Reading Comprehension

During the 1980s, many economic historians
studying Latin America focused on the impact of
the Great Depression of the 1930s. Most of these
historians argued that although the Depression
began earlier in Latin America than in the United
States, it was less severe in Latin America and did
not significantly impede industrial growth there.
The historians' argument was grounded in national
government records concerning tax revenues and
exports and in government-sponsored industrial
censuses, from which historians have drawn
conclusions about total manufacturing output
and profit levels across Latin America. However,
economic statistics published by Latin American
governments in the early twentieth century are
neither reliable nor consistent; this is especially
true of manufacturing data, which were gathered
from factory owners for taxation purposes and
which therefore may well be distorted. Moreover,
one cannot assume a direct correlation between
the output level and the profit level of a given
industry as these variables often move in opposite
directions. Finally, national and regional economies
are composed of individual firms and industries,
and relying on general, sweeping economic
indicators may mask substantial variations among
these different enterprises. For example, recent
analyses of previously unexamined data on textile
manufacturing in Brazil and Mexico suggest that the
Great Depression had a more severe impact on this
Latin American industry than scholars
had recognized.

460) The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. compare the impact of the Great Depression on Latin America with its impact on the United States
B. criticize a school of economic historians for failing to analyze the Great Depression in Latin America within a global context
C. illustrate the risks inherent in comparing different types of economic enterprises to explain economic phenomena
D. call into question certain scholars' views concerning the severity of the Great Depression in Latin America
E. demonstrate that the Great Depression had a more severe impact on industry in Latin America than in certain other regions

461) Which of the following conclusions about the Great Depression is best supported by the passage?
A. It did not impede Latin American industrial growth as much as historians had previously thought.
B. It had a more severe impact on the Brazilian and the Mexican textile industries than it had on Latin America as a region.
C. It affected the Latin American textile industry more severely than it did any other industry in Latin America.
D. The overall impact on Latin American industrial growth should be reevaluated by economic historians.
E. Its impact on Latin America should not be compared with its impact on the United States

462) Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the author's assertion regarding economic indicators in lines 25-27 ?
A. During an economic depression, European textile manufacturers' profits rise while their industrial output remains steady.
B. During a national economic recession, United States microchips manufacturers' profits rise sharply while United States steel manufacturers' profits plunge.
C. During the years following a severe economic depression, textile manufacturers' output levels and profit levels increase in Brazil and Mexico but not in the rest of Latin America.
D. Although Japanese industry as a whole recovers after an economic recession, it does not regain its previously high levels of production.
E. While European industrial output increases in the years following an economic depression, total output remains below that of Japan or the United States.

Q460: D
Q461: D
Q462: B