The level of financial aid given by rich nations to poorer nations in

Question

The level of financial aid given by rich nations to poorer nations in order to raise the poorer nations’ industrial capacity is directly influenced by the extent to which the donors fear competition and the threat of diminished exports. The amount of aid recommended by Congress is invariably reduced and redistributed by presidential decree according to the findings of a select committee judging aid packages purely from an American business perspective. As a consequence, many poorer nations have to find areas of industrial activities that pose no threat to the industrial global order.
 
If the above statements are true, which one of the following must also be true?

(A) The most needy countries are those with the smallest industrial output.
(B) The amount of aid received by poorer nations for industrial projects is in proportion to the extent to which they develop new industrial bases that pose no threat to rich nations.
(C) Poorer nations depend on foreign aid to advance their industrial economies.
(D) The wealth of richer nations has expanded thanks to a policy of withholding foreign aid.
(E) The amount of foreign aid given to poorer nations by richer industrialized nations has been reduced to safeguard existing export markets.

ragnarshelby · Answer

Can someone explain why the answer is B?

Clive1234 · Answer

Can someone please explain this

bekhzod23 · Answer

The answer choice B is something mentioned in the passage. The amount of aid received by poorer nations for industrial projects=The level of financial aid given by rich nations (text)

is in proportion to the extent to which they develop new industrial bases that pose no threat to rich nation=nations have to find areas of industrial activities that pose no threat to the industrial global order (text)

Answer A. Passage doesn't mention the poors' industrial output. INCORRECT.

Answer C. Depend on is something very specific

D. Passage doesn't mention the results of foreign aid. Incorrect

E. Export markets are unrelated. Incorrect

BekzodSigma · Answer

the passage itself says that rich countries fear the competition against poor counties. so if they would give them aid, poorer counties could surpass other nations (which supported them with financial aid) and became even richer

dhruva09 · Answer

Option B states ".......that pose no threat to rich nations."
And, the argument stated covers "The amount of aid recommended by Congress is invariably reduced and redistributed by presidential decree according to the findings of a select committee judging aid packages purely from an American business perspective."

American business perspective would only be valid in America. Why would it represent rich nations per say ?

grantmyh · Answer

I am still not convinced nor get the gist of it as why the answer is B instead of E, therefore, I ask Claude for the explanation:

Why B doesn't have to be true:
B asserts a proportional relationship: the more poorer nations develop non-threatening industries, the more aid they receive. That's a specific causal/quantitative claim the passage never makes. The passage only says:

Aid is reduced and redistributed based on a business-perspective review, and
As a consequence, poor nations end up steering toward non-threatening industries.

That's a one-way consequence (limited aid → forces a shift in industry choice), not a scaling rule where developing safer industries earns proportionally more aid. It's entirely possible, for instance, that aid is just cut uniformly across the board regardless of how "safe" a recipient's industrial choices are — nothing in the passage rules that out. Since B could be false without contradicting the passage, it isn't something that must be true.

Why E does have to be true:
The passage explicitly ties the reduction in aid to two things: donor fear of competition/lost exports, and a review process that judges aid "purely from an American business perspective." Put together, that directly entails that aid has been cut back in order to protect donors' existing export markets — there's no additional unstated assumption required, unlike with B.

guddo · Answer

The level of financial aid given by rich nations to poorer nations in order to raise the poorer nations’ industrial capacity is directly influenced by the extent to which the donors fear competition and the threat of diminished exports. The amount of aid recommended by Congress is invariably reduced and redistributed by presidential decree according to the findings of a select committee judging aid packages purely from an American business perspective. As a consequence, many poorer nations have to find areas of industrial activities that pose no threat to the industrial global order.
 
 If the above statements are true, which one of the following must also be true?

The passage says aid is not given only according to the needs of poorer nations. It is adjusted according to whether the poorer nations’ industrial development threatens the business interests of richer nations.  The key inference  is that poorer nations are more likely to receive aid for industrial projects that do  not  threaten richer nations.

(A) The most needy countries are those with the smallest industrial output.

This is not supported. The passage discusses aid decisions and donor interests, not which countries are most needy.

(B) The amount of aid received by poorer nations for industrial projects is in proportion to the extent to which they develop new industrial bases that pose no threat to rich nations.

This is correct.  The passage says aid is reduced and redistributed based on American business interests, and poorer nations must find industrial activities that do not threaten the existing industrial order. So aid depends on how nonthreatening their industrial development is to rich nations.

(C) Poorer nations depend on foreign aid to advance their industrial economies.

This is too strong. The passage says aid affects what industrial activities many poorer nations pursue, but it does not say they depend entirely on foreign aid.

(D) The wealth of richer nations has expanded thanks to a policy of withholding foreign aid.

This is not supported. The passage says aid is controlled to protect donor interests, but it does not say this has increased the wealth of richer nations.

(E) The amount of foreign aid given to poorer nations by richer industrialized nations has been reduced to safeguard existing export markets.

This is close but too narrow. The passage mentions fear of diminished exports, but it also mentions broader fear of competition and the industrial global order. (B) captures the broader relationship more accurately.

Answer: (B)

egmat · Answer

Hi grantmyh,

I see exactly where this is splitting for you. You're treating B's "in proportion to" as an extra claim the passage never made. But look again at the very first sentence you're reacting to:

"The level of financial aid ... is  directly influenced by the extent to which  the donors fear competition and the threat of diminished exports."

That phrase  is  a proportional relationship. "Directly influenced by the extent to which" means: the more the fear, the less the aid - and the  less  the threat, the  more  the aid. So when B says aid is "in proportion to the extent to which they develop new industrial bases that pose no threat," it isn't adding anything - it's just flipping the same scale around: less threat - more aid. B is a restatement, not an overreach.

Now E - why it fails the must-be-true test.

E says aid "has been reduced  to safeguard existing export markets ." That pins a specific  purpose  onto the reduction. But the passage says the reduction happens "by presidential decree according to the findings of a select committee judging aid packages purely from an American business perspective." Fear of competition is only  one  input to that business judgment, and "safeguard existing export markets" is narrower and more specific than anything stated. A must-be-true answer can't require us to fill in a motive - E does, so it's out.

Quick way to feel the difference:

"Your grade is directly influenced by the extent to which you study."

- Must be true: your grade is in proportion to how much you study.  Yes  - that's B's move.
- Must be true: you studied specifically to raise your GPA for a scholarship?  No  - that adds a purpose. That's E's move.

Same concept every time: "extent to which" gives you proportionality for free, but a specific motive you have to invent is never a must-be-true.

Answer: B

The level of financial aid given by rich nations to poorer nations in

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The level of financial aid given by rich nations to poorer nations in

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