In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sal

Question

In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sale of alcoholic beverages. A recent article about the bans concludes that mid-nineteenth-century supporters of the temperance movement were not residents of remote rural areas, as has often been asserted; rather, they were concentrated in centers of economic opportunity.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the conclusion reached in the article?

(A) After 1846 the temperance movement grew rapidly and it flourished until the turn of the century.

(B) Support for the ban on alcohol was strongest in New York towns where the economy was based on new, growing industries.

(C) Many young New York State farmers supported the ban on alcohol.

(D) The most adamant opponents of the ban included several affluent factory and mill owners.

(E) In New York City, which was a commercial center in 1846, the sale of alcoholic beverages was not banned.

vasuca10 · Accepted Answer

In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sale of alcoholic beverages. A recent article about the bans concludes that mid-nineteenth-century supporters of the temperance movement were not residents of remote rural areas, as has often been asserted; rather, they were concentrated in centers of economic opportunity.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the conclusion reached in the article?

(A) After 1846 the temperance movement grew rapidly and it flourished until the turn of the century. -  IRRELEVANT as Post 1846 whether temperance movement grew rapidly or not is not what we are looking for to strengthen our conclusion.

(B) Support for the ban on alcohol was strongest in New York towns where the economy was based on new, growing industries. -  CORRECT as this supports our conclusion that supporters of movement are located in centers of economic opportunity rather than in rural areas.

(C) Many young New York State farmers supported the ban on alcohol. -  WEAKENER as our conclusion is supporters of temperance movement were not residents of remote rural areas rather concentrated in centers of economic opportunity. If farmers are supporting the ban on alcohol it will weaken our conclusion

(D) The most adamant opponents of the ban included several affluent factory and mill owners. -  OUT OF SCOPE as no impact on conclusion

(E) In New York City, which was a commercial center in 1846, the sale of alcoholic beverages was not banned.-  OUT OF SCOPE, as it is already mentioned in the argument that 80% of towns in NY have already banned sale of alcoholic beverages. So one center not banning has no impact.

siddreal  Buddy please go through the comments in highlighted portions. To be honest the answer choice B is not well framed, but it is the best of the lot we can select by way of eliminating other Options.

Also you need not to know about the temperance movement . In real GMAT exam we may get some questions where the correct answer choice may not be very convincing, but we have to select the best among the lot

Kindly give kudos if my explanation helped

targetbusiness · Answer

I did not understand the relation between ban on alcohol and temperance movt. and therefore, how does the answers fit in. I tried to guess E, but wrong.
Is this a gmat like question where it requires the test taker to know about temperance movt. I will now google though.

akshaykotha · Answer

I think there is no need to know the temperance movement but knowing the meaning of temperance might have helped you link the content given.

Cheers
Akshay

DavidTutorexamPAL · Answer

The answer is B.

The claim is that support came from towns with economic opportunity - therefore, we need evidence that the towns that supported it are indeed that; this is precisely what B provides us:  (B) Support for the ban on alcohol was strongest in New York towns where the economy was based on new, growing industries.

Adelajne · Answer

The supporters of the movement were located in Urban area(where there was economic opportunity) So which means there is another reason why they supported the ban DESPITE the fact that they could benefit by selling alcohool (having economic opportunities to earn money).
Thus, in B it says that: Support for the ban on alcohol was strongest in New York towns where the economy was based on new, growing industries.
So since the ECONOMY was based on NEW, GROWING intdustries, basically is saying that selling alcohool was not the ONLY way to make money, so there were other economic opportunites to even maybe make more money.

VerbalBot · Answer

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In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sal

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In 1846 about 80 percent of the towns in New York State banned the sal

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