The country of Verovia exports millions of tons of coal each year, more than any other country in the region....

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

Source: Official Guide

Critical Reasoning

Strengthen

MEDIUM

...

Notes

Post a Query

The country of Verovia exports millions of tons of coal each year, more than any other country in the region. However, the country also imports several hundred thousand tons of coal annually. This imported coal is of the same variety produced domestically. One geographer explained this by pointing out that while most coal is mined in the eastern part of the country, there is demand for coal in several cities on the opposite side of the country, hundreds of kilometers away.

Which of the following would, if true, most help support the geographer's explanation?

Verovia's mountainous interior is impassible for most of the year.

Gorosco, the third-largest coal producer in the region, borders Verovia to the west.

Verovia has an extensive electric power system that depends entirely on coal power.

Ojondo, Verovia's neighbor to the south, consumes more than half of Verovia's exports.

Verovia's public transportation system uses other forms of energy besides coal.

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
The country of Verovia exports millions of tons of coal each year, more than any other country in the region.	What it says: Verovia is the biggest coal exporter in its region, shipping out millions of tons annually What it does: Sets up Verovia as a major coal producer and establishes the regional context What it is: Author's factual claim about Verovia's export status Visualization: Verovia exports 5 million tons/year, while other regional countries export 2-3 million tons each
However, the country also imports several hundred thousand tons of coal annually.	What it says: Despite being a major exporter, Verovia also brings in hundreds of thousands of tons of coal from other countries What it does: Creates a puzzling contradiction with the previous statement about being such a big exporter What it is: Author's factual claim that contrasts with the export data Visualization: Verovia imports 400,000 tons/year while exporting 5 million tons - why import when you export so much?
This imported coal is of the same variety produced domestically.	What it says: The coal Verovia imports is exactly the same type they already produce at home What it does: Makes the puzzle even stranger - why import what you already make? What it is: Author's factual clarification that deepens the contradiction
One geographer explained this by pointing out that while most coal is mined in the eastern part of the country, there is demand for coal in several cities on the opposite side of the country, hundreds of kilometers away.	What it says: A geographer thinks it's because coal mines are in the east but some cities that need coal are way over on the west side What it does: Offers a potential solution to the puzzle based on geographic distance between supply and demand What it is: Expert's explanation for the apparent contradiction Visualization: East side has coal mines, west side cities (500+ km away) need coal - maybe it's easier to import than transport across the country

Argument Flow:

The passage presents a geographic puzzle and offers an explanation. We start with Verovia being a major coal exporter, then learn they also import the same type of coal they produce. A geographer suggests this happens because the coal mines are far from some cities that need coal.

Main Conclusion:

The geographer's explanation is that Verovia imports coal because of the geographic distance between where coal is mined (eastern part) and where it's needed (western cities).

Logical Structure:

This isn't really a complete argument yet - it's setting up a scenario where we need to evaluate the geographer's explanation. The structure shows: Geographic facts about mining and demand → Expert's distance-based explanation for the import puzzle.

Prethinking:

Question type:

Strengthen - We need to find information that would make the geographer's explanation more believable or credible

Precision of Claims

The geographer's explanation is based on geographic location (coal mines in east vs. demand in west cities) and distance (hundreds of kilometers away). We need to focus on transportation logistics and costs.

Strategy

The geographer says Verovia imports coal because it's hard to get coal from eastern mines to western cities. To strengthen this, we need evidence that supports the idea that transportation across the country is difficult, expensive, or impractical compared to importing from neighboring countries. We should look for information about transportation costs, infrastructure limitations, or geographic barriers.

Answer Choices Explained

Verovia's mountainous interior is impassible for most of the year.

This directly strengthens the geographer's explanation by providing a concrete reason why transportation from eastern mines to western cities would be impractical. If the mountainous interior is impassible most of the year, it explains why Verovia would import coal from western neighbors rather than transport it across the country. This makes the geographic explanation much more credible.

Gorosco, the third-largest coal producer in the region, borders Verovia to the west.

While knowing that Gorosco borders Verovia to the west might explain where the imported coal comes from, it doesn't strengthen the geographer's explanation about why transportation across Verovia is problematic. This provides context but doesn't support the distance-based reasoning.

Verovia has an extensive electric power system that depends entirely on coal power.

The fact that Verovia has an extensive coal-powered electric system might explain why there's high demand for coal, but it doesn't support the geographer's specific explanation about transportation difficulties between eastern mines and western cities. This is about demand, not transportation logistics.

Ojondo, Verovia's neighbor to the south, consumes more than half of Verovia's exports.

Information about export destinations doesn't help explain why Verovia imports coal for domestic use. This tells us where exported coal goes but doesn't strengthen the explanation for the import puzzle the geographer is trying to solve.

Verovia's public transportation system uses other forms of energy besides coal.

Knowing that public transportation uses other energy sources doesn't strengthen the geographer's explanation about coal transportation difficulties. This is irrelevant to the coal mining and distribution issue being discussed.

Rate this Solution

Tell us what you think about this solution

...

Forum Discussions

Start a new discussion

Post

Previous Attempts

Loading attempts...