Educational policy analyst: To improve the long-term economic benefits that our country's universities provide to their students, the government shoul...

GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions

Source: Official Guide

Two Part Analysis

Verbal - RC

MEDIUM

...

Notes

Post a Query

Educational policy analyst: To improve the long-term economic benefits that our country's universities provide to their students, the government should provide subsidies enabling the universities to hire more academic staff. Hiring more academic staff would allow smaller class sizes. Statistically, university students in smaller classes tend to receive higher grades than those in larger classes. And on average, a student who earns higher grades in university classes tends to have a higher salary after graduation than a student who earns lower grades. Thus, hiring more academic staff nationwide should improve the economic well-being of graduates nationwide.

Consider the incomplete statement: According to the analyst's argument, students' 1 is bolstered by their 2. Select for 1 and 2 the options that complete the statement in the manner that most accurately reflects the given information.

tendency to earn higher grades in university classes

economic wellbeing after graduating from university

being in larger than average university classes

receiving better education overall

learning from a greater number of academic staff

Solution

Phase 1: Owning the Dataset

Argument Analysis Table

Passage Statement	Analysis & Implications
"To improve the long-term economic benefits...the government should provide subsidies enabling the universities to hire more academic staff"	Core Fact: Goal is improving economic benefits through subsidies for hiring Visualization: Government money → More professors Logical Connections: Sets up the means to achieve economic improvement What We Can Conclude: Economic benefit is the ultimate objective
"Hiring more academic staff would allow smaller class sizes"	Core Fact: More staff directly enables smaller classes Visualization: 1 professor for 100 students → 2 professors for 100 students = 50 per class Logical Connections: First step in the causal chain What We Can Conclude: Staff numbers determine class size
"university students in smaller classes tend to receive higher grades than those in larger classes"	Core Fact: Statistical relationship between class size and grades Visualization: 20-student class → average grade B+; 100-student class → average grade B- Logical Connections: Smaller classes lead to better academic performance What We Can Conclude: Class size influences grade outcomes
"a student who earns higher grades in university classes tends to have a higher salary after graduation"	Core Fact: Statistical relationship between grades and post-graduation salary Visualization: A student → $70k starting salary; C student → $50k starting salary Logical Connections: Academic performance translates to economic outcomes What We Can Conclude: Grades impact economic wellbeing

Key Patterns Identified

Established Facts: A clear causal chain from subsidies to economic outcomes
Core Relationship: Higher grades lead to better economic wellbeing after graduation
Statistical Trends: Two "tend to" relationships (class size→grades, grades→salary)
Boundaries: The argument focuses on economic benefits, not educational quality per se

Phase 2: Question Analysis & Prethinking

Understanding the Question Structure

We need to complete: "According to the analyst's argument, students' [1] is bolstered by their [2]."

Part 1 Focus: What is being strengthened/improved?
Part 2 Focus: What is doing the strengthening?
Relationship: "Bolstered by" indicates a supportive/causal relationship

Valid Inferences from the Passage

Based on our analysis:

Primary Inference: Students' economic wellbeing improves because of higher grades
Secondary Inference: Higher grades result from smaller class sizes
Ultimate Goal: Economic improvement through the entire causal chain

Phase 3: Answer Choice Evaluation

Let's evaluate each option:

"tendency to earn higher grades in university classes"

What it claims: Students' inclination toward better academic performance
Fact Support: Directly mentioned as linked to both class size and salary
Could work for: Part 2 (as the bolstering factor)

"economic wellbeing after graduating from university"

What it claims: Post-graduation financial success
Fact Support: The ultimate goal of the analyst's proposal
Could work for: Part 1 (as what is being bolstered)

"being in larger than average university classes"

What it claims: Enrollment in bigger classes
Fact Support: This is what the analyst wants to avoid
Could work for: Neither part (contradicts the argument)

"receiving better education overall"

What it claims: General educational quality
Fact Support: Not mentioned; the focus is on grades and economic outcomes
Could work for: Neither part (unsupported inference)

"learning from a greater number of academic staff"

What it claims: Exposure to more professors
Fact Support: More staff leads to smaller classes, not necessarily learning from more staff
Could work for: Neither part (misinterprets the argument)

Answer Selection

The analyst's key claim is that higher grades lead to better economic outcomes. This relationship is explicitly stated: "a student who earns higher grades...tends to have a higher salary after graduation."

Therefore:

Part 1: "economic wellbeing after graduating from university" (what is bolstered)
Part 2: "tendency to earn higher grades in university classes" (what does the bolstering)

This creates the statement: "According to the analyst's argument, students' economic wellbeing after graduating from university is bolstered by their tendency to earn higher grades in university classes."

This perfectly captures the analyst's core argument about the relationship between academic performance and economic outcomes.

Rate this Solution

Tell us what you think about this solution

...

Forum Discussions

Start a new discussion

Post

Previous Attempts

Loading attempts...