Since the early 1970’s, historians have begun to devote serious attention to the working class in the United States. Yet while we now have studies of working-class communities and culture, we know remarkably little of worklessness. When historians have paid any attention at all to unemployment, they have focused on the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The narrowness of this perspective ignores the pervasive recessions and joblessness of the previous decades, as Alexander Keyssar shows in his recent book. Examining the period 1870-1920, Keyssar concentrates on Massachusetts, where the historical materials are particularly rich, and the findings applicable to other industrial areas. The unemployment rates that Keyssar calculates appear to be relatively modest, at least by Great Depression standards: during the worst years, in the 1870’s and 1890’s, unemployment was around 15 percent. Yet Keyssar rightly understands that a better way to measure the impact of unemployment is to calculate unemployment frequencies—measuring the percentage of workers who experience any unemployment in the course of a year. Given this perspective, joblessness looms much larger. Keyssar also scrutinizes unemployment patterns according to skill level, ethnicity, race, age, class, and gender. He finds that rates of joblessness differed primarily according to class: those in middle-class and white-collar occupations were far less likely to be unemployed. Yet the impact of unemployment on a specific class was not always the same. Even when dependent on the same trade, adjoining communities could have dramatically different unemployment rates. Keyssar uses these differential rates to help explain a phenomenon that has puzzled historians—the startlingly high rate of geographical mobility in the nineteenth-century United States. But mobility was not the dominant working-class strategy for coping with unemployment, nor was assistance from private charities or state agencies. Self-help and the help of kin got most workers through jobless spells. While Keyssar might have spent more time developing the implications of his findings on joblessness for contemporary public policy, his study, in its thorough research and creative use of quantitative and qualitative evidence, is a model of historical analysis. 1 1. The passage is primarily concerned with (A) recommending a new course of investigation (B) summarizing and assessing a study (C) making distinctions among categories (D) criticizing the current state of a field (E) comparing and contrasting two methods for calculating data 2 2. The passage suggests that before the early 1970’s, which of the following was true of the study by historians of the working class in the United States? (A) The study was infrequent or superficial, or both. (B) The study was repeatedly criticized for its allegedly narrow focus. (C) The study relied more on qualitative than quantitative evidence. (D) The study focused more on the working-class community than on working-class culture. (E) The study ignored working-class joblessness during the Great Depression. 3 3. According to the passage, which of the following is true of Keyssar’s findings concerning unemployment in Massachusetts? (A) They tend to contradict earlier findings about such unemployment. (B) They are possible because Massachusetts has the most easily accessible historical records. (C) They are the first to mention the existence of high rates of geographical mobility in the nineteenth century. (D) They are relevant to a historical understanding of the nature of unemployment in other states. (E) They have caused historians to reconsider the role of the working class during the Great Depression. 4 4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the unemployment rates mentioned in line 15 (Highlighted) ? (A) They hovered, on average, around 15 percent during the period 1870-1920. (B) They give less than a full sense of the impact of unemployment on working-class people. (C) They overestimate the importance of middle class and white-collar unemployment. (D) They have been considered by many historians to underestimate the extent of working-class unemployment. (E) They are more open to question when calculated for years other than those of peak recession. 5 5. Which of the following statements about the unemployment rate during the Great Depression can be inferred from the passage? (A) It was sometimes higher than 15 percent. (B) It has been analyzed seriously only since the early 1970’s. (C) It can be calculated more easily than can unemployment frequency. (D) It was never as high as the rate during the 1870’s. (E) It has been shown by Keyssar to be lower than previously thought. 6 6. According to the passage, Keyssar considers which of the following to be among the important predictors of the likelihood that a particular person would be unemployed in late nineteenth-century Massachusetts? I. The person’s class II. Where the person lived or worked III. The person’s age (A) I only (B) II only (C) I and II only (D) I and III only (E) I, II, and III 7 7. The author views Keyssar’s study with (A) impatient disapproval (B) wary concern (C) polite skepticism (D) scrupulous neutrality (E) qualified admiration 8 8. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support Keyssar’s findings as they are described by the author? (A) Boston, Massachusetts, and Quincy, Massachusetts, adjoining communities, had a higher rate of unemployment for working-class people in 1870 than in 1890. (B) White-collar professionals such as attorneys had as much trouble as day laborers in maintaining a steady level of employment throughout the period 1870-1920. (C) Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873. (D) In the 1890’s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished. (E) In the late nineteenth century, workers of all classes in Massachusetts were more likely than workers of all classes in other states to move their place of residence from one location to another within the state.

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lakshya14

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GMATNinjaTwo

broall, do you know the source of this question?

Are this passage's questions good? Some seem to be straight wrong at the same time being correct? This seems like a tutor company's question where they try to make options with differences so fine which are not tested on GMAT.

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12 May 2021, 14:29

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arvind910619

Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support Keyssar’s findings as they are described by the author?
(A) Boston, Massachusetts, and Quincy, Massachusetts, adjoining communities, had a higher rate of unemployment for working-class people in 1870 than in 1890.

(B) White-collar professionals such as attorneys had as much trouble as day laborers in maintaining a steady level of employment throughout the period 1870-1920.

(C) Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873.

(D) In the 1890’s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished.

(E) In the late nineteenth century, workers of all classes in Massachusetts were more likely than workers of all classes in other states to move their place of residence from one location to another within the state.

Can anyone please explain the reasoning for D
I down to D and E .
I understand that there was a high geographical mobility in US .
I am not able to choose between D and E ?

Findings from the study are that adjoining communities can sometime show different levels of employment (even though they are close to each other). Thus D tells us that a factory moved from Chelmsford to Adjoining west chelmsford. Thus we can infer a reduced level of employment in the first and a higher one in the second as effect of this operation.

Thus the findings are proved to be true

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17 May 2021, 13:24

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Hi GMATNinja GMATNinjaTwo
I got Q8 wrong. I went for C. My reasoning behind it was as follows

1. The question asks us to determine what would most strongly support Keyssar’s findings

C: Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873.
Evidence in the passage: Keyssar also scrutinizes unemployment patterns according to skill level, ethnicity, race, age, class, and gender

While he does say that class is predominantly responsible for unemployment, I disagree with D for the following reason

D: In the 1890’s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished.

But the passage says that while geographic migration was used to offset unemployment, it wasn't the common method used by working classes. Since we're talking about shoe-factory workers, wouldn't D weaken his assertion?

Evidence from passage: But mobility was not the dominant working-class strategy for coping with unemployment, nor was assistance from private charities or state agencies. Self-help and the help of kin got most workers through jobless spells.

Could you please point to where I'm going wrong?
Thanks in advance!

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I’m not an expert, but I can try to help? I’m sure someone will jump in soon who is an expert.

You kind of have to focus on the whole structure of the paragraph to figure out what K. was ultimately claiming.... or his “findings”.

The first sentence talks about the things he looked at: which is the entire list you wrote.

The passage then says that K. found that class differences were “primarily responsible.” In other words, it is implicit that K. looked at all those other factors and said that the class difference was the primary one that mattered. The other characteristics mentioned in the prior sentence just didn’t seem to have that much of a difference.

Then, the passage tells us how he used the data to explain something that historians really hadn’t figure out to that point: the migration of people during that time.

Thus, showing that someone had to move around because of better job opportunities would tend to support K.‘s claim that the migration of people at that time was caused by job related reasons.

In D, we have a fact showing the person has moved from one area that is not full of job opportunities to another area that did have these opportunities.

This would be a fact in line with what K. is claiming in the second part of the paragraph: that the migration of ppl during that time was caused by job related reasons.

I hope something was helpful?

I actually thought this was a great passage. I’m surprised with Manhattan Prep’s explanations, however. They are...not that good? Usually never the case.

elPatron434

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13 Jul 2021, 21:15

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VeritasKarishma
Can you please help on this passage questions seem difficult.
Also from Q3 how we infer that Keyssar concentrates on Massachusetts, where the historical materials are particularly rich, and the findings applicable to other industrial areas.
other industrial areas to other states?
Please explain Q4 and Q7
I cant see from passage author has limited admiration for this study

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junii

From the passage:
Examining the period 1870-1920, Keyssar concentrates on Massachusetts, where the historical materials are particularly rich, and the findings applicable to other industrial areas.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true of Keyssar’s findings concerning unemployment in Massachusetts?

(A) They tend to contradict earlier findings about such unemployment.
Not mentioned.

(B) They are possible because Massachusetts has the most easily accessible historical records.
Incorrect. The passage just tells us that historical materials are rich. Are they more easily accessible, we don't know.

(C) They are the first to mention the existence of high rates of geographical mobility in the nineteenth century.
Not given.

(D) They are relevant to a historical understanding of the nature of unemployment in other states.

The passage tells us that the findings are applicable to other industrial areas too. So they are relevant to a historical understanding of unemployment in other places too.

(E) They have caused historians to reconsider the role of the working class during the Great Depression.
Again, no such inference.

Answer (D)

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junii

Relevant paragraph (line 15 and following):
The unemployment rates that Keyssar calculates appear to be relatively modest, at least by Great Depression standards: during the worst years, in the 1870’s and 1890’s, unemployment was around 15 percent. Yet Keyssar rightly understands that a better way to measure the impact of unemployment is to calculate unemployment frequencies—measuring the percentage of workers who experience any unemployment in the course of a year. Given this perspective, joblessness looms much larger.

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the unemployment rates mentioned in line 15?

(A) They hovered, on average, around 15 percent during the period 1870-1920.

No. They were around 15% in the 1870’s and 1890’s, the worst years. We don't know about unemployment rates in 1870 - 1920.

(B) They give less than a full sense of the impact of unemployment on working-class people.

Correct. They do not give full sense of the impact.
...Yet Keyssar rightly understands that a better way to measure the impact of unemployment is to calculate unemployment frequencies... Given this perspective, joblessness looms much larger (than 15% mentioned above).

The author says that Keyssar rightly understood that a better way ... So as per the passage, it is true.

(C) They overestimate the importance of middle class and white-collar unemployment.

Not given.

(D) They have been considered by many historians to underestimate the extent of working-class unemployment.

Have "many historians" considered them an underestimation, we don't know. We know that Keyssar understood that they underestimate.

(E) They are more open to question when calculated for years other than those of peak recession.

Not mentioned.

Answer (B)

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junii

While Keyssar might have spent more time developing the implications of his findings on joblessness for contemporary public policy, his study, in its thorough research and creative use of quantitative and qualitative evidence, is a model of historical analysis.

7. The author views Keyssar’s study with

(A) impatient disapproval
(B) wary concern
(C) polite skepticism
(D) scrupulous neutrality
(E) qualified admiration

Note the use of "thorough research," "creative use," "model of historical analysis".
He certainly doesn't disapprove, doesn't show concern, is not skeptic and is not neutral.
He admires it so (E) it is.

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1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) recommending a new course of investigation
(B) summarizing and assessing a study
1st paragraph: General introduction: historians have begun to devote serious attention to the working class in the United States.
2nd paragraph: The unemployment rates that Keyssar calculates appear to be relatively modest
3rd paragraph: Keyssar also scrutinizes unemployment patterns
4th paragraph: Keyssar's research is a model of historical analysis. -->assessing
(C) making distinctions among categories
(D) criticizing the current state of a field
(E) comparing and contrasting two methods for calculating data

2. The passage suggests that before the early 1970’s, which of the following was true of the study by historians of the working class in the United States?

(A) The study was infrequent or superficial, or both.
Since the early 1970’s, historians have begun to devote serious attention to the working class in the United States. --> Before 1970's, researches were not so serious

(B) The study was repeatedly criticized for its allegedly narrow focus.
(C) The study relied more on qualitative than quantitative evidence.
(D) The study focused more on the working-class community than on working-class culture.
(E) The study ignored working-class joblessness during the Great Depression.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true of Keyssar’s findings concerning unemployment in Massachusetts?

(A) They tend to contradict earlier findings about such unemployment.
(B) They are possible because Massachusetts has the most easily accessible historical records. --> Not most accessible
(C) They are the first to mention the existence of high rates of geographical mobility in the nineteenth century.
(D) They are relevant to a historical understanding of the nature of unemployment in other states.
Examining the period 1870-1920, Keyssar concentrates on Massachusetts, where the historical materials are particularly rich, and the findings applicable to other industrial areas.
(E) They have caused historians to reconsider the role of the working class during the Great Depression.

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the unemployment rates mentioned in line 15?
The unemployment rates that Keyssar calculates appear to be relatively modest, at least by Great Depression standards: during the worst years, in the 1870’s and 1890’s, unemployment was around 15 percent.
Given this perspective, joblessness looms much larger.

(A) They hovered, on average, around 15 percent during the period 1870-1920.
(B) They give less than a full sense of the impact of unemployment on working-class people.
(C) They overestimate the importance of middle class and white-collar unemployment.
(D) They have been considered by many historians to underestimate the extent of working-class unemployment.
(E) They are more open to question when calculated for years other than those of peak recession.

5. Which of the following statements about the unemployment rate during the Great Depression can be inferred from the passage?

(A) It was sometimes higher than 15 percent.
at least by Great Depression standards: during the worst years, in the 1870’s and 1890’s, unemployment was around 15 percent.
(B) It has been analyzed seriously only since the early 1970’s.
(C) It can be calculated more easily than can unemployment frequency.
(D) It was never as high as the rate during the 1870’s.
(E) It has been shown by Keyssar to be lower than previously thought.

6. According to the passage, Keyssar considers which of the following to be among the important predictors of the likelihood that a particular person would be unemployed in late nineteenth-century Massachusetts?

I. The person’s class
He finds that rates of joblessness differed primarily according to class
II. Where the person lived or worked
startlingly high rate of geographical mobility
III. The person’s age
No explanation

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

7. The author views Keyssar’s study with

(A) impatient disapproval
(B) wary concern
(C) polite skepticism
(D) scrupulous neutrality
(E) qualified admiration
in its thorough research and creative use of quantitative and qualitative evidence, is a model of historical analysis.

8. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support Keyssar’s findings as they are described by the author?

(A) Boston, Massachusetts, and Quincy, Massachusetts, adjoining communities, had a higher rate of unemployment for working-class people in 1870 than in 1890.

(B) White-collar professionals such as attorneys had as much trouble as day laborers in maintaining a steady level of employment throughout the period 1870-1920.

(C) Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873.

(D) In the 1890’s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished.
Even when dependent on the same trade, adjoining communities could have dramatically different unemployment rates.

(E) In the late nineteenth century, workers of all classes in Massachusetts were more likely than workers of all classes in other states to move their place of residence from one location to another within the state.

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In question 8, why option A is not correct?

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Explanation

8. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support Keyssar’s findings as they are described by the author?

Difficulty Level: 700

Explanation

(A) Boston, Massachusetts, and Quincy, Massachusetts, adjoining communities, had a higher rate of unemployment for working-class people in 1870 than in 1890.

This is completely irrelevant to Keyssar's study.

(B) White-collar professionals such as attorneys had as much trouble as day laborers in maintaining a steady level of employment throughout the period 1870-1920.

Keyssar's study actually shows that white-collar professionals had an easier time finding work. "those in middle-class and white-collar occupations were far less likely to be unemployed"

(C) Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873.

There was no conclusion on gender by Keyssar's study.

(D) In the 1890’s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished.

This finding would support Keyssar's finding that "Even when dependent on the same trade, adjoining communities could have dramatically different unemployment rates."

(E) In the late nineteenth century, workers of all classes in Massachusetts were more likely than workers of all classes in other states to move their place of residence from one location to another within the state.

"Keyssar uses these differential rates to help explain a phenomenon that has puzzled historians" ”the startlingly high rate of geographical mobility in the nineteenth-century United States. " Keyssar's point was that the moving of workers was throughout the United States and not just Massachusetts.

Answer: D

Borno

In question 8, why option A is not correct?

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GMATNinja, can you please explain what information we should refer in the passage to infer A for q2?

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GMATNinja, can you please explain why D should be eliminated for q4? I selected D originally based on the following lines:

The unemployment rates that Keyssar calculates appear to be relatively modest, at least by Great Depression standards: during the worst years, in the 1870’s and 1890’s, unemployment was around 15 percent.Given this perspective, joblessness looms much larger.

Since joblesness looms larger, I derived the conclusion that unemployment was previously underestimated.

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GMATNinja, for q6 can you please explain why st2 is one of the most important predictors. I assumed that location of where the person lived or worked is not the most important predictor based on the following lines in the passage:
But mobility was not the dominant working class strategy for coping with unemployment.

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tkorzhan1995

GMATNinja, can you please explain what information we should refer in the passage to infer A for q2?

tkorzhan1995

Hi tkorzhan1995

Read the post below in the link thoroughly this might have covered your questions already.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/since-the-ea ... l#p2775503

First, read the complete thread and then post your questions only if they are not answered already.

Thank you

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I can't understand the OA of these 3 Questions -

2. The passage suggests that before the early 1970s, which of the following was true of the study by historians of the working class in the United States?

My take : (asking for before 1970. In passage I'm having info about after 1970)

(A) The study was infrequent or superficial, or both.
My take : (can't infer this, nowhere mentioned implicitly or explicitly)
(B) The study was repeatedly criticized for its allegedly narrow focus.
My take : (it is true for study-after1970)
(C) The study relied more on qualitative than quantitative evidence.
My take : (I'm not sure about this)
(D) The study focused more on the working-class community than on working-class culture.
My take : (it is true for study-after1970)
(E) The study ignored working-class joblessness during the Great Depression.
My take : (it is true for study-after1970)

6. According to the passage, Keyssar considers which of the following to be among the important predictors of the likelihood that a particular person would be unemployed in late nineteenth-century Massachusetts?

I. The person???s class
My take : (Yes, definitely)
II. Where the person lived or worked
My take : (not sure, Mobility is mentioned as a result of joblessness. It is not a predictor)
III. The person???s age
My take : (Yes, definitely. It is mentioned as one of the factors, including gender, class, age etc..)

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
My take : (WHY THIS IS NOT THE OA ??????)
(E) I, II, and III

8. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support Keyssar???s findings as they are described by the author?

(A) Boston, Massachusetts, and Quincy, Massachusetts, adjoining communities, had a higher rate of unemployment for working-class people in 1870 than in 1890.
My take : (no, NOTHING ABOUT 1870 - 1890 DIFFERENCES)

(B) White-collar professionals such as attorneys had as much trouble as day laborers in maintaining a steady level of employment throughout the period 1870-1920.
My take : (Opposite)

(C) Working-class women living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were more likely than working-class men living in Cambridge to be unemployed for some period of time during the year 1873.
My take : (Yes, He mentioned Gender as one of the driving factor. so, it should support his findings)

(D) In the 1890???s, shoe-factory workers moved away in large numbers from Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where shoe factories were being replaced by other industries, to adjoining West Chelmsford, where the shoe industry flourished.
My take : (ok, so a large number of workers moved from Chelmsford to West Chelmsford: reason--> it looks like motivated from private players. NOT a strong option).

(E) In the late nineteenth century, workers of all classes in Massachusetts were more likely than workers of all classes in other states to move their place of residence from one location to another within the state.
My take : (All class - rejected)

Namangupta1997

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Updated on: 12 Aug 2022, 22:10

Originally posted by Namangupta1997 on 11 Aug 2022, 02:18.
Last edited by Namangupta1997 on 12 Aug 2022, 22:10, edited 1 time in total.

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Hi ThatDudeKnows

In question 2, it comes down to A and B. I eliminated A as I wasn't sure of the accuracy of the word "infrequent". But if I read again carefully, the passage says "When historians have paid attention..... ". So it kind of subtly hits that sometimes they mentioned unemployment and sometimes not. This reflects lack of consistency and hence infrequency. Is my understanding correct?

aj1410

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12 Aug 2022, 03:42

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Hi, can someone please explain Q7?

Thanks in advance

Sajjad1994

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12 Aug 2022, 11:16

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aj1410

Hi, can someone please explain Q7?

Thanks in advance

Each and every question has been discussed and explained already, what you need to do is to find and read.

Good luck

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01 Jul 2023, 04:24

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Hi. I had a doubt regarding the answer to Question 3. Although the lines "Examining the period 1870-1920, Keyssar focuses primarily on Massachusetts, where the historical materials are particularly rich and the findings applicable to other *industrial* areas" suggest that the findings may be useful in understanding the unemployment situation of other industrial states, but in my opinion, I found it somewhat wrong to extend this term to include all 'other states' which becomes the case with the selection of option D. Requesting someone to kindly clear this up.