Enacted on March 11, 1941, the Lend-Lease Act authorized

Question

Enacted on March 11, 1941, the Lend-Lease Act authorised the United States president to provide Great Britain and its allies with weapons and military aid during World War II. In lobbying for the act, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt compared the proposed law to lending one’s neighbor a hose to help put out a house fire, quoting: "I don't say... 'Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it.’ I don't want $15. I want my garden hose back after the fire is over."

Many isolationist opponents of the act saw it less as a neighbourly gesture and more as a commitment to ultimately join the war, noting that it tied American finances directly to Allied success against Germany. Most historians tend to agree, but view it positively and note that it was an important turning point in a war that at the time was heavily controlled by the Germans. The act, they explain, was the only way that the American wartime industry would have been prepared to supply its own military effort when the U.S. entered the war later that year.

While the Lend-Lease Act formally ended late in 1945, its legacy lived on in the postwar aftermath and beyond. The congressional fear of increased presidential power may have come to fruition; while Congress declined to authorize the Lend-Lease products as gifts, maintaining that Britain would indeed need to pay for them, the executive branch granted discounts as high as 90% to effectively render much of the material gifts. Even so, the final debt remained unpaid until 2006, when the British, after many deferrals, made their final payment to the American government.   1 
 1. According to the passage, which of the following would likely have occurred had the Lend-Lease Act not been passed?

A Germany would have maintained control of World War II well into 1942.
B The United States would have had no financial interest in Allied success in World War II.
C The United States would not have been willing to join the Allied effort in World War II.
D American industry would have been unprepared to support the American war effort.
E Congress would not have approved another act offering to donate military supplies directly to the British.

2 
 2. The primary purpose of the passage is to:

A Criticize the isolationists who opposed the Lend-Lease Act
B Point out that the Lend-Lease Act was a positive aspect of Franklin Roosevelt’s legacy
C Discuss the cases made by both those who favored and those who opposed the Lend-Lease Act
D Provide an overview of the history of a significant piece of legislation
E Argue that the British took too long to repay their debts from World War II

3 
 3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. The British were among the nations that could claim victory in World War II.
B. The passage of the Lend-Lease Act was controversial.
C. The Lend-Lease Act served as a catalyst for American industry to produce military supplies.
D. Historians believe that the Allies could not have won the war without the Lend-Lease Act.
E. The British economy was shaken enough by World War II that it could not afford to repay its Lend-Lease Act debts.

ela4490 · Answer

JarvisR  : Can you explain why C is incorrect for Q-1??

Kurtosis · Answer

I believe you are referring to Q3.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The British were among the nations that could claim victory in World War II. - Incorrect. From the passage we cannot infer who won the WWII. So, even British can't claim the victory in WWII.

B. The passage of the Lend-Lease Act was controversial. - Incorrect. Not supported by the passage.

C. The Lend-Lease Act served as a catalyst for American industry to produce military supplies. - Correct.

D. Historians believe that the Allies could not have won the war without the Lend-Lease Act. - Incorrect. Not supported by the passage. Lend lease act was a turning point in WWII that was dominated by Germans. But we cannot infer that Allies could not have won the war without Lend Lease Act.

E. The British economy was shaken enough by World War II that it could not afford to repay its Lend-Lease Act debts. - Incorrect. Out of scope.

Answer: C

swati793 · Answer

Why not B??
With the mentioned line in the last paragraph we can infer that it was controversial.
"The congressional fear of increased presidential power may have come to fruition; while Congress declined to authorize the Lend-Lease products as gifts, maintaining that Britain would indeed need to pay for them"-

abhishekdadarwal2009 · Answer

Hi, B is not a correct answer for the Q3 because  point B states  that the  passage of the Act was controversial .
If we read the statement prior to the ones mentioned above, it states that the legacy remained in post-war math and it was the post-war math which was controversial.

While the Lend-Lease Act formally ended late in 1945, its legacy lived on in the post-war aftermath and beyond.

Mick1005 · Answer

4:30
2/3.
Got first one wrong. Marked A instead of D. Can someone explain this? When the passage clearly states that "it was an important turning point in a war that at the time was heavily controlled by the Germans". This means the Germans would have kept control if the Americans hadnt provided them with the supplies.

Gladiator59 · Answer

4mins 38 sec got 2 out of 3. Got the second one wrong.

Mick1005 , in Q1: The option A states that Germans would have had control of WWII well into 1942. Whereas the act was passed in Mar 1941, which means a number of other things could have happened in that time period which can still make option A invalid. ( for ex. a new act launched after lend and lease did not go thru and then Germans defeated by that one, or the germans implode and lose the war on their own)

whereas D: "American industry would have been unprepared to support the American war effort." Is directly mentioned in the second passage in what historians believe.

Hence D is the stronger candidate and the OA.

Best,
Gladi

NinetyFour · Answer

I'd like to challenge the OA provided for question 1. OA provide (D) states "American industry would have been unprepared to support the American war effort." In the passage, it says "The act, they explain, was the only way that the American wartime industry would have been prepared to supply its own military effort when the U.S. entered the war later that year."

Two things that I believe justify the OA to be incorrect:

1) American wartime industry is not the same as American industry. How can we make the assumption that we are referring only to the wartime industry?
2) Supply and support have two different meanings. Supply is more along the lines of providing equipment/weapon, while support is a moral backing of the cause. The two are not the same

I believe B would be a better answer. B states "The United States would have had no financial interest in Allied success in World War II." The statement in the passage that directly reflects this answer says "more as a commitment to ultimately join the war, noting that it tied American finances directly to Allied success against Germany"

I would love to know where my thinking went wrong.. If anyone can shed light on this I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you!

mallya12 · Answer

GMATNinja ,  workout ,  GMATNinjaTwo ,  u1983 ,  SajjadAhmad ,  Gnpth 
Please explain Q3 
Confused between B and C.

"isolationist opponents of the act saw it less...Most historians tend to agree, but view it positively.."
I choose B because of this.
Why is C right?

"the Lend-Lease Act served as a catalyst for American industry to produce military supplies." Even without the lend-lease act American industry would produce military supplies. The act only helped the American wartime industry to prepare.

I am confused a bit. Please explain B and C.

NoMatterWhat · Answer

I think a point to eliminate 'Option B' is that the passage(itself) is not controversial, but the lend-lease Act.

Hope it Helps

Thanks = Kudos

ConfusedSEA · Answer

Answer from Veritas:

Question 1 
D. Paragraph two cites historians as saying the only way that American industry was able to support its war production efforts was that it passe the Lend-Lease act. Therefore, without the Act, industry would have been unable to support it.

Choices A and B are popular incorrect answers. While the Act is a turning point away from German control, it cannot be determined that German control would have lasted as long as choice A says it did. And Choice B also goes too far - "no financial interest" is a strong statement; the passage says that the act tied American financial interests directly to British fortunes in the war, but it doesn't say that there weren't other, perhaps less direct financial ties.

Question 2 
D. The author's tone in this passage is explanatory, and he begins with the passage of the Act and ends with the final stage of its history, so it can certainly be inferred that his purpose is to provide an overview of it's history. Choices A and E can be eliminated in large part because of tone, as the author doesn't take a hard stand on the Act at all. And choice C, a popular trap, is also incorrect, as the pros and cons of the Act are only mentioned in paragraph two - the legacy covered in paragraph three goes to show that the author is doing more than just discussing the arguments on either side.

Question 3 
C. The second paragraph notes that historians believe the Lend Lease Act was "the only way that the American wartime industry would have been prepared to supply its own military...", essentially stating that the Lend-Lease Act led to military production. Choice A is incorrect as nowhere in the passage is Britain credited with the WWII win. Choice B is incorrect as the passage does not directly provide information that the act was controversial. The act had opponents, but we cannot infer that there was any true controversy around the act. Choice D is incorrect, as historians only state that production in late 1941 would have been impossible without the act; the choice goes too far in saying that the entire war would have been impossible to win. And choice E also goes too far; all we know is that the final payment was made in 2006, not that it was because Britain couldn't afford to pay it.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Enacted on March 11, 1941, the Lend-Lease Act authorized

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Enacted on March 11, 1941, the Lend-Lease Act authorized

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