The country of Boralia is among the world's largest exporters of timber. Fearing that excessive logging is accelerating deforestation, the...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

Source: Mock

Critical Reasoning

Boldface

MEDIUM

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The country of Boralia is among the world's largest exporters of timber. Fearing that excessive logging is accelerating deforestation, the Boralian government plans to severely restrict logging operations. Job retraining will be provided for former loggers. Nevertheless, many of them will undoubtedly remain unemployed as a result of the restrictions, since a large drop in export revenue would weaken the Boralian economy to the point where there would be no jobs for retrained workers.

In the argument given below, the part that is in boldface functions as which of the following?

Background information that provides a context for the argument

A consideration that supports the conclusion of the argument

A consideration that tends to weaken the conclusion of the argument

A preliminary conclusion that supports the main conclusion of the argument

The conclusion of the argument

Solution

Understanding the Passage

Text from Passage	Analysis
"The country of Boralia is among the world's largest exporters of timber."	What it says: Boralia sells huge amounts of timber to other countries worldwide. Visualization: If the world exports 100 million tons of timber annually, Boralia might export 15-20 million tons, making it a top 5 exporter globally. What it does: Sets up the economic context - establishes that timber exports are a major part of Boralia's economy. Source: Author's factual statement
"Fearing that excessive logging is accelerating deforestation, the Boralian government plans to severely restrict logging operations."	What it says: The government is worried that too much tree-cutting is destroying forests too quickly, so they want to heavily limit logging activities. Visualization: Current logging: 20 million trees cut annually → Planned restriction: 5 million trees cut annually (75% reduction). What it does: Introduces the government's policy response to environmental concerns - this creates the foundation for the employment problem that follows. Source: Author's statement about government policy
"Job retraining will be provided for former loggers."	What it says: The government will offer programs to teach unemployed loggers new job skills. Visualization: 10,000 loggers lose jobs → Government provides 6-month retraining programs in construction, manufacturing, or agriculture. What it does: Presents the government's solution to help displaced workers - this seems like a positive measure to address unemployment. Source: Author's statement about government policy
(Boldface 1) "Nevertheless, many of them will undoubtedly remain unemployed as a result of the restrictions"	What it says: Despite the retraining programs, a significant number of former loggers will still end up without jobs because of the logging restrictions. Visualization: 10,000 loggers lose jobs → 6,000 get retrained → Only 2,000 find new employment → 8,000 remain unemployed. What it does: Contradicts the implied optimism of the retraining solution - predicts that the government's remedy won't be sufficient. Source: Author's prediction/conclusion
"since a large drop in export revenue would weaken the Boralian economy to the point where there would be no jobs for retrained workers."	What it says: Because timber exports will fall dramatically, the country will earn much less money, making the overall economy so weak that there won't be any job opportunities for people who completed retraining. Visualization: Current export revenue: $5 billion annually → After restrictions: $1.5 billion annually → Economic weakness means 200,000 total job losses across all sectors → No new positions available for 8,000 retrained loggers. What it does: Provides the reasoning that supports the boldface prediction - explains the economic mechanism behind why retraining won't work. Source: Author's reasoning/explanation

Overall Structure

The author is presenting an argument that predicts negative consequences from a well-intentioned government policy. The flow shows: environmental problem → government solution (restrictions + retraining) → author's prediction that the solution will fail due to broader economic effects.

Main Conclusion: Many former loggers will remain unemployed despite job retraining programs because the logging restrictions will damage the overall economy.

Boldface Segments

Boldface 1: many of them will undoubtedly remain unemployed as a result of the restrictions

Boldface Understanding

Boldface 1:

Function: This is the author's main prediction about what will happen to displaced loggers despite the government's retraining efforts.
Direction: This supports the author's ultimate position that the government's policy will create significant unemployment problems.

Structural Classification

Boldface 1:

Structural Role: Main conclusion of the argument - the central claim the author is making about the policy's consequences.
Predicted Answer Patterns: "the conclusion that the author draws," "the main point the author is arguing," "the author's primary claim about the policy's effects."

Answer Choices Explained

Background information that provides a context for the argument

'Background information that provides a context for the argument' - ✗ WRONG - The boldface statement is making a prediction about future unemployment, not providing contextual background. Background information would be factual setup like 'Boralia is among the world's largest exporters of timber.' The boldface is the author's claim, not context.

A consideration that supports the conclusion of the argument

'A consideration that supports the conclusion of the argument' - ✗ WRONG - This would mean the boldface supports some other conclusion, but there is no other conclusion in the argument. The boldface statement itself IS the main conclusion that the author is trying to prove, not evidence supporting something else.

A consideration that tends to weaken the conclusion of the argument

'A consideration that tends to weaken the conclusion of the argument' - ✗ WRONG - This would mean the boldface undermines the argument's conclusion, but the boldface IS the conclusion. It's not working against itself - it's the central claim the author wants us to accept.

A preliminary conclusion that supports the main conclusion of the argument

'A preliminary conclusion that supports the main conclusion of the argument' - ✗ WRONG - This would require there to be a separate, more important main conclusion that the boldface supports. However, the boldface statement is the final major claim of the argument. The reasoning that follows ('since a large drop in export revenue...') supports the boldface, not the other way around.

The conclusion of the argument

'The conclusion of the argument' - ✓ CORRECT - The boldface statement presents the author's main claim about what will happen to the loggers. Everything else in the argument either sets up the situation or provides reasoning to support this prediction. The word 'since' that follows introduces evidence for this conclusion, confirming its role as the main point the author is arguing.

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