GMAT Verbal: Reading Comprehension Inference 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: "Although the company doubled its advertising budget, its market share remained flat." What can be inferred about advertising's effect here?
- Increased advertising did not translate into greater market share (Correct answer)
- The company lost money on advertising
- Competitors also doubled their budgets
- Advertising caused market share to decline
Correct answer: Increased advertising did not translate into greater market share
Flat market share despite doubled spending implies the extra advertising did not increase share.
Question 2: An author writes that "few scholars now defend the once-popular theory." What does this most strongly imply?
- The theory was never popular
- The theory has lost support over time (Correct answer)
- No scholars ever supported it
- The theory has been proven true
Correct answer: The theory has lost support over time
"Once-popular" plus "few now defend" indicates declining support over time.
Question 3: A passage notes that a policy "benefited urban residents while imposing costs on rural communities." What inference is best supported?
- The policy was universally praised
- The policy's effects varied by location (Correct answer)
- Rural communities supported the policy
- Urban residents opposed the policy
Correct answer: The policy's effects varied by location
Differing benefits and costs by area imply geographically varied effects.
Question 4: The text says: "The researcher's conclusions, while provocative, rest on a single small sample." What is implied about the conclusions?
- They are definitively false
- Their reliability may be limited (Correct answer)
- They were widely replicated
- They are based on large datasets
Correct answer: Their reliability may be limited
A single small sample suggests the conclusions' reliability could be limited.
Question 5: An author observes that "even critics concede the program reduced waiting times." What can be inferred?
- Critics generally opposed everything about the program
- The reduction in waiting times is well established (Correct answer)
- Supporters denied the reduction
- Waiting times increased overall
Correct answer: The reduction in waiting times is well established
If even opponents concede it, the waiting-time reduction is strongly supported.
Question 6: A passage states the new method is "faster but no more accurate than the traditional one." What does this imply?
- Accuracy is identical between methods (Correct answer)
- The new method is less accurate
- Speed and accuracy both improved
- The traditional method is faster
Correct answer: Accuracy is identical between methods
"No more accurate" means accuracy is essentially the same.
Question 7: The author writes: "The data suggest a correlation, but the underlying cause remains unknown." What inference follows?
- Causation has been established
- A relationship exists without a confirmed cause (Correct answer)
- There is no relationship in the data
- The author rejects the data
Correct answer: A relationship exists without a confirmed cause
A correlation without a known cause means a relationship exists but causation is unconfirmed.
GMAT Verbal: Reading Comprehension Inference 2
A passage states: "Although the company doubled its advertising budget, its market share remained flat." What can be inferred about advertising's effect here?