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Boldface

by crackgmat007 » Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:58 pm
If interest rates remain at their current high levels, many people who currently rent their residences will hesitate to purchase homes. As the price of real estate continues to climb, the costs of a mortgage will be too burdensome. Sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices. So, high interest rates will eventually cause the real estate market to stabilize.

In the argument above, the portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first is the author's main point; the second is a prediction that follows from that point.
B. The first is a consideration that the author believes will result in a certain situation; the second is that situation.
C. The first is a consideration that weighs against the author's main point; the second is the author's main point.
D. The first is a prediction; the second is evidence in support of that prediction.
E. The first is the author's main point; the second is evidence used to argue against that point.

OA - B Support your reasoning for the benefit of everyone.
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Re: Boldface

by shahdevine » Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:44 pm
crackgmat007 wrote:If interest rates remain at their current high levels, many people who currently rent their residences will hesitate to purchase homes. As the price of real estate continues to climb, the costs of a mortgage will be too burdensome. Sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices. So, high interest rates will eventually cause the real estate market to stabilize.

In the argument above, the portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first is the author's main point; the second is a prediction that follows from that point.
B. The first is a consideration that the author believes will result in a certain situation; the second is that situation.
C. The first is a consideration that weighs against the author's main point; the second is the author's main point.
D. The first is a prediction; the second is evidence in support of that prediction.
E. The first is the author's main point; the second is evidence used to argue against that point.

OA - B Support your reasoning for the benefit of everyone.
boldface questions are pretty straightforward. the answer choices are just descriptions of what is going on in the stimulus. The explicit parts of a stimulus are either premise or conclusion. The answer choices will use different words to throw you off, like "consideration" = premise or "main point" = conclusion. But stay focused and you can get the answer quickly.

For this one, "if then" statements are usually conditional statements that are premises. and "so" is a conclusion indicator. So i am looking for answers that say that.

A and E - eliminate...first bold is not author's main point.
C - eliminate...stay away from "weighs against"
D - eliminate...first bold is not prediction. Its a conditional statement used as evidence for the authors main point.

B - a consideration the author believes will result in a certain situation sounds like "a conditional statement". Second bold gives it away with word "eventually" i.e. based on condition author sets up this situation will follow.

You got this man!
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Re: Boldface

by crackgmat007 » Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:14 pm
shahdevine wrote:
crackgmat007 wrote:If interest rates remain at their current high levels, many people who currently rent their residences will hesitate to purchase homes. As the price of real estate continues to climb, the costs of a mortgage will be too burdensome. Sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices. So, high interest rates will eventually cause the real estate market to stabilize.

In the argument above, the portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first is the author's main point; the second is a prediction that follows from that point.
B. The first is a consideration that the author believes will result in a certain situation; the second is that situation.
C. The first is a consideration that weighs against the author's main point; the second is the author's main point.
D. The first is a prediction; the second is evidence in support of that prediction.
E. The first is the author's main point; the second is evidence used to argue against that point.

OA - B Support your reasoning for the benefit of everyone.
boldface questions are pretty straightforward. the answer choices are just descriptions of what is going on in the stimulus. The explicit parts of a stimulus are either premise or conclusion. The answer choices will use different words to throw you off, like "consideration" = premise or "main point" = conclusion. But stay focused and you can get the answer quickly.

For this one, "if then" statements are usually conditional statements that are premises. and "so" is a conclusion indicator. So i am looking for answers that say that.

A and E - eliminate...first bold is not author's main point.
C - eliminate...stay away from "weighs against"
D - eliminate...first bold is not prediction. Its a conditional statement used as evidence for the authors main point.

B - a consideration the author believes will result in a certain situation sounds like "a conditional statement". Second bold gives it away with word "eventually" i.e. based on condition author sets up this situation will follow.

You got this man!
Actually, I got the answer. But, I wanted to check my reasoning with that of others on the forum.

Can you elaborate what is 'consideration' in choice B?
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by shanrizvi » Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:59 am
Hmm. I don't get it.

If interests remain high, people won't buy homes.

As prices rise, sellers will be forced to lower prices. Cost of mortgages will be too burdensome.

Hence, high interest rates will cause the real estate market to stabilize.

I suppose "stabilize" means people will start buying homes again. How is bold statement 1 what will happen in the situation in statement 2? That implies: When high rates cause the real estate market to stabilize, people will hesitate to purchase homes (even though sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices considering the high mortgages rates). It doesn't make sense to me!
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by vaibhav.iit2002 » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:18 am
shanrizvi wrote:Hmm. I don't get it.

If interests remain high, people won't buy homes.

As prices rise, sellers will be forced to lower prices. Cost of mortgages will be too burdensome.

Hence, high interest rates will cause the real estate market to stabilize.

I suppose "stabilize" means people will start buying homes again. How is bold statement 1 what will happen in the situation in statement 2? That implies: When high rates cause the real estate market to stabilize, people will hesitate to purchase homes (even though sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices considering the high mortgages rates). It doesn't make sense to me!
Agree. B doesn't seem OK. Help plz.
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by heshamelaziry » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:12 pm
what is the main point ?
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by nervesofsteel » Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:47 am
statement 2 is not the situation mentioned in statement 1..
i disagree with B as the ans
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by Testluv » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:44 am
heshamelaziry wrote:what is the main point ?
Hi Hesham,

The main point is the last sentence of the passage (punctuated by the keyword "so"). This does not necessarily mean that the correct answer must explicitly refer to it as "main point".

His main point just happens to be a prediction of a "certain situation." And this is how the accredited response (choice B) refers to it.

There are different conclusion types:
prediction
recommendation or plan
assertion of fact
value judgment
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Re: Boldface

by Testluv » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:51 am
shahdevine wrote:
crackgmat007 wrote:If interest rates remain at their current high levels, many people who currently rent their residences will hesitate to purchase homes. As the price of real estate continues to climb, the costs of a mortgage will be too burdensome. Sellers will be forced to lower their asking prices. So, high interest rates will eventually cause the real estate market to stabilize.

In the argument above, the portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A. The first is the author's main point; the second is a prediction that follows from that point.
B. The first is a consideration that the author believes will result in a certain situation; the second is that situation.
C. The first is a consideration that weighs against the author's main point; the second is the author's main point.
D. The first is a prediction; the second is evidence in support of that prediction.
E. The first is the author's main point; the second is evidence used to argue against that point.

OA - B Support your reasoning for the benefit of everyone.
boldface questions are pretty straightforward. the answer choices are just descriptions of what is going on in the stimulus. The explicit parts of a stimulus are either premise or conclusion. The answer choices will use different words to throw you off, like "consideration" = premise or "main point" = conclusion. But stay focused and you can get the answer quickly.

For this one, "if then" statements are usually conditional statements that are premises. and "so" is a conclusion indicator. So i am looking for answers that say that.

A and E - eliminate...first bold is not author's main point.
C - eliminate...stay away from "weighs against"
D - eliminate...first bold is not prediction. Its a conditional statement used as evidence for the authors main point.

B - a consideration the author believes will result in a certain situation sounds like "a conditional statement". Second bold gives it away with word "eventually" i.e. based on condition author sets up this situation will follow.

You got this man!
Hi shahdevine,

Yep, you're absolutely right that the answer choices are just descriptions of what is going on in the passage. And you are right that the parts of the stimulus referred to will most often be premise (or counter-premise) and conclusion (or counter-conclusion).

...but (knew that was coming!) if -then statements ARE conditional statements which are often evidence (premise), but could also easily be conclusion. If-then statements may or may not be considerations, and many considerations are, in fact, if-then statements ("if we do this that will happen, so maybe we should consider").
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by james33 » Sun May 15, 2016 10:13 pm
I believe the correct answer should be B
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