Verbal Lecture-13

Reading Comprehension:

Characteristics of incorrect primary purpose choices:

Against the main point: This choice indeed states the primary purpose, but go against the primary purpose of the passage. For instance, merits may changed to demerits etc.

So, before deciding about a choice, read each word carefully. Do not sure about 99%; be precise and sure about 100%.

Partially correct: This includes some information that is relevant, but overall choice is incorrect. i.e scope does not cover entire passage, rather limited to few lines or a paragraph only. This is mostly used as trap answer choice.

So, while finding main point, consider entire passage story, rather than only a part of it.

Out of scope: This goes beyond the scope of the passage, despite include few related words of the passage. In states related information, but not that do not discussed in the passage. This choice may entice you through your personal knowledge and attractiveness of interest.

So, do not consider any outside knowledge, and understand the passage well above 75% in first glance.

Distort the intent of author by replacing key terms: Some choices does includes the main point but the organization is incorrect order perhaps by using different modifiers. This choice also sometimes do not include the key information from the passage.

So, before deciding about an answer choice, compare its wording with the organization of the passage.

Remember that the analysis of incorrect answer choice is more important than the analysis of correct one. You should have 100% proof that why you are considering a choice as incorrect. After that, you will able to get two solid proofs of a correct answer choice.

1. Because you have some proof about its wording.

2. Because all other remaining choices are 100% proven to be false.

So even you couldn’t find prove about a certain choice, you can select it after making sure that all other choices are proven to be false. That’s matter of strategy. As I said, RC is more about strategy. So be smart! To learn analysis of incorrect choices, let’s consider the following passage again:

To the untrained eye, consolidation of the livestock market looks like the triumph of economic efficiency; however, in reality, it has devastated rural communities economically and environmentally and is the very definition of unsustainable. Four meatpacking companies currently control 90 percent of all beef processing in the U.S. When you get that kind of market power, abuse becomes rampant, making it impossible for ranchers to get a fair price for their livestock. As an example, a few years back USDA’s Vilsack and Butler proposed new rules to protect smaller producers and to change the balance of power in the producer-processor relationship. The proposal soon came under withering assault from the meatpacking industry i.e. the processors, which commissioned a study designed to prove that the proposal if implemented would cost a ludicrous $14 billion and 104,000 jobs. The USDA was not allowed a fair chance to present the job creation upside – cattle ranching alone has shed 650,000 jobs over the last 30 years, while the number of hog farms dropped by 170,000 between 1992 and 2004, which can only have cost jobs. The meatpackers also convinced Congress to hold a series of hearings packed with pro-Big Ag witnesses, while House Republicans attempted to defund USDA work on the rule entirely. In the end, the USDA, under pressure from all directions, did the dirty work itself and pulled out all the controversial parts of the rule that would have truly leveled the playing field for small producers. Examples such as the above are the reasons why the overall revenue of the ranching industry has declined in the past few decades in spite of higher overall production.

What is the primary purpose of the passage?

A. To illustrate with examples the impact of imbalance of power in livestock market on producers and other related entities.

B. To illustrate with example that how lobbing can influence congress.

C. To describe with example the worse impact of market consolidation on society.

D. To illustrate with examples the weak power of USDA against dominant consolidation of market entities.

E. To illustrate with example that the operation effectiveness can lead to sever disaster in economy.

Answer Choice Analysis:

Self-Analysis:
After self analysis, we have made our own version of primary purpose i.e To prove downsides of a phenomenon with examples. Now let’s check each choice one by one, and leave the choice if we get proof of wrong answer choice.

Choice A: This choice is very similar to our wording i.e To provide evidence (i.e illustrate) with examples the downsides of a phenomenon (i.e impact of imbalance of power in XYZ…). We got a proof of correct answer choice in choice A, but let’s get 100% confidence by analyzing other choices with proof of getting wrong choices.

Choice B: Well, lobbing kind of thing does happen to convince congress, but it is only one point. So it does not cover complete passage summery, thus eliminate this choice. Thus, this choice is partially correct, but not completely. We got proof that it’s wrong.

Choice C: Well, it choice is a good example of trap answer choice. Because it almost expressing what we though, but it talks about market consolidation, rather than consolidation by few industry. In theory, market consolidation might be a good thing, because it may give protection to small producers as well. But according to passage, small producers are not protected. As there’s difference between market and livestock-market, So by replacing key term, this choice distorts the intent of the author in writing the passage. Hence, we got proof that this choice is wrong.

Choice D: Again this choice only talk about the partial information in the passage. The author point was not to present the examples, rather to prove his intent using this example that USDA has abandoned his power. The overall organization of the passage is not covered in this, so we got proof that this choice is wrong.

Choice E: This choice is outside the scope of the passage. Operational effectiveness is never been addressed nor implied in the passage. So we got proof that this choice is wrong.

Therefore, we are 101% sure that choice A is correct.

For general information about my experience, when I selected an answer choice, I say to myself that I will burn all my academic degrees if this choice would be wrong. With that level of confidence, I’ve selected every choices in these exams. 🙂