Behind every book review there are two key figures: a book review

Question

⠀⠀⠀⠀Behind every book review there are two key figures: a book review editor and a reviewer. Editors decide whether a book is reviewed in their publication, when the review appears, how long it is, and who writes the review.

⠀⠀⠀⠀When many periodicals feature the same books, this does not prove that the editors of different periodicals have not made individual decisions. Before publication, editors receive news releases and printer's proofs of certain books, signifying that the publishers will make special efforts to promote these books. They will be heavily advertised and probably be among the books that most bookstores order in quantity. Not having such books reviewed might give the impression that the editor was caught napping, whereas too many reviews of books that readers will have trouble finding in stores would be inappropriate. Editors can risk having a few of the less popular titles reviewed, but they must consider what will be newsworthy, advertised, and written about elsewhere.

⠀⠀⠀⠀If these were the only factors influencing editors, few books that stand little chance of selling well would ever be reviewed. But editors feel some concern about what might endure, and therefore listen to literary experts. A generation ago, a newspaper used a  brilliant  system of choosing which books to feature.  The book review  editor sent out a greater number of books than reviews he actually intended to publish. If a review was unenthusiastic, he reasoned that the book was not important enough to be discussed immediately, and if good reviews of enough other books came in, the unenthusiastic review might never be printed.  The unenthusiastic reviewers  were paid promptly anyway, but they learned that if they wanted their material to be printed, it was advisable to be kind.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Most editors print favorable and unfavorable reviews; however, the content of the review may be influenced by the editor. Some editors would actually feel that they had failed in their responsibility if they gave books by authors they admired to hostile critics or books by authors they disapproved of to critics who might favor them. Editors usually can predict who would review a book enthusiastically and who would tear it to shreds.   1 
 1. According to the passage, book review editors pay attention to all of the following in deciding which books should be reviewed in their publications EXCEPT

A. news releases from publishers
B. sales figures compiled by bookstores
C. the opinions of literary experts
D. the probability that the books will be extensively advertised
E. the likelihood that the books will be reviewed in other publications

RC69461.01-10

2 
 2. The main idea of the second paragraph is that

A. decisions made by book review editors are influenced by the business of selling books
B. book review editors must be familiar with all aspects of the book trade
C. advertising is the most important factor influencing book sales
D. book reviews usually have no influence on what books are ordered in quantity by stores
E. publishers deliberately try to influence the decisions of book review editors

RC69461.01-20

3 
 3. According to the passage, a major concern of the unenthusiastic book reviewers mentioned in  line 33  was to

A. ensure prompt payment for their work
B. influence public opinion of books
C. confirm the opinions of other reviewers
D. promote new books by their favorite authors
E. have their reviews published in the newspaper

RC69461.01-30

4 
 4. The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?

A. Would most book review editors prefer to have books reviewed without regard to the probable commercial success of the books?
B. Are publishers' efforts to persuade bookstores to order certain books generally effective?
C. On what basis do literary experts decide that a book is or is not important?
D. What criteria are used to determine the length of a particular book review?
E. Have book review practices in general changed significantly since a generation ago?

RC69461.01-40

5 
 5. The passage suggests which of the following about book review readers?

A. They pay careful attention to reviewers' biases as they read reviews.
B. They disapprove of book review editors who try to influence what their reviewers write.
C. They use book reviews in order to gauge whether a book is likely to endure.
D. They expect to see timely reviews of widely publicized books in the periodicals they read.
E. They are usually willing to search in several stores for a highly recommended book that is hard to find.

RC69461.01-50

6 
 6. Which of the following words, if substituted for “brilliant” in  line 26 , would LEAST change the meaning of the sentence?

A. showy
B. articulate
C. literate
D. stingy
E. absurd

RC69461.01-60

7 
 7. Which of the following is an assumption made by the book review editor referred to in  line 27 ?

A. A book of great worth will receive only good reviews.
B. An important book will endure despite possible bad reviews.
C. Reviewers might hide their true opinions in order to have their reviews published.
D. Book review editors should select reviewers whose opinions can be guessed in advance.
E. Book review editors have an obligation to print extensive reviews of apparently important books.

RC69461.01-70

8 
 8. It can be inferred that, as a prospective book buyer, the author of the passage would generally respond to highly enthusiastic reviews of new books with

A. resignation
B. amusement
C. condemnation
D. skepticism
E. disinterest

RC69461.01-80

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

Here's the relevant portion of the passage:

The word "only" in choice (A) is appropriate because the editor's method is very clear cut:

If the review is unenthusiastic, then the book is not important enough to discuss immediately (i.e. then the book does NOT have great worth). 
 Without any other information, we have to assume that the editor's logic is simply, "unenthusiastic review = book does NOT have great worth," and that "good" reviews will be printed before unenthusiastic reviews (reviews that are NOT good).

What if an important book (a book of great worth) receives an unenthusiastic review? Well, following the editor's algorithm, that unenthusiastic review might never be printed!

The editor thinks that his/her method will weed out unworthy/unimportant books. 
 But that logic does NOT hold if  worthy/important  books get  unenthusiastic  reviews. 
 In order of the editor's logic to hold, we need to assume that  worthy/important  books will NOT receive  unenthusiastic  reviews (or that worthy/important books) ONLY receive "good" reviews.

"Only" is a bit extreme, but it is perfectly appropriate given the information in the passage. Despite myths to the contrary, there is nothing inherently wrong with "extreme" language in an answer choice, so don't cross off an answer choice just because it seems too radical!

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-10

1. According to the passage, book review editors pay attention to all of the following in deciding which books should be reviewed in their publications EXCEPT

A. news releases from publishers
B. sales figures compiled by bookstores
C. the opinions of literary experts
D. the probability that the books will be extensively advertised
E. the likelihood that the books will be reviewed in other publications

Supporting idea

Which of the following is a factor that the passage does NOT indicate is considered by book review editors when deciding which book reviews to publish? The passage indicates that major decisions regarding which books will be reviewed in a given publication occur before the relevant books have been published; it follows that sales data for those books would not exist when initial decision making occurs.

This immediately suggests that answer choice B may be correct. But to verify that answer choice B is correct, it will be important to quickly check two things: first, that the passage neither states nor implies review editors consider sales data and, second, that for each of the other factors listed, the passage either states or implies that review editors do consider that factor.

A. The passage indicates that book review editors do in fact consider news releases from publishers.

B. Correct.  Nothing in the passage indicates that book review editors consider sales figures compiled by bookstores. Furthermore, the passage indicates that such data would NOT be available for certain books that the editors and book publishers consider most worth publishing. Even so, the passage does not exclude the possibility that book review editors may consider publishing reviews of books already in bookstores, based on a review of bookstore sales data. However, it is important to note that the passage neither states nor implies that this is so.

C. According to the passage, book review editors do in fact listen to literary experts regarding books that may sell well over time despite slow initial sales.

D. According to the passage, book review editors receive news releases and printers' proofs of certain books; this implies that the books will in fact be heavily advertised.

E. The passage states that book review editors must consider what will be newsworthy, advertised, and written about elsewhere. In other words, other publications' writing about the same books factor into the decisions of these editors.

The correct answer is B.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-20

2. The main idea of the second paragraph is that

A. decisions made by book review editors are influenced by the business of selling books
B. book review editors must be familiar with all aspects of the book trade
C. advertising is the most important factor influencing book sales
D. book reviews usually have no influence on what books are ordered in quantity by stores
E. publishers deliberately try to influence the decisions of book review editors

Evaluation

What idea is most central to the second paragraph? A good strategy here is to identify the two most plausible answer candidates by quickly eliminating the three least plausible.

Looking through the options, answer choices B, C, and D can be reasonably easily eliminated, leaving the remaining two options as the most plausible candidates. Note that the paragraph focuses on the idea that review editors' decisions are influenced by the business of selling books (answer choice A).

A. Correct.  As indicated, this idea is the main theme of the paragraph.

B. The paragraph is focused on how editors' decisions are influenced by the business of selling books, not on how much knowledge book review editors must have.

C. Although the paragraph suggests that advertising may significantly influence book orders by bookstores, the paragraph does not indicate that advertising is the most important factor.

D. The paragraph does not indicate that book reviews usually have no influence on book orders by bookstores.

E. The paragraph does not indicate that publishers' pre-publication outreach to review editors is a deliberate effort to influence the editors' decisions.

The correct answer is A.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-30

3. According to the passage, a major concern of the unenthusiastic book reviewers mentioned in line 33 was to

A. ensure prompt payment for their work
B. influence public opinion of books
C. confirm the opinions of other reviewers
D. promote new books by their favorite authors
E. have their reviews published in the newspaper

Supporting idea

What does the passage suggest was a major concern of the unenthusiastic book reviewers mentioned? The necessary information is found in the final sentence of the third paragraph.

Given that the reviewers were paid promptly anyway, it follows that prompt payment would not be a major concern for them. This sentence goes on to suggest that having their material published in the newspaper was of concern, specifically implying that this concern may have induced some of them to provide more favorable reviews in order to ensure publication. While this is not directly stated, this line of reasoning is confirmed by the information that the review editor's brilliant system tended to publish only positive reviews.

A. The passage suggests that the practice was to promptly pay all reviewers—even those whose reviews were not published.

B. Nothing in the passage suggests that influencing public opinion was part of the agenda of any of the reviewers, even those occasionally writing unenthusiastic reviews.

C. Nothing in the passage suggests that writers of unenthusiastic book reviews were necessarily influenced by the opinions of other reviewers.

D. Nothing in the passage suggests that unenthusiastic book reviewers attempted to promote any book, let alone ones from their favorite authors.

E. Correct.  The final sentence of the third paragraph indicates that this may have been a major concern of the unenthusiastic reviewers.

The correct answer is E.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-40

4. The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?

A. Would most book review editors prefer to have books reviewed without regard to the probable commercial success of the books?
B. Are publishers' efforts to persuade bookstores to order certain books generally effective?
C. On what basis do literary experts decide that a book is or is not important?
D. What criteria are used to determine the length of a particular book review?
E. Have book review practices in general changed significantly since a generation ago?

Inference

Which one of the five questions can be answered based on the information given in the passage? This implies that four of the answer choices will be questions that we cannot answer based on the passage. Certain among these choices are easily eliminated: the question regarding literary experts' evaluation and the question regarding criteria for length of reviews.

The question of whether book review practices in general have changed over the last generation is also fairly easily eliminated: the information about such practices a generation ago only concerns the system used by one review editor in one newspaper.

Thus we can narrow down our answer candidates to the following: the question about how expected commercial success relates to review editors' preferences, and the question about whether book publishers' outreach efforts for certain books succeed in persuading bookstores to order large quantities of those books. Which one of these two questions does the passage help answer?

A. The passage provides neither a definitive “yes” nor a definitive “no” answer to this question, at least as concerns “most” book editors. The second paragraph of the passage indicates that expectations regarding the books that bookstores will order in quantity does figure prominently in decision making regarding publication of reviews. However, this does not necessarily indicate what most editors would prefer. It is possible, if not likely, that book review editors differ widely in their preferences. This does not of course answer whether book review editors listen to their personal preferences when making decisions about publication of book reviews. Ultimately, we do not have the information to address either this question or its nuances.

B. Correct.  The passage tells us that the books that publishers heavily advertise will probably be among the books that most bookstores order in quantity. This provides a “yes” answer to the question.

C. The passage provides no information regarding how literary experts decide whether a book is “important.” Note that the passage specifically discusses book review editors. It is unclear whether this is the same thing as “literary expert,” but we are given no reason to think so.

D. The passage provides no information regarding how the length of a book review is determined.

E. The passage indicates that a generation ago, a review editor for a newspaper had a brilliant system of publishing only the reviews that were enthusiastic about particular books. However, the passage does not indicate that this was common editorial practice at the time. Rather, the passage tells us that most editors currently publish both positive and negative reviews. Nothing in the passage indicates that this practice was different a generation ago.

The correct answer is B.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-50

5. The passage suggests which of the following about book review readers?

A. They pay careful attention to reviewers' biases as they read reviews.
B. They disapprove of book review editors who try to influence what their reviewers write.
C. They use book reviews in order to gauge whether a book is likely to endure.
D. They expect to see timely reviews of widely publicized books in the periodicals they read.
E. They are usually willing to search in several stores for a highly recommended book that is hard to find.

Inference

What does the passage convey about readers of book reviews? Note that the question does not concern what is most likely true of at least some book review readers; rather, the passage most strongly suggests what is true of book review readers in general.

Nothing in the passage implies that any of the first three answer choices given is true of book review readers in general. This leaves the final two answer choices as possible candidates. Of the two, D more clearly describes something that the passage suggests is generally true of book review readers.

A. No doubt some book review readers pay attention to reviewers' biases, but the passage does not imply that this is generally true of readers of book reviews.

B. The passage does not tell us that readers of book reviews generally know whether review content is influenced by book review editors. Furthermore, it does not tell us whether these readers generally approve or disapprove of such editors.

C. The passage nowhere suggests that readers of book reviews generally make judgments as to whether a book is likely to be a long-lasting cultural legacy.

D. Correct. The passage indicates that book review editors in general feel responsible to meet their readers' expectations by providing reviews of books that are newsworthy, advertised, and written about elsewhere.

E. The passage nowhere suggests that most book review readers will search in several stores for a highly recommended book. The passage refers to books that readers will have trouble finding in stores; however, this is more plausibly read as readers of books rather than readers of book reviews. Furthermore, it does not suggest that most readers—or most readers of book reviews—will go to several stores to search for a book.

The correct answer is D.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-60

6. Which of the following words, if substituted for “brilliant” in line 26, would LEAST change the meaning of the sentence?

A. showy
B. articulate
C. literate
D. stingy
E. absurd

Evaluation

Which word, if substituted for “brilliant” in the sentence, would least alter the meaning of the sentence? In other words, we must pick the word we could substitute for brilliant in the sentence without significantly changing the meaning of the sentence.

Note that neither articulate nor literate would be an apt modifier of the word system. Stingy indicates a financial use of the system, which seems inappropriate.

Eliminating these options leaves only showy and absurd as candidates. Given these choices, it is fairly clear that brilliant is meant ironically. We are told that the unenthusiastic reviewers quickly learned that if they wanted their material to be printed, it was advisable to be kind.

A. Nothing in the passage conveys that the system, ironically designated brilliant, was showy, that is, eye-catching.

B. Articulate could describe fluent or coherent speech, description, or writing, but it does not appropriately modify the noun system in this context.

C. The adjective literate does not appropriately modify system; furthermore, it fails to convey a clear meaning that would match the ironic meaning of the modifier brilliant.

D. The system does not seem to have a monetary purpose, so stingy would not fit. Note that the final sentence of the paragraph suggests that the system self-selects for books that are likely to be successful, potentially at the expense of writers who write “unenthusiastic reviews.” Nevertheless, the passage notes that the unpublished writers would still be paid, so their risk lies in not having their work read rather than in not being paid for their work.

E. Correct.  Among the answer choices, absurd best captures the ironic use of brilliant and preserves the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

The correct answer is E.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-70

7. Which of the following is an assumption made by the book review editor referred to in line 27?

A. A book of great worth will receive only good reviews.
B. An important book will endure despite possible bad reviews.
C. Reviewers might hide their true opinions in order to have their reviews published.
D. Book review editors should select reviewers whose opinions can be guessed in advance.
E. Book review editors have an obligation to print extensive reviews of apparently important books.

Evaluation

Which one of the five options is an assumption the book review editor made in following the book review system described? The editor's policy was to publish the reviews that gave books a sufficiently positive evaluation while often refusing to publish unenthusiastic reviews; that is, reviews that did not rate books highly.

Given the information in the passage, it is likely that this editor followed other editors in feeling some concern about what might endure. That is, these editors would presumably not wish to risk ignoring a book of great worth. Therefore, this editor may have believed that his brilliant system of not publishing negative reviews would guard against such a risk. In other words, the editor assumed that unenthusiastic reviews accurately reflected the value of the books reviewed. By this logic, a book of great worth would, of course, receive only positive reviews.

A. Correct.  The editor, in applying the system described, assumed that a book of great worth would receive only positive reviews.

B. If the editor assumed this, he would be justified in publishing bad reviews given that a good book would eventually be vindicated.

C. There is nothing to suggest that the editor thought the reviewers to be dishonest in representing their views of the books they review; that is, that the reviewers would lie in order to get their reviews published. While this may have been the case, the passage provides no evidence to suggest that the editor assumed this.

D. Nothing in the passage suggests that the editor's practice was governed by this sort of rule regarding how book review editors should select reviewers.

E. The passage suggests the book review editor wanted books of significant worth reviewed in his newspaper. However, it does not suggest that the editor assumed this rule should apply to all book review editors.

The correct answer is A.

gmatt1476 · Answer

Official Explanation

RC69461.01-80

8. It can be inferred that, as a prospective book buyer, the author of the passage would generally respond to highly enthusiastic reviews of new books with

A. resignation
B. amusement
C. condemnation
D. skepticism
E. disinterest

Inference

What does the passage suggest about how its author might respond to highly enthusiastic reviews of new books? Nothing in the passage suggests the response would be resignation, amusement, or condemnation.

This narrows down the possibilities to skepticism or disinterest. The intended meaning of disinterest is “lack of interest.” It is unlikely that the author of the passage would be generally uninterested in highly enthusiastic reviews of new books.

This of course leaves skepticism as the best candidate. The passage does suggest that this might be the passage author's attitude: the passage discusses the impact of commercial considerations—the business of selling books—on review editors' choices regarding which books to review. It follows that highly enthusiastic reviews may, at least in some cases, be influenced by such considerations. With this in mind, the author of the passage is likely to approach such reviews with skepticism. In other words, the author holds a certain amount of doubt as to whether such reviews accurately reflect the true worth of the books reviewed.

A. Given the critical approach to reviewing practices conveyed in the passage, it is unlikely that the response of the author would be resignation.

B. The author of the passage might, for various reasons, be amused at some highly enthusiastic reviews. Nevertheless, the passage does not suggest that amusement would be the author's response to any highly enthusiastic review.

C. Nothing in the passage suggests that the author's general response to enthusiastic reviews would be condemnation.

D. Correct.  As explained above, skepticism is most likely to be the author's most usual response.

E. Some book reviews, even highly enthusiastic ones, might not interest the author of the passage. However, nothing in the passage indicates that the author's general response would be to show no interest.

The correct answer is D.

chrtpmdr · Answer

GMATNinja

Could you please help out and explain the reasoning behind question 7? 
This is a CR type assumption question, isn't the use of "only" in the right answer choice a bit radical and out of the scope to use it as an assumption?

I think the question stats speak for itself, we need an expert explaining the answer choice.

Thank you very much

gmatway · Answer

Question 4:  The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?

A. Would most book review editors prefer to have books reviewed without regard to the probable commercial success of the books?
B. Are publishers' efforts to persuade bookstores to order certain books generally effective?

C. On what basis do literary experts decide that a book is or is not important?(irrelevant, passage indicates that enthusiastic reviews have power but it also says the efforts to make a book important are mixed ones and the intention is set in very beginning , which means that deciding wether book is imp or not is not a factor .the passage is more about on how reviews are made (the inside story). )

D. What criteria are used to determine the length of a particular book review?(irrelevant)

E. Have book review practices in general changed significantly since a generation ago? (only mentioned in one line not entire passage)
SOLUTION -C,D,E are a direct NO.
B VS A
the passage gives info about how the inside part works . What happens and how things are influenced .INFLUENCE IS A STRONG & crispy word .
A says about preference of MOST (means more than 50%) editors . We haven't come across any line which shows EDITORS concerened about preference of books getting reviewed without regard to commercial success)

B - the persuade word gives us little clue. The passage is also about publishers putting best efforts to get their books published .They try to make strategy and plan how they can promote a certain book . The example of a generation ago method is also given .So YES the passage does answer this question .
REFER LINES - signifying that the
⠀⠀⠀ publishers will make special efforts to promote these
⠀⠀⠀ books. They will be heavily advertised and probably  (this word indicates that if publishers are successful in their efforts then they might be able to make those particular books one which bookstores order in QUANTITY) be among the books that most bookstores order in
⠀⠀⠀ quantity.

Question 6.  Which of the following words, if substituted for “brilliant”(CLEVER) in line 26, would LEAST change the meaning of the sentence?

A. showy 
B. articulate (fluent writing)
C. literate
D. stingy (ungenerous)
E. absurd (illogical)

SOLUTION - We need to replace the word brilliant without changing context of those lines.A,B,C are easy to eliminate .D cannot replace the clever move because we are not measuring generosity of newspaper.NOW E, We know this was a clever(brilliant) move by that newspaper and at the same time it was not reasonable move . There was no logical strategy .The unenthu and enthu both kinds of reviewers were getting paid . There was no real value adding strategy for the reviews . This method was very clever and hence we can call it illogical on basis of the comments made he reasoned that the book was not important enough to be discussed immediately. Absurd means illogical .
REFER LINES - A generation ago, a newspaper used
⠀⠀⠀ a brilliant system of choosing which books to feature.
⠀⠀⠀ The book review editor sent out a greater number of
⠀⠀⠀ books than reviews he actually intended to publish.
⠀⠀⠀ If a review was unenthusiastic, he reasoned that the
(30)⠀⠀book was not important enough to be discussed
⠀⠀⠀ immediately, and if good reviews of enough other
⠀⠀⠀ books came in, the unenthusiastic review might never
⠀⠀⠀ be printed. The unenthusiastic reviewers were paid
⠀⠀⠀ promptly anyway, but they learned that if they wanted
(35)⠀⠀their material to be printed, it was advisable to be
⠀⠀⠀ kind.

Question 7.  Which of the following is an assumption made by the book review editor referred to in line 27?

A. A book of great worth will receive only good reviews.
B. An important book will endure despite possible bad reviews.
C. Reviewers might hide their true opinions in order to have their reviews published.
D. Book review editors should select reviewers whose opinions can be guessed in advance.
E. Book review editors have an obligation to print extensive reviews of apparently important books.
SOLUTION - this is the easy assumption question . The intention of sending books greater in number and upon receiving unenthusiastic review act as if that book is not important is clearly on basis that a good book will receive good reviews only . That is the purpose of sending books in great numbers.

OjhaShishir · Answer

For Q4. The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?

The correct answer is : B. Are publishers' efforts to persuade bookstores to order certain books generally effective?

Can an expert guide me where in the passage, is the information mentioned in option B answered.

Also, for Q5, when the correct answer says that book review readers expect to see timely reviews of widely publicized books in the periodicals they read, are we referring to the following line:

"Not having such books reviewed might give the impression that the editor was caught napping".

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 4 
 The information you're looking for in the passage to answer question 4 is on lines 9-14:

These two sentences tell us that books that publishers are making  special efforts to promote  will be  heavily advertised  and will  probably be among the books that most bookstores order in quantity.

This part of the passage tells us that publishers' efforts to persuade bookstores to order certain books  are generally effective , so (B) is the correct answer to question 4.

Question 5 
 To answer this question about the part of the passage needed to answer question 5, you're right that you should look at lines 14-15:

"Not having such books reviewed might give the impression that the editor was caught napping..."

This sentence refers back to the  heavily advertised  books mentioned in the previous sentence and suggests that readers of these periodicals will think the editor has made a mistake by not including a review of a widely publicized book in their periodical.

There's also further information in lines 18-20 of the passage:

"Editors can risk having a few of the less popular titles reviewed, but they must consider what will be newsworthy, advertised, and written about elsewhere."

While editors can have some less popular titles reviewed, this part of the passage tells us they must consider what is  advertised . This suggests that there is some pressure on editors to include reviews of books that are widely publicized in their periodicals. Also, editors must consider what is  written about elsewhere , suggesting an editor must consider publishing timely reviews of books to prevent them from looking out of step with other periodicals that publish book reviews.

Between these two sentences, we can conclude that readers of these periodicals expect to see timely reviews of widely publicized books in the periodicals they read, giving us enough information to choose (D) as our final answer.

I hope that helps!

mSKR · Answer

this passage gives me headache as most of the points are not mentioned directly and need to consider a lot over the top while answering such questions ( 4,5,6,8)?

Could you please advise on tackling these type of questions? 
 GMATNinja ,  SajjadAhmad ,  GMATNinjaTwo ,  bm2201

GMATNinja · Answer

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "these types of questions." Are you talking about hard RC passages in general, which require you to "read between the lines"?

If so, there's no easy answer to that question, unfortunately. Sometimes, it's just a question of developing your overall reading skills, and that can take time. This long-winded  beginner's guide to RC  might give you some context, or you can check out our  RC videos .

I hope that helps a bit!

mSKR · Answer

Sorry for not mentioning explicitly before , These type of questions I meant: Question is asked something which is not directly mentioned in the passage but we need to assume a step further to come near to an answer.Yes, questions which need to "read between the lines"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 QUESTION5:

But we need to assume 
 
But other choices are not too far from assumption (finding in stores..xx)
 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 QUESTION8:  
 
book buyer is not talked directly in the passage and highly enthusiastic reviews are also not talked directly in the passage.
 
It is hard to imagine what a prospective book buyer can think on seeing highly enthusiastic reviews , he maybe delighted to see good reviews ( amusement- personal experience) , why can’t he be resign to whatever is written ( could be a cold buyer) , but correct answer is skepticism because “ skepticism is most likely to be the author's most usual response.”

A. resignation
B. amusement
C. condemnation
D. skepticism
E. disinterest
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 QUESTION6:

E. absurd= because it is weird way as per right answer. In fact this could be smart way as well. 
A. showy; meaning brilliance but it is not the right answer 
B. articulate : meaning express clearly ( because now editor no need to think deeply, he can take a call with the results in front of him)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 QUESTION4:  
 
publishers will make special efforts to promote these books. They will be heavily advertised and probably be among the books that most bookstores order in quantity
 
Efforts may or may not be generally effective as per given information in the passage but need to assume.
 
This choice is very close because editor will consider other factors ( commercial success is one of them) to write reviews. But the option was rejected because “ this does not necessarily indicate what most editors would prefer”

So the question was: how to tackle these type of questions in exam timings. The correct answer choices are remotely connected. These questions are not closed loop type of questions and even not mentioned explicitly in the passage.

GMATNinja · Answer

You're right that some of these questions aren't discussed directly in the passage. That makes sense, though, when you look at the exact wording of the questions themselves:

Question 5: "The passage  suggests  which of the following about book review readers?"

Question 8: "It can be  inferred  that, as a prospective book buyer, the author of the passage would generally respond to highly enthusiastic reviews of new books with..."

If the passage just "suggests" something, then it doesn't need to outright say that thing. And if you have to "infer" something, then that thing is DEFINITELY not going to be present in the passage. These are fairly common question types, and it would not be unusual to encounter questions like this on the test.

For Question 4, there is evidence for (B), but no evidence at all for (A).

If books that are promoted by publishers will " probably  be among the books that most bookstores order in quantity," then we can say that it is  more likely than not  that the promotional efforts worked. It's not much of a leap to then say that these promotional activities are generally (i.e., "usually" or "in most cases") effective. (B) is looking good.

(A), on the other hand, talks about what editors  prefer . Sure, the passage talks about factors beyond commercial success that the editors consider, but do we know that they would  prefer  to focus on these other factors? Not really. In fact, the passage tells us that editors consider these other things because they "feel some concern." That doesn't sound incredibly enthusiastic.

There is direct evidence in the passage for (A) as the correct answer to question 4.

Your reasoning for Question 6 is solid.

With regard to timing -- this is a tough passage, and you're right that some of the questions feel a bit twisty and difficult to pin down. All you can do on the test is:

1) Have a solid and efficient process for reading the passage the first time through. More on that in  this article  and  some of these videos .
2) Assess each question as you get to it. If you're twisting in the wind, it might be necessary to let that question go and spend your time elsewhere on the test.

There's really not much you can do beyond that. This is kind of unsatisfying, but also an elegant and simple approach -- have your technique and process down to a science, and be prepared to bail out of problems if it's going to take too long.

I hope that helps!

Suryanshi · Answer

Can an expert help me with question 7. I have read all the answers on the forum but everyone seems to be equating the words "unenthusiastic" and "good". An "enthusiastic" review could be good or bad, positive or negative. right?

and because of the above reason, I could never arrive at the OA. Can an expert please help me with this question?

and because of the above reason, I could never arrive at the OA. Can an expert please help me with this question?

GMATNinja · Answer

One piece of evidence that suggests an "unenthusiastic" review is a "bad" review comes from the final sentence in that paragraph:

The unenthusiastic reviewers were paid promptly anyway, but they learned that if they wanted their material to be printed, it was advisable to be kind.

A "kind" review is one that has a good or benevolent nature, it will be positive about the book. These "kind" reviews are contrasted with the "unenthusiastic" reviews, suggesting an "unenthusiastic" review is one that is negative about the book.

We can also use the final sentence of the passage:

Editors usually can predict who would review a book enthusiastically and who would tear it to shreds.

Here, there's a contrast between an "enthusiastic" review and a review by a person who would "tear   to shreds". This suggests that "enthusiastic" is being used to mean "positive" in this passage.

Once we've concluded that an "enthusiastic" review is one that is positive about the book, and an "unenthusiastic" review is a negative review, then we can use the reasoning in  this post  to justify why (A) is the correct answer to this question.

I hope that helps!

Behind every book review there are two key figures: a book review

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Behind every book review there are two key figures: a book review

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

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