Any government practice that might facilitate the abuse of power shoul

Question

Any government practice that might facilitate the abuse of power should not be undertaken except in cases in which there is a compelling reason to do so. The keeping of government secrets is one such practice. Though government officials are sometimes justified in keeping secrets, too often they keep secrets for insubstantial reasons, and in so doing they wind up enabling abuses of power. When government officials conceal from the public the very fact that they are keeping a secret, this practice opens up even greater opportunity for abuse.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above?

A. In most cases in which government officials conceal information from the public, they are not justified in doing so.
B. In those cases, in which government officials have a compelling reason to keep a secret, doing so does not facilitate an abuse of power
C. A government official who justifiably keeps a secret should not conceal its existence without having a compelling reason to do so.
D. Government officials who conceal information without a compelling reason are thereby guilty of an abuse of power.
E. Government officials should keep information secret only if doing so does not make it easier for those officials to abuse their power.

siddhantvarma · Answer

The argument discusses government secrecy and the potential for abuse of power. It notes that while government officials can be justified in keeping secrets, too often they do so for insubstantial reasons, which can facilitate abuse of power. Additionally, concealing the very fact that secrets are being kept creates even greater potential for abuse. The correct inference will reflect the principles outlined in the argument.

(A) In most cases in which government officials conceal information from the public, they are not justified in doing so.  
The passage does not make a claim about most cases; it simply says officials "too often" keep secrets for insubstantial reasons. This does not necessarily imply that most cases are unjustified.

(B) In those cases, in which government officials have a compelling reason to keep a secret, doing so does not facilitate an abuse of power.  
The passage suggests that secrecy in itself creates an opportunity for abuse, even when there might be a compelling reason. The passage does not claim that justified secrecy completely eliminates the risk of abuse.

(C) A government official who justifiably keeps a secret should not conceal its existence without having a compelling reason to do so.  
This is a strong inference based on the passage. The passage implies that officials should avoid concealing the fact that they are keeping a secret, unless there is a compelling reason. It states that concealing the existence of a secret increases the potential for abuse, so a compelling reason would be necessary to justify this practice.

(D) Government officials who conceal information without a compelling reason are thereby guilty of an abuse of power.  
The passage suggests that such actions facilitate abuse of power but does not state that officials are automatically guilty of abuse whenever they conceal information without a compelling reason.

(E) Government officials should keep information secret only if doing so does not make it easier for those officials to abuse their power.  
The passage does not claim that secrecy should be avoided entirely if it facilitates abuse; instead, it argues that there should be a compelling reason to justify secrecy, acknowledging that abuse of power may still be a risk.

Correct Answer: (C).  
This statement aligns with the passage's assertion that officials should not conceal the existence of secrets unless they have a compelling reason to do so, as such concealment increases the risk of abuse.

Usernamevisible · Answer

Passage  
Any government practice that might facilitate the abuse of power should not be undertaken except in cases in which there is a compelling reason to do so.
Live tracking
 
 Strong rule/conditional 
 practice facilitating abuse → needs compelling reason 
 Watch for:
 
 conditional logic 
 justification standard  
 
 Important:
“might facilitate” = even possibility matters  
 
The keeping of government secrets is one such practice.
Live tracking
 
 Apply rule to government secrecy 
 secrecy → potentially facilitates abuse 
 Chain forming  
 
Though government officials are sometimes justified in keeping secrets, too often they keep secrets for insubstantial reasons, and in so doing they wind up enabling abuses of power.
Live tracking
 
 Contrast:
sometimes justified vs too often unjustified 
 unjustified secrecy → enables abuse 
 Watch:
do NOT overgeneralize to all secrecy  
 
When government officials conceal from the public the very fact that they are keeping a secret, this practice opens up even greater opportunity for abuse.
Live tracking
 
 Concealing existence of secrecy = even riskier 
 Comparative increase:
greater opportunity for abuse 
 Likely inference area:
higher-risk practice may need stronger justification

Question Stem  
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the statements above?

Pattern  
Exact GMAT Pattern
Conditional-policy inference.
Recognition signal
When passage gives:
 
 rules 
 standards 
 “should” 
 exceptions 
 justification requirements  
...the correct answer usually:
 
 applies the rule carefully 
 combines conditions logically 
 avoids overgeneralizing

Prethinking Before Options  
What I should already be expecting
 
 likely application of the first rule 
 likely about secrecy/concealing secrecy 
 careful conditional reasoning  
 
Hidden Gap
Passage NEVER proves:
 
 all secrecy is wrong 
 all concealment is abuse 
 most officials unjustified  
 
Most Important GMAT Pattern Here
General rule → specific application.
Rule:
if practice risks abuse,
compelling reason required.
Then passage introduces:
 
 secrecy 
 concealed secrecy  
Expect answer applying rule to those.
 
What the argument is ACTUALLY assuming
Practices increasing abuse risk require justification.
 
What alternative explanation could exist
Some secrecy may genuinely serve important functions.
So avoid:
 
 blanket condemnation 
 “all secrecy bad”  
 
What to keep in mind entering answer choices
Correct answer likely:
 
 preserves conditional logic 
 stays moderate 
 avoids extreme certainty

Core Passage Breakdown  
Core facts
 
 risky practices need compelling reason 
 secrecy is risky 
 concealment of secrecy is riskier  
 
Contrasts
 
 sometimes justified
vs 
 too often unjustified  
 
Quantifiers
 
 “sometimes” 
 “too often” 
 “greater”  
Important.
 
Conditional relationships
Facilitates abuse → Needs compelling reason
Apply to:
 
 secrecy 
 concealed secrecy  
 
Cause/effect statements
 
 unjustified secrecy → abuse opportunity 
 concealed secrecy → even greater abuse opportunity  
 
Timeline clues
None

Option Evaluation Framework  
What I must keep in mind while evaluating options
 
 Preserve conditional rule carefully 
 Do NOT convert “risk of abuse” into “actual abuse” 
 Watch extreme words:
 
 most 
 only 
 does not  
 
 Correct answer likely applies first principle to concealment

Full Option-by-Option Elimination  
 
A.
“In most cases in which government officials conceal information from the public, they are not justified in doing so.”
Evaluation
Passage NEVER says:
 
 most concealment unjustified  
No numerical/majority claim given.
 
Trap type
 
 quantifier distortion 
 unsupported extent claim  
KILL.
 
B.
“In those cases, in which government officials have a compelling reason to keep a secret, doing so does not facilitate an abuse of power”
Evaluation
Wrong reversal.
Passage says:
if practice facilitates abuse,
need compelling reason.
NOT:
if compelling reason exists,
then abuse risk disappears.
Risk may still exist.
 
Trap type
 
 reversal 
 conditional confusion  
KILL.
 
C.
“A government official who justifiably keeps a secret should not conceal its existence without having a compelling reason to do so.”
Evaluation
This fits rule application.
Passage says:
 
 practices facilitating abuse need compelling reason 
 concealing secrecy creates even greater abuse opportunity  
Therefore:
concealing existence of secrecy should require compelling reason.
Supported.
 
D.
“Government officials who conceal information without a compelling reason are thereby guilty of an abuse of power.”
Evaluation
Passage says:
practice creates opportunity for abuse.
NOT:
doing it automatically IS abuse.
Huge jump.
 
Trap type
 
 causation leap 
 extreme wording  
KILL.
 
E.
“Government officials should keep information secret only if doing so does not make it easier for those officials to abuse their power.”
Evaluation
Passage explicitly says:
sometimes secrecy IS justified
even though secrecy may facilitate abuse.
This option bans secrecy whenever abuse becomes easier.
Too strong.
Contradicts first sentence exception structure.
 
Trap type
 
 extreme wording 
 distortion of rule  
KILL.

Final Answer  
C
“A government official who justifiably keeps a secret should not conceal its existence without having a compelling reason to do so.”

Speed Training  
How to solve this faster next time
Immediately isolate:
first sentence = master rule.
Everything later = application/examples.
 
How to predict correct answer TYPE before reading options
Expect:
 
 careful application of initial principle 
 conditional extension  
 
How to avoid common traps
Kill answers that:
 
 convert risk → certainty 
 add “most” 
 reverse conditionals  
 
What I should notice earlier next time
“Even greater opportunity for abuse”
means:
concealed secrecy falls under same rule even more strongly.
 
How to prethink faster
Ask:
“What does the first rule imply about the later example?”
That usually unlocks inference quickly.

Pattern Learning  
Deeper GMAT pattern being tested
Rule-application inference.
GMAT gives:
 
 broad principle 
 specific case  
Then asks:
what follows when principle applies to that case?
 
How GMAT repeatedly designs this pattern
 
 ethics/policy passages 
 legal reasoning 
 government/public policy 
 scientific risk standards  
Same structure:
general rule → special application.
 
What future questions of this type usually look like
 
 safety regulations 
 legal exceptions 
 ethical standards 
 scientific precautions  
 
Why top scorers eliminate these traps quickly
They separate:
 
 “risk/opportunity”
from 
 “actual occurrence”  
And they protect conditional structure very carefully.

Any government practice that might facilitate the abuse of power shoul

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Any government practice that might facilitate the abuse of power shoul

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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