PrepTest 129, Section 3, Question 3
Although free international trade allows countries to specialize,(55 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- ASpecialization within international(4 more words not shown)
- BA natural disaster(12 more words not shown)
- CA small country's(12 more words not shown)
- DSome countries rely(13 more words not shown)
- EWhen international trade(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Specializing can make sense. Imagine one country concentrating on food while another concentrates on medicine, with each trading for what it does not produce. But if trade is interrupted, relying on another country for an essential product could become a problem. The opening “although” prepares us for a concern about specialization's benefits.
The author develops a particular concern: a small country may depend on just one or two products for most of its exports. What happens if those products stop bringing in revenue? Perhaps demand could fall, but the passage gives us two other possibilities.
If the country exports a raw material such as gold, its supply can run out. If it depends heavily on a crop such as corn, a natural disaster can destroy the season's production. A country with other substantial exports would have other sources of revenue; concentrating heavily on one product creates exposure to what happens to that product.
What we’re looking for
That is a sensible explanation of a risk. The question asks for the argument's overall conclusion, so we need the point these examples establish: specialization within international trade carries risks. We should not select just one illustration of the risk or the opening statement about why specialization is possible.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This states the point the raw-material and food-production examples support. Specialization can raise productivity, but it also creates risks when countries depend heavily on a small number of exports.
- B
A disaster destroying a season's production illustrates why reliance on food exports can be risky. It is one route to the broader conclusion, not the conclusion as a whole. A also covers the separate danger of using up raw materials.
- C
Running out of a raw material is another example supporting the risk claim. The passage does not say the supply must be exhausted in a short period, either. However long it takes, the example's role is to explain a risk of dependence on that export.
- D
This describes the dependence that makes the examples matter. But what does the author want us to understand about relying on a small number of products? That it creates risks. D leaves out that assessment.
- E
This restates the opening background about free trade permitting specialization. The author then turns to the risks of that specialization. E stops before the claim the rest of the passage is written to establish.
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