GMAT Verbal: Reading Comprehension Inference 2

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?

Accepted Answer

Increased advertising did not translate into greater market share

Answer

The company lost money on advertising

Answer

Competitors also doubled their budgets

Answer

Advertising caused market share to decline

Question 2

An author writes that "few scholars now defend the once-popular theory." What does this most strongly imply?

Accepted Answer

The theory has lost support over time

Answer

The theory was never popular

Answer

No scholars ever supported it

Answer

The theory has been proven true

Question 3

A passage notes that a policy "benefited urban residents while imposing costs on rural communities." What inference is best supported?

Accepted Answer

The policy's effects varied by location

Answer

The policy was universally praised

Answer

Rural communities supported the policy

Answer

Urban residents opposed the policy

Question 4

The text says: "The researcher's conclusions, while provocative, rest on a single small sample." What is implied about the conclusions?

Accepted Answer

Their reliability may be limited

Answer

They are definitively false

Answer

They were widely replicated

Answer

They are based on large datasets

Question 5

An author observes that "even critics concede the program reduced waiting times." What can be inferred?

Accepted Answer

The reduction in waiting times is well established

Answer

Critics generally opposed everything about the program

Answer

Supporters denied the reduction

Answer

Waiting times increased overall

Question 6

A passage states the new method is "faster but no more accurate than the traditional one." What does this imply?

Accepted Answer

Accuracy is identical between methods

Answer

The new method is less accurate

Answer

Speed and accuracy both improved

Answer

The traditional method is faster

Question 7

The author writes: "The data suggest a correlation, but the underlying cause remains unknown." What inference follows?

Accepted Answer

A relationship exists without a confirmed cause

Answer

Causation has been established

Answer

There is no relationship in the data

Answer

The author rejects the data