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The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a

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The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 26 May 2015, 06:36
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Question 1
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Question Stats:

41% (01:22) correct 59% (01:07) wrong based on 260

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Question 2
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48% (00:18) correct 52% (00:17) wrong based on 247

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40% (00:21) correct 60% (00:18) wrong based on 248

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Question 4
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36% (00:54) correct 64% (00:51) wrong based on 236

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The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a challenge to classify. What brings such appeal to the sport? Could it solely be enthusiasm for the alma mater, of rooting for one's old team while reliving the carefree beer and pizza days of fraternity or sorority life? Unlikely, nor can it strictly be the "fascination with watching overgrown man-children," as one pundit once described the NCAA finals.

It could, however, be a quest for a return to the purity of sport, to the days when competitors played for the love of the game, for the esprit-de-corps of the team, and for the thrill of victory. Despite numerous recruiting scandals, the stories of star freshmen driving school owned BMW's for example, comparing the compensation of an NBA superstar with that of even the most promising college player reveals a wide gulf.

Nevertheless, large and lucrative contracts, as well as fame and fortune, loom large in the mind of a college athlete. Theirs is a thrill for the future, and players put their hearts into every game, knowing that a demonstration of their skill on the court and commitment to the team holds potential for fame, fortune, and heroism. And so they pound up and down the court, night after night, with no contract and no endorsements.

The appeal is not unlike watching an undiscovered band play on a tiny stage at the back of a dark bar. The sound is rough, the amplifiers second rate, but the performance is true and unspoiled by arrogance or ego. Here, as with the college athlete, inner passion drives the performance. An albums and records representative might lurk in the audience, just as a recruiter might be up in the stands, taking notes and shooting video. But hopes and dreams bring the soul to the surface in a way that no signing bonus and no signature footwear line can.

But as with any phenomenon, simple explanations rarely do the cause justice. It is ultimately likely that, while the college game's purity and honesty may dominate the equation, all of the reasons described above along with others such as lower ticket prices play a role in the growing popularity surrounding college basketball.


1. Assuming that the information in the passage above is correct, which of the following can be most reasonably inferred about freshman college basketball players?

(A) Some of them are viewed as stars
(B) Most can expect lucrative professional contracts
(C) They play only for the love of the game
(D) They are extensively and aggressively recruited out of high-school
(E) They drive fancy cars


[Reveal] Spoiler:
A


2. This passage was most likely written as part of which of the following works:

(A) "Grown Man Playing," the autobiography of a star college freshman
(B) "Whither the Talent?" an editorial in a sports magazine about the decline of play in the NBA
(C) "BMW's on the Boards," an indictment of corrupt recruiting policies at several major colleges
(D) "Shotmakers," a biographical dictionary of the best 200 professional basketball players
(E) "Why We Cheer," a collection of essays on the appeal of sports since World War I


[Reveal] Spoiler:
E


3. The author's attitude towards college athletics could best be summarized in which of the following ways:

(A) A valuable source of income to schools.
(B) A breeding ground of inequity and greed.
(C) An engaging and compelling source of entertainment.
(D) A distraction from academics.
(E) A place for athletes to display their skills and receive appropriate compensation.


[Reveal] Spoiler:
C


4. The author suggests that all of the following might contribute to the popularity of college basketball EXCEPT:

(A) The purity of competition
(B) The nostalgic appeal of remembering college
(C) The "fascination with watching overgrown man-children"
(D) The hope of seeing a future NBA superstar play
(E) The economic costs of attending professional games as compared to college games


[Reveal] Spoiler:
D

[Reveal] Spoiler: Question #1 OA
[Reveal] Spoiler: Question #2 OA
[Reveal] Spoiler: Question #3 OA
[Reveal] Spoiler: Question #4 OA
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 05 Nov 2016, 06:21
3. The author's attitude towards college athletics could best be summarized in which of the following ways:

(A) A valuable source of income to schools.
(B) A breeding ground of inequity and greed.
(C) An engaging and compelling source of entertainment.
(D) A distraction from academics.
(E) A place for athletes to display their skills and receive appropriate compensation.

I received this question in veritas prep. can anyone explain why the answer cannot be E here???
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 10 Nov 2016, 08:02
For Q1, I picked (C) not (A). Can somebody please explain?
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 13 Nov 2016, 08:32
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9 min... 2/4 correct :?
I got question 1 and 4 incorrect. Thanks for the passage.

gracie90, emmafoster... My analysis for the questions is below. I hope it helps

Passage structure
1st Some reasons why Basketball is popular.
2nd Some other contrasting reasons (note word "However" at the beginning)
3rd Description of contrasting scenario: why a basketball career attracts college athletes. (Note "nevertheless")
4th Reasons that attract college athletes are compared with those of music career (differences and 1 main similarity)
5th Author final conclusion about reasons that make Basketball popular.

Pre-thinking
Overall, the author lists possible reasons why basketball is appealing for audience and athletes and provides a final conclusion-suggestion.

Answer choice analysis

1. Assuming that the information in the passage above is correct, which of the following can be most reasonably inferred about freshman college basketball players?

(A) Some of them are viewed as stars. Correct!
Question is asking for inference (paraphrase of an statement or a conclusion about freshman college basketball players). Some could be 1 to 100 % of player. 2nd paragraph states: "the stories of star freshmen driving school owned BMW's for example,...", so we know that some of them are consider stars and some of these star players drive fancy cars.

(B) Most can expect lucrative professional contracts. Incorrect.
Most (>50%) is never stated. "Despite numerous recruiting scandals, the stories of star freshmen driving school owned BMW's for example,..."

(C) They play only for the love of the game. Incorrect.
Love of the game is not the only reasons why they play; there are many other reasons.

(D) They are extensively and aggressively recruited out of high-school. Incorrect. Extreme action is not stated.

(E) They drive fancy cars. Incorrect .Be careful!. It is a general statement about all freshman college basketball players. The author doesn't make this generalization.

3. The author's attitude towards college athletics could best be summarized in which of the following ways:

(A) A valuable source of income to schools. Incorrect. Not stated.
(B) A breeding ground of inequity and greed. Incorrect. Never stated.
(C) An engaging and compelling source of entertainment. Correct! According to pre-thinking, in the whole passages, the author talks about the reasons why basketball is appealing to audience and college athletes, so one can say this option is a summary of the author's attitude.
(D) A distraction from academics. Incorrect. Not stated.
(E) A place for athletes to display their skills and receive appropriate compensation. Incorrect. It is true that author mention the fact that athletes display their skills because this action "holds potential for fame, fortune, and heroism".. But appropriate compensation in not stated. Moreover, this is not the overall author's view about college atlethics. Colleges athletics is related to the popularity it triggers.

4. The author suggests that all of the following might contribute to the popularity of college basketball EXCEPT:

(A) The purity of competition. Correct
(B) The nostalgic appeal of remembering college. Correct
(C) The "fascination with watching overgrown man-children". Correct
(D) The hope of seeing a future NBA superstar play. Incorrect. Never stated. Some college players are compared with NBA players in 2nd paragraph just to compare the compensation and reveal a wide gap.... SO this is our answer!
(E) The economic costs of attending professional games as compared to college games. Correct. Tickets are cheaper.
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 16 Nov 2016, 19:59
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gracie90 wrote:
For Q1, I picked (C) not (A). Can somebody please explain?


Hello,

As far as my understanding with CR and RC questions on GMAT, its better to avoid extreme answer choices (especially in case of inference question).

(C) They play only for the love of the game.-----Only makes this answer choice too polar! this is not the most reasonable inference.


"comparing the compensation of an NBA superstar with that of even the most promising college player reveals a wide gulf." this sentence in second para may give an inference that Some of them are viewed as stars. Most reasonable and sensible answer option from given lot!

Kindly, put your understanding.
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 21 Nov 2016, 06:55
asiscool wrote:
gracie90 wrote:
For Q1, I picked (C) not (A). Can somebody please explain?


Hello,

As far as my understanding with CR and RC questions on GMAT, its better to avoid extreme answer choices (especially in case of inference question).

(C) They play only for the love of the game.-----Only makes this answer choice too polar! this is not the most reasonable inference.


"comparing the compensation of an NBA superstar with that of even the most promising college player reveals a wide gulf." this sentence in second para may give an inference that Some of them are viewed as stars. Most reasonable and sensible answer option from given lot!

Kindly, put your understanding.

Thank you, makes a lot more sense now.
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The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 26 Jul 2017, 19:57
While I did get D correct for the "author suggests that all the following might contribute to the popularity except"

The author does make 2 example that implies that people go to watch it for fame and tangentially indicates it. While he doesn't explicitly say it, it's heavily implied.

1) He talks about the thrill of fame for the college player. this is intentional to misread the reader into thinking we go for future fame.
2) The talking about the band. First of all if the sound is crap from this band why does the author write undiscovered? That would be implied. BY writing undiscovered it implies they will be discovered at some point. RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So this is misleading. No one would ever call a piece of crap undiscovered. It's bad wording .

For these reasons, I don't think actual GMAT would write this crappy a question.
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 09 Aug 2017, 01:15
Question answer pair 1 and 4 partially conflicting with each other :

1. Assuming that the information in the passage above is correct, which of the following can be most reasonably inferred about freshman college basketball players?

(A) Some of them are viewed as stars

4. The author suggests that all of the following might contribute to the popularity of college basketball EXCEPT:

(D) The hope of seeing a future NBA superstar play
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a [#permalink]

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New post 30 Oct 2017, 00:40
Am I the only one who got the title of the book question wrong?

Can someone explain why answer E would be right here? I chose A because rest of the other titles seemed out of scope of way far fetched or were just referring to a part of the passage and not the entire passage.

Thanks
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Re: The phenomenon of college basketball's surging popularity remains a   [#permalink] 30 Oct 2017, 00:40
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