In the United States between 1850 and 1880, the number of farmers cont

Question

In the United States between 1850 and 1880, the number of farmers continued to increase, but at a rate lower than that of the general population.

Which of the following statements directly contradicts the information presented above?

A. The number of farmers in the general population increased slightly in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.

B. The rate of growth of the United States labor force and the rate of growth of the general population rose simultaneously in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.

C. The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force remained constant in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.

D. The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force decreased from 64 percent in 1850 to 49 percent in 1880.

E. The proportion of farmers in the general population increased from 68 percent in 1850 to 72 percent in 1880.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The passage indicates that the proportion of farmers in the general population decreased from 1850 to 1880.  The fifth answer choice (E) says exactly the opposite-that this proportion increased; therefore, it contradicts the passage and is the correct response.

A is incorrect. The passage also indicates that the number of farmers increased between 1850 and 1880, and thus agrees with this choice. B is also incorrect. The passage does not tell us about the rate of growth of the labor force. It can be inferred from the passage that the general population grew, but this choice agrees with, rather than contradicts, this conclusion. The choice of C is not the correct answer. We cannot draw any conclusions about the proportion of farmers in the labor force from the passage alone. The fourth is also incorrect. We cannot draw any conclusions about the proportion of farmers in the labor force from the passage alone.

SonalSinha803 · Answer

A. The number of farmers in the general population increased slightly in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880. - irrelevant.

B. The rate of growth of the United States labor force and the rate of growth of the general population rose simultaneously in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880. - incorrect comparison. We are not talking about the labour force.

C. The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force remained constant in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880. - same as B. Incorrect.

D. The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force decreased from 64 percent in 1850 to 49 percent in 1880. - same as B. Eliminate.

E. The ((proportion of farmers)) in the ((general population)) ((increased)) from 68 percent in 1850 to 72 percent in 1880. - directly attacks the argument by stating that the proportion of farmers in the general population increased from 1850 to 1880. Hence, correct.

IMO E.

Sent from my Lenovo K53a48 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

arun6765 · Answer

Only E provides the direct contradiction as required by question stem.

E. The proportion of farmers in the general population increased from 68 percent in 1850 to 72 percent in 1880.

Suppose there were 1000 total population in 1850 so farmers = 680 now even if population increase by 1000 more in 1880.

Total people = 2000 and 72% of 2000 = 1440 so farmers increased by 1440-680 = 760, so no of farmers increased at greater rate than (240) rest of population.

kntombat · Answer

Can someone help me with this question ?

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.

In the United States between 1850 and 1880, the number of farmers cont

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

In the United States between 1850 and 1880, the number of farmers cont

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia