I hope that makes sense. :)
User avatar
L
BillyZ
Current Student
Joined: 14 Nov 2016
Posts: 1173
Own Kudos [?]: 20748 [0]
Given Kudos: 926
Location: Malaysia
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
Schools: Sloan '23 (D) Tuck '23 (D) Darden '23 (D) Ross '23 (D) Kellogg '23 (D) Wharton '23 (D) Booth '23 (D) Fuqua '24 (A) Harvard '24 (D) Stanford '24 (D)
GMAT 1: 750 Q51 V40 (Online)
GPA: 3.53
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User Reviews Badge
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds. This early [#permalink] New post   15 Oct 2017, 06:58
guerrero25 wrote:
Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds. This early academic focus will undermine the social, emotional, and mental development associated with a carefree early childhood. Furthermore, the economic burden on the state to fund such an ambitious undertaking will be overwhelming in both the short-term and long-term, since the state has no way to offset the program’s costs.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the idea that universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state?

(A) Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.

(B) Preschool educated children fare much better in kindergarten than do children without preschool.

(C) Part of the high cost of universal preschool stems from its requirement that preschool teachers must have a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential.

(D) The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

(E) Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


The argument posits that universal preschool is a poor idea for children and an overwhelming economic burden for the state. In order to weaken the idea that preschool is an economic burden, the answer choice must demonstrate that preschool somehow directly allows the state to save money in another capacity.

(A) This choice demonstrates an academic benefit of preschool, but not an economic benefit.

(B) Similar to answer choice A, this choice strictly refers to an academic benefit of preschool.

(C) This choice provides a partial explanation of why preschool is so expensive, but does not weaken the idea that preschool will be an economic burden on the state.

(D) This choice simply indicates that the funding for preschool can come from a variety of sources, but in no way undermines the economic burden that preschool imposes.

(E) CORRECT. This choice indicates that special education, an expensive public service, will be made less necessary by the introduction of universal preschool. Thus, spending money on preschool now will save money later.
avatar
B
zanaik89
Manager
Manager
Joined: 19 Aug 2016
Posts: 56
Own Kudos [?]: 6 [0]
Given Kudos: 30
Send PM
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink] New post   24 Apr 2018, 19:07
hazelnut wrote:
guerrero25 wrote:
Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds. This early academic focus will undermine the social, emotional, and mental development associated with a carefree early childhood. Furthermore, the economic burden on the state to fund such an ambitious undertaking will be overwhelming in both the short-term and long-term, since the state has no way to offset the program’s costs.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the idea that universal preschool will be an economic burden on the state?

(A) Students who attend preschool are more likely to complete high school than students who do not attend preschool.

(B) Preschool educated children fare much better in kindergarten than do children without preschool.

(C) Part of the high cost of universal preschool stems from its requirement that preschool teachers must have a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential.

(D) The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures.

(E) Students who attend preschool are less likely to require special education, an expensive public service.

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


The argument posits that universal preschool is a poor idea for children and an overwhelming economic burden for the state. In order to weaken the idea that preschool is an economic burden, the answer choice must demonstrate that preschool somehow directly allows the state to save money in another capacity.

(A) This choice demonstrates an academic benefit of preschool, but not an economic benefit.

(B) Similar to answer choice A, this choice strictly refers to an academic benefit of preschool.

(C) This choice provides a partial explanation of why preschool is so expensive, but does not weaken the idea that preschool will be an economic burden on the state.

(D) This choice simply indicates that the funding for preschool can come from a variety of sources, but in no way undermines the economic burden that preschool imposes.

(E) CORRECT. This choice indicates that special education, an expensive public service, will be made less necessary by the introduction of universal preschool. Thus, spending money on preschool now will save money later.


Hi

Im still confused about option D becz it says -"The taxes necessary to fund universal preschool can come from a variety of sources, including property taxes and bond measures."

In this case if more taxes are collected won't the taxes be enough to reduce the economic burden of the state?

Please help

Thanks !
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Universal preschool is a misguided use of public funds [#permalink]
24 Apr 2018, 19:07
 1   2   
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
6925 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
238 posts
mysterymanrog
CR Forum Moderator
832 posts

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne
Main navigation
GMAT Resources
Partners
MBA Resources
www.gmac.com|www.mba.com | | GMAT Club Rules | Terms and Conditions