MGMAT RC CAT 4

[bhide_esha]

This is an RC question from CAT 4.

For years, employers in the United States have counted on a steady flow of laborers 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 willing to work for wages well below both the U.S. minimum wage and the poverty line. A dramatic demographic shift currently taking place in Mexico, however, may alter the trend: the stream of workers migrating from Mexico to the United States might one day greatly diminish if not cease.
As a result of a decades-long family planning campaign, population growth, which had reached a peak of 3.5% in 1965, declined to just 1% by 2005. On average, Mexican women today are giving birth to fewer than half as many children as did their mothers. 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 has not wavered. In fact, the Mexican Senate recently voted to expand public school sex education programs to kindergarten.
For two primary reasons, Mexico’s new demographics could greatly impact the number of Mexicans seeking work in the U.S. First, smaller families directly 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. 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. Developing a stable middle class will require investments in education, job training, and infrastructure, as well as a social-security system to protect its aging population. Businesses will need to create more semi-skilled and skilled jobs in construction, manufacturing, and technology, as well as the associated "white collar" jobs that too many Mexican manufacturers currently locate outside of the country’s borders. It remains to be seen whether government and industry will answer these challenges as vigorously as the family-planning campaign answered the problem of population growth.

The author includes the third paragraph of the passage in order to

A)illustrate why the number of Mexican immigrants seeking work in the United States is certain to decline

B)Detail the successes of Mexico’s family planning campaign

C)explain why the number of Mexicans seeking work in the United States may not dramatically decrease

D)Specify the types of infrastructure in which Mexico must invest

E)Notify American employers that they must soon find alternative sources of labor

The OA is C). A similar RC has been posted before this here :

for-years-u-s-employers-have-counted-on-a-stead-cat-4-t7828.html

But, this passage has been modified to add the last sentence. The choice (C) sounds very unconvincing as the passage provides no evidence to support it.

Opening line says : Mexico’s new demographics could greatly impact the number of Mexicans seeking work in the U.S. Then two reasons have been cited :
1. smaller family size
2. Hope that a middle class would develop over time.

Now reasons have been mentioned as to why the development of a middle class will be difficult ..BUT it clearly mentions that 1. is almost bound to happen. So how can you conclusively say that because 2. is improbable the number of people will not decrease dramatically. For all you know even though 2. is difficult the Mexicans may achieve it (The last line goes on to say this ..It remains to be seen whether government and industry will answer these challenges as vigorously as the family-planning campaign answered the problem of population growth.)

Am I missing something here?

[messi10]

Hi,

The question states "The author includes the third paragraph of the passage in order to:". This means that we are trying to find out the author's intent behind the 3rd paragraph.

There is a line in that paragraph: "the growth of a healthy middle class is far from a foregone conclusion". This is what the author personally feels about the development of middle class in Mexico. It is his opinion. After that line, he goes on to list all the things that the Mexican government must do. That opening line sets the tone that the author does not believe that overcoming all these challenges will happen any time soon. Answer choice C just makes the logical conclusion that based on his tone, the middle class will not be established quickly and easily and therefore the number of Mexicans seeking work in US will not decrease dramatically.

You have also raised the question that in the first paragraph, the author believes that the worker migration from Mexico may one day diminish if not cease. This is not contradicting what is said in paragraph 3. The third paragraph, he simply amplifies his belief that it may not happen any time soon as the Mexican government faces a lot of challenges in order to develop the middle class.

Hope this helps

Sunil

[jnelson0612]

Very nice Sunil.

As a side note, also notice the moderate word "may" in answer choice C--this can be very desirable language in reading comp answer choices since it is difficult to argue with answers using words such as may, sometimes, could, might, etc.

[messi10]

Jamie, thank you for that info

Regards

Sunil

[jnelson0612]

:-)