Q11 - Gabriella: By raising interest rates, the government

[ohthatpatrick]

Question Type:
ID the Disagreement

Stimulus Breakdown:
G: Govt raised interest rates -> ppl borrow less money -> ppl spend less money -> the economy slows down.
I: The govt's action did not cause the economy's slowdown (global stuff did)

Answer Anticipation:
Which of Gabriella's four claims does Ivan attack?
The notion that "by raising interest rates, the government has …. thereby slowed the country's economy".

Correct Answer:
D

Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) Ivan didn't address whether spending has gone down (and neither party was saying the slowdown caused less spending --- G was saying the reverse causality version of that)

(B) G never touches on this topic. She can agree with (B) and still think that the govt's action caused the slowdown.

(C) Ivan didn't address this part of G's claims.

(D) YES! They disagree about whether "by raising interest rates, the govt. has … thereby slowed the economy". G says yes, Ivan says no.

(E) G doesn't touch on the global economy topic at all. She can agree with this while still arguing that the govt's raising of interest rates slowed down the country's economy.

Takeaway/Pattern: After you've read both sets of statements, figure out exactly which one of the 1st person's claims that the 2nd person is targeting. That helps better focus your pre-phrase and makes it easier to find the right answer.

#officialexplanation