Upton Sinclairs 1906 novel The Jungle, set in the meatpacking plants

Question

Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel  The Jungle , set in the meatpacking plants of early 20th-century Chicago, was intended to provoke a strong public reaction. The book, based on Sinclair’s own experience working incognito at a meatpacking plant, tells of the horrific working conditions in the meat industry. The stories of contaminated or diseased meat were intended to incite outrage at the system of worker exploitation that led to these issues; however, the response of both the public and the government focused on food safety. Less than a year after publication of The Jungle, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, which eventually led to the creation of the modern Food and Drug Administration. Sinclair himself was not pleased with what he saw as a misinterpretation of his work; he famously said, “I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”

The reaction to The Jungle is hardly the first time that concerns over food safety and purity have won out over more compassionate objectives. In 1516, Bavaria (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) passed the Reinheitsgebot, a law mandating, among other things, that the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were barley, hops, and water. Although Reinheitsgebot literally translates to “purity order,” the main impetus behind the law was not to protect the purity of beer but rather to prevent competition between bakers and brewers for the purchase of grains. By ensuring that wheat and rye would be available only for bakers, the Bavarian government hoped to keep bread affordable for everyone. Many modern breweries, however, tout that their beers conform to the Reinheitsgebot in an attempt to convince consumers of the quality and purity of their beer, completely ignoring the original empathetic intent of the law. Perhaps the public’s stomach is, in fact, more sensitive than its heart.    1 
 1. With which of the following statements about the Pure Food and Drug Act would the author of the passage likely agree?

A. It did not do enough to ensure the safety of America’s food supplies, given the state of the meatpacking industry.
B. It was a misguided response to the transgressions of the meatpacking industry exposed in The Jungle.
C. Congress enacted the law to limit competition for resources, although its effect was to improve food quality.
D. The act was likely to increase the price of food by imposing regulations on the meatpacking industry.
E. It was intended to fix problems that were not highlighted in The Jungle.

2 
 2. Which of the following is true of the effects of the Reinheitsgebot, according to the passage?

A It led to the production of higher-quality beer.
B. It influenced how beer was made throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
C. It resulted in lower bread prices.
D. Laws that use it as precedent are still in effect today.
E. Some advertisements for beer refer to its requirements.

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Passage # 254 Date: 27 Jul-2023
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Kaplan GRE Verbal Workbook 2018

Ruchi007 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Explanation to #2?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following is true of the effects of the Reinheitsgebot, according to the passage?

Explanation

This Detail question asks for a fact about the effects of the Reinheitsgebot, which is discussed in the  second paragraph . A quick paraphrase of the paragraph’s main point will serve as guidance: the law was enacted with the hope of keeping bread affordable, but many today associate it with beer purity. Keep this in mind as you evaluate the answer choices.  (E)  paraphrases the next-to-last sentence and is correct:  "  beers conform to the Reinheitsgebot."  Even if the claims modern breweries make on this basis are misplaced, beer is being made with only the ingredients stipulated by this 16th-century law.

(A)  is incorrect; the author points out that the law was not intended to raise the quality of beer, and even if that happened as an unintended side effect, it isn’t mentioned in the passage.

(B)  can be eliminated; the law was passed in Bavaria, which is said to be part of the Holy Roman Empire, but there’s no indication the law was in effect throughout the empire.

(C)  may be tempting, because the author states that the intent of the law was to keep bread affordable. However, the passage never says whether it was successful in meeting this goal.

Even though there are breweries that claim to follow the law today, there’s no indication that they’re legally obligated to; they may be invoking an old law in their advertising to cloak their beer in a mantle of purity. Thus,  (D)  is incorrect.

Answer: E

carcass · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #1

B

The question asks what the author of the passage would think about the Pure Food and Drug Act; this law is discussed in the first paragraph, so start your research there. The only opinion there is that of Upton Sinclair, who was not happy that the act focused on food safety rather than the worker exploitation he sought to highlight in The Jungle. Look further to find the opinion of the passage's author. In the first sentence of the second paragraph, the author indicates an opinion through a comparison, saying that "concerns over food safety and purity . . . won out over more compassionate objectives." Thus, the author feels that Congress with the Pure Food and Drug Act addressed a less important problem than it should have. Then again, in the last sentence of the passage, the author expresses agreement with Sinclair, saying that "the public's stomach is, in fact, more sensitive than its heart." Look for an answer choice that lines up with the opinion. (B) does so nicely; the author would think, just as Sinclair did, that this law was a misguided response to The Jungle, so this is the correct answer.
(A) is incorrect because the author does not express any opinion on the effectiveness of the law; she thinks a law protecting workers would have been a more appropriate response, but that doesn't mean she thinks the law that was passed didn't work. (C) confuses the U.S. law this question asks about with the Bavarian law discussed in the second paragraph. (D) is wrong because the only discussion of food prices comes in the second paragraph in connection to the Reinheitsgebot, not the Pure Food and Drug Act. (E) may be tempting because the author does think the act addressed a problem that should have been a lower priority. However, it's clear that The Jungle did highlight a problem with food quality, given its "stories of contaminated or diseased meat," and the law addressed that issue.

Upton Sinclairs 1906 novel The Jungle, set in the meatpacking plants

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Upton Sinclairs 1906 novel The Jungle, set in the meatpacking plants

Prep Toolkit

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