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Bunuel
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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose an 09 Oct 2024, 01:30
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D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

5% (low)

Question Stats:

87% (01:20) correct 13% (01:43) wrong based on 291 sessions

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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support the medical initiative. Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes, and he was trounced in the primary elections. Furthermore, in a poll that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82% replied "Yes." This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen before in this state."

In the political analyst's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the following roles?

(A) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.

(B) It is a finding that calls the main conclusion into question.

(C) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.

(D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.

(E) It is the main conclusion of the argument.


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D
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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose an 09 Oct 2024, 03:23
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Background: Although citizens of this state normally oppose any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support the medical initiative. Candidate
Support: Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes, and he was trounced in the primary elections.
Support - in a poll that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82% replied "Yes."
Main conclusion - there is a pattern of support for taxes that we have not seen before.

Hence D.
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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose an 09 Oct 2024, 15:36
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The boldface portion, which refers to the poll results showing strong support for higher taxes in connection with the medical initiative, supports the analyst's conclusion that there is an unprecedented pattern of support for taxes in this state.

Answer D.
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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose an 09 Oct 2024, 22:55
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IMO D

To determine the role of the boldface portion in the political analyst's argument, let's break down the argument and identify its main components:

Premise: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support the medical initiative."
Evidence: "Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes, and he was trounced in the primary elections."
Boldface Portion: "Furthermore, in a poll that asked citizens, 'Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having the benefit of the new medical initiative?', an astonishing 82% replied 'Yes.'"
Conclusion: "This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen before in this state."
Analysis of the Boldface Portion:
The boldface portion provides additional evidence to support the argument's conclusion.
It shows that a significant majority (82%) of citizens are willing to pay higher taxes for the medical initiative, which is unusual given the state's typical opposition to new taxes.
Option Analysis:
(A) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.
Explanation: This option suggests that the boldface portion is an explanation that the argument accepts as correct.
Why it's incorrect: The boldface portion is not an explanation; it is evidence (a poll result) supporting the argument's conclusion.
(B) It is a finding that calls the main conclusion into question.
Explanation: This option suggests that the boldface portion challenges the main conclusion.
Why it's incorrect: The boldface portion supports the main conclusion rather than calling it into question.
(C) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.
Explanation: This option suggests that the boldface portion presents a judgment that the argument disagrees with.
Why it's incorrect: The boldface portion provides evidence that the argument agrees with and uses to support its conclusion.
(D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
Explanation: This option suggests that the boldface portion offers evidence to back up the main conclusion.
Why it's correct: The boldface portion (the poll result) supports the argument's conclusion that there is an unusual pattern of support for taxes in this state.
(E) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
Explanation: This option suggests that the boldface portion is the main conclusion of the argument.
Why it's incorrect: The main conclusion of the argument is that there is a new pattern of support for taxes in the state, not the poll result itself.
Summary:
(A), (B), (C), and (E) do not accurately describe the role of the boldface portion.
(D) correctly identifies the boldface portion as evidence supporting the main conclusion of the argument.
Thus, the correct answer is (D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
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Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose an 03 Nov 2024, 09:00
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Bunuel
Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support the medical initiative. Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes, and he was trounced in the primary elections. Furthermore, in a poll that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82% replied "Yes." This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen before in this state."

In the political analyst's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the following roles?

(A) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.

(B) It is a finding that calls the main conclusion into question.

(C) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.

(D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.

(E) It is the main conclusion of the argument.


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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



This is unusual argument, in that the first sentence is actually the main conclusion. The final sentence is often the conclusion in GMAT CR arguments, but you can't always assume this will be the pattern. Here, the final sentence is merely a parenthetical observation. The first sentence is the main conclusion, and both the second and third sentences are evidence for this conclusion. The bold sentence in particular is a poll, which is pure data; one of the only roles pure data can serve in an argument is as evidence.

(D) is the credited answer. The fact that the poll specifically demonstrates that an unbelievably large percentage of the population would pay higher taxes to get this medical benefits is highly specific evidence supporting the main conclusion.

(A) is wrong. The bold sentence is not an explanation --- pure data can't be an explanation.

(B) is wrong. The bold sentence supports the main conclusion, so it doesn't call the conclusion into question.

(C) is wrong. The bold sentence supports the main conclusion, so the argument doesn’t oppose it.

(E) is wrong. The first sentence is the main conclusion, so the bold statement can't be.
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