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12 Mar 2020, 00:05
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(1): The aid industry should focus its spending less on primary education than it now does.
(2): Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by local people.
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
75%
(hard)
Question Stats:
61% (02:36) correct
39%
(02:47)
wrong
based on 937
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Professor A: The aid industry should begin to focus its efforts to spending on primary schools in the poorest areas, to providing medicines and other basic supplies for health such as mosquito nets, and to a few key agricultural initiatives.
Professor B: Much education work has been ineffective. A village or town with poor schooling may be better off getting a road than a teacher. Once local farmers can transport produce to market, they will be willing to pay for schools—and to make sure the schools succeed.
Suppose that the professors’ statements express their genuine opinions. Select statements (1) and (2) as follows: Professor A would likely disagree with (1), and Professor B would take (2) to present logical support for (1). Select only two statements, one per column.
Professor B: Much education work has been ineffective. A village or town with poor schooling may be better off getting a road than a teacher. Once local farmers can transport produce to market, they will be willing to pay for schools—and to make sure the schools succeed.
Suppose that the professors’ statements express their genuine opinions. Select statements (1) and (2) as follows: Professor A would likely disagree with (1), and Professor B would take (2) to present logical support for (1). Select only two statements, one per column.
ID: 100400
| (1) | (2) | Statements |
| The aid industry should focus less on the areas of health and agriculture than it now does. | ||
| The aid industry should focus more on primary education than it now does. | ||
| The aid industry should focus its spending less on primary education than it now does. | ||
| Projects in health and agriculture are more likely to be successful if they are not paid for by the aid industry. | ||
| Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by the aid industry. | ||
| Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by local people. |
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(1): The aid industry should focus its spending less on primary education than it now does.
(2): Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by local people.
18 Dec 2020, 17:17
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kntombat
Hello, kntombat. I chose (C) for 1 and (F) for 2. I think the second one is relatively straightforward. The first, though, requires a careful consideration of just what the opening line is saying:Professor A: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to spending on primary schools in the poorest areas
Translation: The aid industry should prioritize spending on such primary schools.
This is a classic sleight of hand on GMAT™ IR questions. To limit efforts to in this sense means to make those efforts a top priority (by scaling back on or eliminating other efforts). To limit efforts on would convey the opposite meaning. I suspect that someone on the GMAC™ end tossed in that -ing + on just to muddle the meaning. Shame on that person.
I hope that helps. I understand the confusion. Thank you for thinking to ask me to clarify.
- Andrew
13 Feb 2024, 05:34
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Professor A: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to spending on primary schools in the poorest areas, providing medicines and other basic supplies for health care such as mosquito nets, and to a few key agricultural initiatives.
The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to a handful of things.
What things?
1. Spending on primary schools in the poorest areas
2. providing medicines and other basic supplies for health case such as mosquito nets
3. and to a few key agricultural initiatives.
Essentially, Professor A states that the aid industry should begin to focus only on these three categories.
Mind you: The statement doesn't mean that the industry should reduce its efforts of spending on primary schools in the poorest areas.
Correct interpretation: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to these three things. i.e. they should not focus on other things.
Incorrect interpretation: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts in these three things. i.e. they should focus less on these three things.
Professor B: Much education work has been ineffective.
Professor B seems to start off with a different view. (One of the things Professor A wants the aid industry to focus on is education - primary schools in the poorest areas.)
A village or town with poor schooling may be better off getting a road than a teacher.
Professor B supports his point with elaboration. Instead of helping a town with poor schooling get a teacher, getting a better road maybe better.
Once local farmers can transport produce to market they will be willing to pay for schools -- and to make sure schools succeed.
Why might getting a road be better than getting a teacher? Because a road would help local farmers transport good to market. (They'll be able to sell their produce, and make money. And they'd be willing to use that money to pay for schools.) That way they would get schools to succeed.
Suppose that the professors' statements express their genuine opinions. Select statements (1) and (2) as follows: Professor A would likely disagree with (1) and Professor B would take (2) to present logical support for (1). Select only two statements, one per column.
A fairly complex question in that the selections are not independent. The first selection has two requirements:
a. It should be something that A would likely disagree with.
b. Further, there should be another statement among the remaining five that B would use to support it. A statement would not support itself.
Here's how I went about it.
I broke down the task into the following steps:
i. For (1), shortlist the various statements that Prof A would likely disagree with.
ii. For the shortlisted, find which statements have support among the remaining five.
iii. If a statement supports the shortlisted options, also check whether that is something Prof B would agree with. (Since Prof B needs to take the statement to support (1). So, Prof B needs to agree with that viewpoint.)
Let's look at the steps in action.
i. Shortlist the various options that Prof. A would likely disagree with.
We have two contenders left for (1) - A and C.
Now let's check which one out of these could Prof B support using one of the remaining 5 statements.
Essentially, (2) would need to be
1. something that would support (1)
2. something that Professor B would likely agree with
ii. Find a statement that offers support to A or C. Whichever statement does, check if that's something Professor B would agree with and use.
(1): C
(2): F.
The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to a handful of things.
What things?
1. Spending on primary schools in the poorest areas
2. providing medicines and other basic supplies for health case such as mosquito nets
3. and to a few key agricultural initiatives.
Essentially, Professor A states that the aid industry should begin to focus only on these three categories.
Mind you: The statement doesn't mean that the industry should reduce its efforts of spending on primary schools in the poorest areas.
Correct interpretation: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts to these three things. i.e. they should not focus on other things.
Incorrect interpretation: The aid industry should begin to limit its efforts in these three things. i.e. they should focus less on these three things.
Professor B: Much education work has been ineffective.
Professor B seems to start off with a different view. (One of the things Professor A wants the aid industry to focus on is education - primary schools in the poorest areas.)
A village or town with poor schooling may be better off getting a road than a teacher.
Professor B supports his point with elaboration. Instead of helping a town with poor schooling get a teacher, getting a better road maybe better.
Once local farmers can transport produce to market they will be willing to pay for schools -- and to make sure schools succeed.
Why might getting a road be better than getting a teacher? Because a road would help local farmers transport good to market. (They'll be able to sell their produce, and make money. And they'd be willing to use that money to pay for schools.) That way they would get schools to succeed.
Suppose that the professors' statements express their genuine opinions. Select statements (1) and (2) as follows: Professor A would likely disagree with (1) and Professor B would take (2) to present logical support for (1). Select only two statements, one per column.
A fairly complex question in that the selections are not independent. The first selection has two requirements:
a. It should be something that A would likely disagree with.
b. Further, there should be another statement among the remaining five that B would use to support it. A statement would not support itself.
Here's how I went about it.
I broke down the task into the following steps:
i. For (1), shortlist the various statements that Prof A would likely disagree with.
ii. For the shortlisted, find which statements have support among the remaining five.
iii. If a statement supports the shortlisted options, also check whether that is something Prof B would agree with. (Since Prof B needs to take the statement to support (1). So, Prof B needs to agree with that viewpoint.)
Let's look at the steps in action.
i. Shortlist the various options that Prof. A would likely disagree with.
Quote:
A. The aid industry should focus less on the areas of health and agriculture than it now does.
Professor A would disagree with this statement. Parts of health and agriculture are categories that the professor would like the aid industry to focus on. Shortlist it.Quote:
B. The aid industry should focus more on primary education than it now does.
Professor A would not disagree with this statement. Rejected.Quote:
C. The aid industry should focus its spending less on primary education than it now does.
Yes. Professor A would disagree with this statement. Parts of primary education is a category the professor would like the aid industry to focus on. Shortlist it.Quote:
D. Projects in health and agriculture are more likely to be successful if they are not paid for by the aid industry.
Prof. A doesn't make such a comparison. Can't say that the prof. would disagree with this statement. Rejected.Quote:
E. Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by the aid industry.
Again, Prof. A makes no such comparison. Rejected.Quote:
F. Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by local people.
No such comparison. Rejected.We have two contenders left for (1) - A and C.
Now let's check which one out of these could Prof B support using one of the remaining 5 statements.
Essentially, (2) would need to be
1. something that would support (1)
2. something that Professor B would likely agree with
ii. Find a statement that offers support to A or C. Whichever statement does, check if that's something Professor B would agree with and use.
Quote:
A. The aid industry should focus less on the areas of health and agriculture than it now does.
A doesn't support C. It anyway can't support itself. Rejected.Quote:
B. The aid industry should focus more on primary education than it now does.
This statement does mildly support A. But, Prof B has a view that aiding transportation is a better way to help schools succeed than to aid schools directly. So, Prof B wouldn't use this statement. Rejected.Quote:
C. The aid industry should focus its spending less on primary education than it now does.
C doesn't support A. It can't support itself. Rejected.Quote:
D. Projects in health and agriculture are more likely to be successful if they are not paid for by the aid industry.
D supports A. But, Prof B doesn't discuss his views on health and agriculture at all. We don't know whether Prof B would agree with this statement. Rejected.Quote:
E. Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by the aid industry.
E weakerns C. It somewhat supports A. But Prof B would disagree with this statement. Rejected.Quote:
F. Projects in education are more likely to be successful if they are paid for by local people.
F supports C. Prof. B would agree with it, and thus could use it to support C. Great! We've got both our answers.(1): C
(2): F.
but let me know if not. 
