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George Bernard Shaw

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by uptowngirl92 » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:05 am
Could you provide a few lines of explanations?

George Bernard Shaw wrote: " That any sane nation, having observed that you could provide for the supply of bread by giving bakers a pecuniary interest in baking for you, should go on to give a surgeon a pecuniary interest in cutting off your leg is enough to make one despair of political humanity."

Shaw's statement would best serve as an illustration in an argument criticizing which of the following?

A Dentists who perform unnecessary dental work in order to earn a profit
B Doctors who increase their profits by specializing only in diseases that affect a large percentage of the population
C Grocers who raise the price of food in order to increase their profit margins
D Oil companies that decrease the price of their oil in order to increase their market share
E Bakers and surgeons who earn a profit by supplying other peoples' basic needs
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |
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by aj5105 » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:59 am
I picked (A)
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Explanation

by turbo jet » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:22 am
Choice A is the correct answer.

It is mimic the reasoning variety of question where the argument provides us a reasoning/logic. The logic may be correct/flawed.

We need to choose the answer choice that mimics/imitates the logic in the argument.

The best way to approach this problem would be to paraphrase the argument in your own words.

eg. Bernard Shaw in the second half of the sentence wants to convey that a person would do a task just for money and not because it is required/is a part of his profession.

We can see this same logic in Ans choice A. The other choices only talk about the 1st part of the logic i.e. "a person would do a task just for money" The other answer choices does not imitates the second part of the logic "not because it is required/is a part of his profession.". Hence they are incomplete.

Cheers!!
Turbo Jet
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by turbo jet » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:23 am
Dear uptowngirl, would request you to kindly also provide the answers hidden by a spoiler.

Thnx so much.
And good questions.

Keep posting

Cheers!!
Turbo Jet

:) :) :) :)
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by aj5105 » Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:54 am
Are you an English major, turbo?


:shock:
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Re: George Bernard Shaw

by amazonviper » Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:27 am
uptowngirl92 wrote:Could you provide a few lines of explanations?

George Bernard Shaw wrote: " That any sane nation, having observed that you could provide for the supply of bread by giving bakers a pecuniary interest in baking for you, should go on to give a surgeon a pecuniary interest in cutting off your leg is enough to make one despair of political humanity."

Shaw's statement would best serve as an illustration in an argument criticizing which of the following?

A Dentists who perform unnecessary dental work in order to earn a profit
B Doctors who increase their profits by specializing only in diseases that affect a large percentage of the population
C Grocers who raise the price of food in order to increase their profit margins
D Oil companies that decrease the price of their oil in order to increase their market share
E Bakers and surgeons who earn a profit by supplying other peoples' basic needs

IMO A.
The key is understanding the crux of the passage. The passage as a whole implies a negative meaning. The logic is "just because we go with A we go with B too (B being pretty crazy and unnecessary)".
IMO only A seems to show that trend (negative impact). The rest of the option do not show that trend.

What is the OA???
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by yogami » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:40 pm
"That any sane nation, having observed that you could provide for the supply of bread by giving bakers a pecuniary interest in baking for you, should go on to give a surgeon pecuniary interest in cutting off your leg is enough to make one despair of political humanity"

This language sounds so academic? Imagine Obama today giving a puiblic speech like this?
200 or 800. It don't matter no more.
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by turbo jet » Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:41 pm
aj5105 wrote:Are you an English major, turbo?


:shock:
Whoa!!! Far from that!! I am an economics and finance major !!! Way to go before i can claim to be an English major!!!
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by varundaga05 » Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:49 pm
still not clear

Can someone give some other explanation
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by varundaga05 » Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:58 pm
Reference : https://gmatclub.com/forum/cr-george-ber ... 76634.html

The question hisnges on the word pecuniary which means of or pertaining to money.

"That any sane nation, having observed that you could provide for the supply of bread by giving bakers a pecuniary interest in baking for you," this means bakers will only bake bread for you if it in there money making interests. Making bread is profitable.

"should go on to give a surgeon a pecuniary interest in cutting off your leg is enough to make one despair of political humanity." This means doctors interests in providing you medical attention is linked making them money and not becaue it is the right thing to do, so if cutting off your leg would make them more money then they would cut more legs off not because it medically necessary but becaus it is profitable, which is a sad commentary on human nature.

(B) Doctors who increase their profits by specializing only in diseases that affect a large percentage of the population - This staes the doctor is motivated by money to specialize in certain diseases but it this does not mean he is motivated to misdiagnose

(A) Dentists who perform unnecessary dental work in order to earn a profit - A goes to the heart of the matter perfoming medical procedures for the sake of profit and not medical need.
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by artistocrat » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:26 pm
It's equally needless to "perform unnecessary dental work in order to earn a profit" (choice A) as it is to remove someone's leg for a price.
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