mexican problem from MGMAT

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 575
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:58 am
Location: India
Thanked: 18 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:710

mexican problem from MGMAT

by rahulg83 » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:16 am
For years, U.S. employers have counted on a steady flow of labor from Mexico willing to accept low-skilled, low paying jobs. These workers, many of whom leave economically depressed villages in the Mexican interior, are often more than willing to work for wages well below both the U.S. minimum wage and the poverty line. However, thanks to a dramatic demographic shift currently taking place in Mexico, the seemingly inexhaustible supply of workers migrating from Mexico to the United States might one day greatly diminish if not cease.
Predictions of such a drastic decrease in the number of Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal, are driven by Mexico’s rapidly diminishing population growth. As a result of a decades-long family planning campaign, most Mexicans are having far fewer children than was the norm a generation ago. The campaign, organized around the slogan that “the small family lives better,” saw the Mexican government establish family-planning clinics and offer free contraception. For nearly three decades, the government’s message concerning population hasn’t wavered. In fact, the Mexican Senate recently voted to extend public school GMAT education programs to kindergarten.
The result of Mexico’s efforts to stem population growth is nothing short of stunning. In 1968, the average Mexican woman had just fewer than seven children; today, the figure is slightly more than two. For two primary reasons, Mexico’s new demographics could greatly impact the number of Mexicans seeking work in the U.S. First, smaller families by their nature limit the pool of potential migrants. Second, the slowing of Mexico’s population growth has fostered hope that Mexico will develop a healthy middle class of people content to make their livelihoods in their home country.
Though the former of these factors is all but assured, the growth of a healthy middle class is far from a foregone conclusion. The critical challenge for Mexico is what it does with the next 20 years. Mexico must invest in education, job training, and infrastructure, as well as a social-security system to protect its aging population. If Mexico is willing to step forward and meet this challenge, America may one day wake up to find that, like cheap gasoline, cheap Mexican labor has become a thing of the past.

Which of the following can be inferred about U.S. employers of Mexican immigrants?

A)Most of these employers pay Mexican immigrants less money than they pay American citizens.
B)Some of these employers violate wage laws.
C)Many of these employers work in the agricultural industry.
D)Without Mexican immigrants, some of these employers would be forced to close their businesses.
E)The majority of these employers show no concern for the welfare of their workers.

This question comes from the bold portion above....
Can anyone explain why the answer is B and not A?

Legendary Member
Posts: 1169
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 2:34 am
Thanked: 25 times
Followed by:1 members

by aj5105 » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:49 am
I picked B.

How can you surely say most of the US employers? No where it's mentioned in the entire passage. Where as, on the other hand, you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that some US employers have broken the law by giving salaries lesser than the minimum wage.

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:54 pm
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:550

Ans B

by hariharakarthi » Sun Jun 28, 2009 5:15 pm
It is a inference question - Must be true type.
Should pass Fact Test. Ans choice should be proved by the statements stated in the passage.

A)Most of these employers pay Mexican immigrants less money than they pay American citizens.
Could be true. But not state in the passage.
B)Some of these employers violate wage laws.
Mexican Workers are often willing to work for low wages ie less than minimum wages stated by govt. Hence, employers pay less wages and violates wages law. Violation of wages law is an inference
C)Many of these employers work in the agricultural industry.
Out of scope. Not stated abt specific industry
D)Without Mexican immigrants, some of these employers would be forced to close their businesses.
Out of scope. Not stated

E)The majority of these employers show no concern for the welfare of their workers.
Out of scope. Not stated

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:52 am

by rahulajith » Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:58 pm
The official Answer is B. I strongly dis-agree. the passage says " the workers.....'are often more than willing to work for wages well below both the U.S. minimum wage and the poverty line' "

Just because workers are willing to work doesn't mean that US employers are employing them at rates below the minimum wage. The passage does not have sufficient content/text/evidence to prove B.